Member

Last week I again cast doubt on whether a Committee of the whole House is capable of providing the scrutiny necessary for such delicate and detailed legislation. The Secretary of State again repeated the line of his predecessor: that it allows Members representing the communities of Northern Ireland to play an active role in Committee. That is, of course, an absolutely legitimate point. However, it could have been addressed by the three major parties giving up some of their places to MPs who represent Northern Ireland constituencies—a solution that I have raised numerous times, only to be ignored.