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发帖数: 3411 | 1 Mr Cameron also suggested that similar proposals would in future apply to We
lsh and Northern Irish MPs.
Mr Cameron pledged the unionist parties would keep promises made to Scotland
in the heat of the referendum campaign.
But he added: "In Wales, there are proposals to give the Welsh Government an
d Assembly more powers and I want Wales to be at the heart of the debate for
how to make our United Kingdom work for all our nations.
"In Northern Ireland, we must work to ensure the devolved institutions funct
ion effectively.
"But I have long believed a crucial part missing from this national discussi
on is England. We have heard the voice of Scotland and now the millions of v
oices of England must also be heard.
"The question of English votes for English laws, the so-called West Lothian
Question, requires a decisive answer so just as Scotland will vote separatel
y on their issues of tax, spending and welfare, so too England as well as Wa
les and Northern Ireland should be able to vote on these issues.
"All this must take place in tandem with and at the same pace as the settlem
ent for Scotland."
William Hague, the Commons Leader, will draw up the detail of the plans, to
be discussed in a Cabinet committee, with the same November deadline as that
for the detailed proposals for Scotland.
Mr Cameron added: "It is also important we have wider civic engagement about
how to improve governance throughout our United Kingdom, including how to e
mpower our great cities. We will say more about this in the coming days."
Mr Alexander, the shadow foreign secretary, told BBC Radio 4's Today program
me that Mr Cameron's announcement struck him as a "fairly knee-jerk reaction
which ... may well have been driven more by politics than by a considered j
udgement of the needs of the constitution".
However, there were signs of a growing Labour split on the issue.
Lord Reid, the former Labour Home Secretary, said: “What the PM said [is] t
hree things, first of all the decision has been taken by the Scottish people
that they want to be part of the United Kingdom…Secondly however there is
a demand which has been met by a promise for further enhanced powers for Sco
ttish Parliament and a timetable set out for that.
“Let's work on that. Thirdly, he said we can't do that without looking at t
he needs in the reformed club if you like of the other nations, including th
e English. I happen to think that is perfectly logical and predictable.”The
'English question' answered: Scottish MPs to be barred from voting on En
glish laws
David Cameron has announced that he will fast-track proposals to prevent Sco
ttish MPs voting on English-only issues in the wake of the independence refe
rendum.
The Prime Minister said that he will provide a “decisive answer” to the so
-called “West Lothian Question” by the time of the next election.
However, Douglas Alexander, a shadow Labour minister, immediately hit out at
the plans.
Labour has 40 Scottish MPs and any move to prevent them voting in Parliament
on a series of devolved issues would severely impact the party’s ability t
o block or pass laws in future. |
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