Procedure Committee welcomes planned extension of proxy voting pilot scheme

Friday 17 Jul 2020 @ 13:43
Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries

The House of Commons Procedure Committee has welcomed the tabling by the Government of a motion to extend the duration of the House’s pilot scheme for proxy voting in divisions.

Procedure Committee

The Chair of the Procedure Committee, Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP, wrote to the Leader of the House, Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, earlier this week to advise an extension to the proxy voting pilot until 28 September 2020.

The brief extension is intended to allow the Procedure Committee to complete its review of the proxy voting pilot introduced in January 2019. This review has been broadened to include the recent decision of the House to extend the proxy voting facility to MPs absent from the House for coronavirus-related reasons.

The Government has now tabled a motion for the House to consider on Monday [20/07/20]. If agreed to, this would extend the pilot scheme until Monday 28 September 2020.

Chair's comments

Chair of the Procedure Committee, Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP said:

“The Procedure Committee welcomes the decision from the Government to facilitate a short extension to the proxy voting pilot.

“This provides certainty to MPs who are new parents that they can continue to have their vote recorded when they are absent from the House, and also provides continuing certainty to those MPs who are prevented from coming to Westminster for reasons related to the pandemic.

“Should the House approve the motion on Monday, the proxy voting pilot scheme will continue until 28 September. The Committee expects to provide its assessment of the pilot in early September: this report will inform the House’s consideration of any proposal to make the pilot scheme permanent.”

The proxy voting pilot was started in January 2019, initially for a period of 12 months, and the Procedure Committee was asked to review the pilot within this period. Parliament was dissolved soon after that Committee launched its review, and in January 2020 the House extended the pilot for six months to allow the new committee to conclude a review and to report its findings.

The coronavirus pandemic and the recent use of proxy voting for pandemic-related reasons has led to a broadening of the scope of the Committee’s review and the present proposal for a short additional extension.

Find our more information about the pilot and the Committee’s inquiry on the Procedure Committee website here.

Further information

Channel website: http://www.parliament.uk/

Original article link: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/procedure-committee/news-parliament-2017/extension-of-proxy-voting-pilot-scheme-chairs-comments-19-21/

Share this article

Latest News from
Parliamentary Committees and Public Enquiries

New select committee proposed to provide scrutiny of highly confidential spending

15/04/2024 13:05:00

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today calls for the establishment of a new select committee, to consider sound financial practice and value for money in sensitive areas which are outside the remit of the statutory Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament.

Government should learn lessons from pandemic to improve communications and counter misinformation

12/04/2024 15:05:00

Scientists working across government should be allowed and encouraged to take on a wider public facing role in the media to combat the spread of misinformation, a report from MPs says today.

MPs call for copyright changes and new champion for freelancers to improve precarious pay and working conditions in creative industries

10/04/2024 13:05:00

Many successful musicians, actors, writers and visual artists are struggling to make a living due to gaps in copyright protection, a lack of support for freelancers and unpredictable returns from music streaming, MPs warn today.

Equity in cricket: ECB must closely monitor Yorkshire to ensure no return to ‘business as usual’, MPs say

05/04/2024 14:05:00

The ECB must closely monitor Yorkshire CCC to ensure there is no return to the ‘business as usual’ that allowed a culture of discrimination to take root and thrive at the club, MPs say today.

Government must clamp down on unregulated canine fertility clinics and unlicensed pet breeders, say MPs

05/04/2024 12:25:00

The EFRA Committee wants the Government to address the fact that more than half of the puppies entering the market come from unlicensed breeders, and is today calling for a list of licensed breeders to be made public, and a change in the licensing regulations so as to include breeders of two or more litters a year, in order to counter low welfare breeding practices and provide assurance to buyers.

Committee urges Government to hold aviation industry accountable for emissions reductions

04/04/2024 14:05:00

The Environmental Audit Committee has urged the Government to hold the aviation industry accountable for its proposed emissions reductions, as it publishes the Government’s response to its report on net zero aviation.

Shared ownership is failing to deliver an affordable route to homeownership, say MPs

28/03/2024 16:05:00

Shared ownership schemes are drastically failing to deliver an affordable route to homeownership for too many people and subject buyers to rising rents, uncapped service charges, and a disproportionate exposure to repair and maintenance costs, says the cross-party Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) Committee in a report published today (Thursday).

MPs call for statutory sick pay reform to address inadequate financial support for workers most in need

28/03/2024 14:30:00

Statutory sick pay (SSP) is failing to provide enough support for those who most need financial help when ill and should be increased and made more widely available, MPs say today.

WEC calls on Ministers to ‘radically increase’ sexual health services funding amid ‘red flag’ STI data on young people

27/03/2024 15:15:00

The Government has “failed to heed” warnings over adequately funding sexual health services amid “deeply concerning” data on STIs in young people, the Women and Equalities Committee has said.

WIREDGOV