Regional Select Committee (Yorkshire and the Humber)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 5:55 pm on 29 October 2009.

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Photo of John Randall John Randall Opposition Assistant Chief Whip (Commons) 5:55, 29 October 2009

I should like to discuss motion 5 on the Order Paper. I rather missed the opportunity on motion 4, I am afraid: I was sitting back and when motion 3 was not moved, I thought that the same thing would happen to motion 4. I was going to ask a question of a Minister, but I cannot see the Leader of the House or the Deputy Leader of the House on the Government Front Bench. However, the Comptroller of Her Majesty's Household is there-it is like looking into a mirror-and I am sure that he will be very capable of answering some questions.

As you may know, Mr. Deputy Speaker, my party and the Liberal Democrats are not terribly enthused, to say the least, by the Regional Select Committees. In fact, we have decided not to take part in them. However, on the question of motion 5, why at this stage-the Committees were set up only recently-do people need to be taken off them and then put back on? It is always interesting. Was Mr. Mitchell not happy with the set-up of the Committee; or, did he in some way displease the Whips? Perhaps he pleased them so much that they took him off the Committee.