Gordon Brown has announced changes that will give local authorities a stronger voice in DECISION MAKING

Brown’s regional ‘question time’

Jul 4 2007 by Deborah James, Liverpool Daily Post

A NEW regional question time will be held in the House of Commons to give the likes of Merseyside a more powerful voice, Gordon Brown announced yesterday.

The Prime Minister unveiled radical plans to hold monthly question-and-answer sessions with the new ministers for the regions, appointed last week.

And he called for select committees to be set up for each of the eight English regions, with the power to hold evidence sessions with ministers and produce reports.

The regional ministers will also answer written questions and speak for the Government in relevant Commons debates.

Mr Brown said the shake-up – part of wider plans for constitutional change – would “increase the accountability of local and regional decision-making”.

That is an issue that has been in paralysis since the embarrassing collapse of plans for elected regional assemblies three years ago.

The Prime Minister told MPs: “I propose the House consider creating committees to review the economies and public services of each region.

“And we will propose a regular question time for regional ministers.”

The day after reaching No10 last week, Mr Brown announced that Beverley Hughes, MP for Stretford, in Greater Manchester, would be Minister for the North West.

The eight ministers would be “regional champions” to ensure they punch their weight in Government, but details of their role were vague.

Now Mr Brown has published an official list of responsibilities, which include economic development and advising the Government on the approval of regional statrategies.

Ms Hughes will also play a role in the appointment of the chairman and board members of the North West Regional Development Agency.

And she will “champion the region at high level events”, such as sporting events or, perhaps next year’s Capital of Culture celebrations.

But the most high-profile part of the job will be in Parliament, including answering written questions and speaking for the Government in relevant Commons debates.

All those decisions rest with the Commons modernisation select committee, but are likely to prove popular with MPs on all sides.

However, David Cameron said the shake-up would not go far enough if it rejected ‘English votes for English laws’, following devolution in Scotland and Wales.

The Conservative leader said: “I have to tell him that question time with regional ministers just doesn’t cut it.”

The package unveiled yesterday also contained proposals to move elections to the weekend and to allow the public to pick parliamentary debates through petitions.

The Prime Minister also pledged to give MPs the final word in declaring war.