Wednesday, June 4, 2008

What's the point of a Grand Committee?

GOVERNMENT Ministers are to get new regular grillings on Welsh affairs in a bid to strengthen the role of MPs in the post-devolution age.
The Welsh Grand Committee, which traditionally only meets after a Budget or a Queen’s Speech to question the Welsh Secretary, will start to summon other UK Ministers on particular topics instead.

Unfortunately with health being a “devolved” topic, it will not be discussed...
LONGER waiting times for a Welsh patients are a “consequence of devolution”, the English health minister who attacked the Assembly Government over free parking said yesterday.

...it should be.

2 comments:

Hen Ferchetan said...

The London Health Minister, under attack for not copying the Welsh Health Minister, tried to make the Welsh NHS look worse? Shock horror! ;-)

Why would the Welsh Grand Committee have any reason to discuss Health? Neither MP's nor UK ministers have any say on the matter - it would be just as useful for them to ask summon you or me!

O'Neill said...

They (probably) would be a little bit better placed than either of us to give an opinion...failing that they could always push for it to be re-devolved!