May calls for Commons reform

Shadow leader of the House Theresa May has called for a wide range of Commons reforms.

In an interview with ePolitix.com the Conservative frontbencher said there should be more transparency over MPs' pay and expenses, claimed the " West Lothian question" must be answered and argued for an increasing in the number of free votes.

On MPs' remuneration, May said: "We do need to ensure transparency, we need to introduce better audit trails and processes for the House for MPs' expenses and allowances so that people can see that there is a process that ensures that money is being properly spent.

"I have suggested myself that we should abolish the housing allowance and introduce that into the salary.

"Of course the Conservative Party has said, before the recent judgements on freedom of information requests and before the MEC [members' estimate committee] report comes out that we will, as frontbenchers for the party, be publishing in July figures for our first three months expenditure in the different categories to try and increase our transparency".

May also said she would like to see less legislation to free up the House to debate wider issues.

"I would like to see more time available for the House to debate issues not against the background of legislation but as issues in their own right and I'm on record as saying that in debates like that we should have more free votes," she said.

"That would mean that people could get a better idea of the views of parliamentarians and that requires less legislation going through the House."

And on English-only votes she said: "We certainly believe that we have to do something about the 'West Lothian question' as it is called, the issue of Scottish MPs who don't have responsibility for issues like health and education in their own constituencies but can vote in the Westminster Parliament.

"We had a policy at the last election of English votes on English issues and this is an issue we are looking at and we will be making a proposal to deal with the West Lothian question."