Coalition 'faces ad hoc final year'

Minister Andrew Lansley said he hoped an 'understanding' could be reached on the development and publication of draft legislation before 2015
3 May 2013

Conservatives and Liberal Democrats may work together in the coalition on possible legislation for the period after the 2015 general election, a Cabinet minister has suggested.

Leader of the Commons Andrew Lansley said there was a degree of uncertainty about how coalition Government will work in the final year before the poll, as the two parties prepare to fight one another on separate platforms.

But he said he hoped that an "understanding" could be reached on the development and publication of draft legislation which can be scrutinised in advance of the election, without either party being committed to implementing it if they win power.

Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers are already working together on a Spending Review to fix departmental budgets for the post-election year 2015/16, to be unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne on June 26.

Speaking to The House magazine, Mr Lansley said that by the time of the fourth session of this Parliament, beginning in May 2014, the Government may have to operate on an "ad hoc" basis, as it will have completed the bulk of the programme agreed in 2010's coalition agreement.

"We don't know what the character of a fourth session will look like in a coalition," he said. "There's things we have to do to complete the coalition's programme. Beyond that we've got a Spending Review which is going to specifically make the decisions necessary to meet our fiscal commitments in 2015/16 and there may be some things that are consequent on that that have to be done together.

"But equally there may be, in the fourth session, a question of 'Well we can't really do much beyond that, because the coalition doesn't have an agreement about that' so it might be a bit ad hoc."

Mr Lansley said he would like to avoid the situation in 2015 of a new government trying to implement a programme which has not been available for scrutiny and discussion.

"There is a risk in the first year of the new Parliament (that we) go back to the bad old days where the Government produces legislation and everyone goes 'Oh!'," he said. "I don't think that's what we're looking for. We're looking for scrutiny in advance wherever possible. I think it would be a good thing for the coalition - without arriving at a coalition agreement that extends into the next Parliament, at least to have offered in the fourth session opportunities for the policy work in Government and draft legislation and so on to be published and discussed."

Asked whether this would amount to a "proto-coalition agreement", Mr Lansley replied: "Without everything being agreed. But an understanding that we can actually engage people in policy, in consultation on what policies look like in their implementation, leading to legislation if necessary, without having committed ourselves to it."

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