Harriett Baldwin’s three-year campaign to attempt to solve a complex constitutional issue took a further step forward today with the publication of the McKay Commission. The Commission was set up to attempt to find a solution the ‘West Lothian Question’ which raises the issue of what issues MPs from each of the four nations can vote on. The MP gave evidence to the Commission and made recommendations based on her extensive consultation exercise in advance of presenting a Private Member’s Bill to the House of Commons last year. Harriett had worked with constitutional experts in Parliament to draft her Private Members’ Bill which took the first step towards formally finding a solution for issue which has vexed Westminster Governments since the 1970s. The Commission was chaired by Sir William McKay – a former clerk of the House of Commons - and took evidence from a range of constitutional and parliamentary experts. The report is experts to lay out six potential solutions to the issue and the report will be submitted to the Cabinet Office for consideration. Harriett commented: “The West Lothian Question is a complex constitutional issue which the Conservative Party committed to look at in detail it the 2010 manifesto. “My Private Members’ Bill took this issue to two debates on the floor of the House of Commons and I was pleased when the interest which this Bill generated led to a Commission finally being convened. “Personally, I am convinced that the West Lothian Question can be addressed by amending the standing orders of the House and I made this point in my evidence. “I am a passionate unionist and I support the dogma of ‘Localism’. This debate brings these two issues clearly into focus. “I will study the Commission findings in detail and will hope to hear a statement from the Government on how it intends to respond to the report. “It is my hope that now that the Commission has considered the evidence, we can swiftly proceed towards legislation for a Bill to become law in this Parliament.”