Daniel Kawcznski MP replies

Dear Edward,

Thank you for writing again on the matter of an English Parliament, and for your kind words towards my family, we are indeed settling in very well to life here in Shrewsbury. / Shawbury

As for the points you raise there are many discrepancies in taxation, for example if looking at the amounts taxed and spent London gets the worse deal in the UK having almost £1 billion less spent there than it gives in tax. The Barnett formula although unfair on paper was established to account for the extra costs of the diverse and rural populations of Scotland and Wales, but also at the time there relative poverty. This does now need to be looked at again.

However it is not related to tax at all but to spending. The additional costs on prescriptions in England, despite being grossly unfair does not naturally equate to more money for Wales but rather fill the black hole created by Gordon Brown and Patricia Hewitt in the English NHS.

As to the idea of an English Parliament, I cannot support the idea of this being totally separate; the extravagant costs involved make the idea prohibitive, as should have been the Scottish Parliament. If the devolved matters to Scotland and Wales where to be debated in an English Parliament this would, or I believe should, be the same as the English members of the UK Parliament. First because it saves on the expense of further, unwanted elections, and secondly would stop another two hundred or more politicians in London, or elsewhere at the tax payer's expense. This is a similar argument as used against an elected second chamber. Furthermore it would probably be established under proportional representation which due to its nature and the nature of English politics would permanently favour a Liberal Labour alliance.

Aspects of Government would be I agree more complicated. Theoretically devolved departments such as Health, Education and Transport would have to be appointed by the Premier of the English Chamber, as opposed to the Prime Minister who would be for the UK as a whole. This I believe would be a compromise between a totally new Chamber and proper equal devolved government.

Thank you once again for continuing this debate with me.