Junior whip is wheeled out to stand in for Commons debate

The Conservatives expressed astonishment yesterday when a government whip took the unusual step of standing in for a Transport minister in a Commons debate.

Phil Woolas, a junior Labour whip, broke the position's tradition of silence to reply to an adjournment debate on speed limits and road accidents.

But he came under intense criticism from Eric Forth, the shadow Leader of the House, after telling MPs that the Road Safety Minister, David Jamieson, was busy in his constituency. Mr Forth said: "It has always been the point of debates in this House for members to be able to get their points across to ministers and for ministers to be in a position to reply to members about their concerns.

"I always thought that was the whole point of debates in the House of Commons," he said.

Mr Forth asked for guarantees that whips standing in for ministers would not represent "a further downgrading of debates in this House, or indeed of the House itself".

Mark Lazarowicz, Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, asked the whip to "ensure a minister who has specific responsibility for this area will be made aware of the concerns [about road safety measures] I have expressed today".

Mr Woolas said it was "a privilege" to answer in the debate, telling MPs that Mr Jamieson could not attend due to an important constituency engagement. "It should not be taken as an indication of any lack of priority to road safety," he said.

A spokesman for Mr Jamieson's constituency office said he had a long-standing arrangement to be in his constituency. Friday debates are normally answered by the minister on duty for the department over the weekend, he said.

A spokesman for the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions, said the arrangement for Mr Woolas to answer the debate had been made with the Labour Whips' office.

Both John Spellar, the Minister for Transport, and Stephen Byers, the Secretary of State for Transport, were at Chequers attending a Cabinet briefing, he said.

Sir Alan Haselhurst, the Deputy Speaker, said it was not the chair's responsibility to regulate who answered for the Government but Bridget Prentice, Labour MP for Lewisham East, said all whips took ministerial roles in the Treasury, "and are quite entitled to be able to speak on behalf of the Government".