As a Member of Parliament for nearly two decades he represented the voice of sanity and reason in the House of Commons. As Chair of the influential Public Administration Committee – according to Anthony King, one of those rare committee chairmen who ‘have become public figures in their own right’ – he kept up a running commentary on the conduct of government. He was the politician who forewarned of the parliamentary expenses scandal and who took the initiative in getting the House of Commons to reform.

Ben Worthy on the BBC website

Changes to the NHS have been described as "so big, they can be seen from space". But, closer to home, the risks posed by the shake-up will not be seen by the public. The government has overruled an Information Tribunal order to publish the NHS "risk register". It is not the first time the ministerial veto has been used.

Three constitutional items will almost certainly feature strongly in the coming session of Parliament: Lords reform, Scottish independence and changing the rules of succession. Lords reform is the biggest, and threatens to overwhelm the rest of the legislative programme, and cause big tensions between the coalition partners.

The Constitution Unit launches a new project on the role of special advisers (Spads) to ministers. Are they sufficiently accountable? And are they making government more responsive?

Tavistock Times is the official School of Public Policy newsletter.

The Joint Committee on the Draft House of Lords Reform Bill has released its report, and Newsnight's report outlines the many difficulties the government faces as it attempts to reform the House. Meg Russell discusses the problems of holding a referendum on the issue, and potential risk that a Bill may never be passed. 

The government will not be able to resist pressures for a referendum on Lords reform following the report of a key parliamentary committee, say senior researchers at UCL’s respected Constitution Unit.

The Information Tribunal has now ruled that the controversial NHS risk register should be published, despite an appeal from the government to keep it private. The issue opens up the wider debate over what kind of information the government should release. Robert Hazell discusses whether the introduction of Freedom of Information had a chilling effect on Whitehall and if the government should be free to conduct their business in privacy.

What would a referendum on Scottish Independence look like? Consultation between the Scottish and UK government continues on how this all might happen but the lines between independence, Devo Plus and Devo Max are becoming blurred. Robert Hazell guides us through the questions which might appear on the ballot paper and whether a second question is necessary.

Bob Morris appeared on the BBC's Daily Politics talking about whether the Church still has a legitimate role in state proceedings.