Conservative MP John Hayes asks loads of written questions to Ministers – more than 450 in the past year alone.The latest enquires from the MP for South Holland and The Deepings seek to ferret out how much taxpayers money the Government has spent lately on promoting the sharing of best practice among local authorities on dealing with truancy.
Judging by the farce at Essex County Council last week, the answer might well be “not enough”.
Essex police and education officials launched their crackdown on truancy – on a teacher-training day when hundreds of local school-children had been given the day off!
So John’s latest question might have been better directed to those who run Essex – er, his friends in the Conservative Party…
3 comments:
Why do MPs not get the information themselves? They do receive huge sums to pay for researchers and at a cost to the exchequer of some £322 per question, one must question the motives? We spend millions each year on written questions when this information is available within the commons library etc. I am sure education authorities/Headteachers share good practice - why is an MP involved? I think it is time that we looked at the number of representatives we have. Do we really need so many when technology means that we can contact local, county and national departments ourselves? In addition so much information from government departments is available on the web. I have today read the inspection report on Lincolnshire Police - would have had trouble obtaining this report a few years ago. Perhaps I should contact the Commons Modernisation Committee to request they review numbers.
"They do receive huge sums to pay for researchers ..."
Well, as a researcher, I wouldn't mind seeing some of it.
Liz.
Fair points you make.
I agree some of the questions may be a waste of time and money, (and there are far dafter ones that Mr Hayes has asked...)
however, i believe it's part of the price we pay for living in a democracy that he should be allowed to ask them - and run the risk of people like us telling him there's daft questions and he could get the answers elsewhere...
hope that makes sense!
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