Local MP Norman Baker took on the government on the floor of the Commons yesterday over the Prime Minister's failure to answer Parliamentary Questions.
Lib Dem Norman Baker secured the debate after his research revealed that fewer than one in five questions asked of the PM were receiving a helpful answer.
Norman Baker told the Commons:
"The issue of openness is crucial for democracy. Unfortunately, we are seeing a trend, in that questions that would previously have been answered are no longer being answered.
"The worst practice in government relates to the Prime Minister, and the answers that he signs off to questions addressed to him.
"We have a right to ask questions, and to have them answered, even if the answers are embarrassing to the government or cause them political difficulties.
"The test is increasingly whether a question will cause political embarrassment, which is a misuse of power. I hope that the Minister will recognise that the issue is serious, and try to ensure that answers to parliamentary questions are rather better than they have been recently."
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