More accountability
Today's Urgent Question (UQ) in the Commons, on the banning of Meow Meow (mephedrone) the drug linked to the recent deaths of several clubbers, is the 22nd granted by Mr Speaker Bercow since his election last June. In the previous 12 months, his predecessor, Michael Martin, granted just two UQs.
It's not just a statistic, it's a game changer in the Commons. Where once ministers could have rested easy in the expectation that they would not be summoned into the Chamber to explain themselves, they now anticipate that a UQ will be granted, and sensibly opt to pre-empt it, by volunteering a ministerial statement to the House. An important advance for accountability.
Today's is a classic case. The announcement on mephedrone had been made outside the House, and MPs had been given no chance to discuss it - now they will be able to cross examine the most senior Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Office minister available.
I'm Mark D'Arcy and I'll be writing about what goes on in the chambers and committee rooms at Westminster.
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