On http://www.amberhawk.com/policydoc.asp (under the heading: MPs expenses)
I have published evidence in favour of those who argue that the current
constitutional crisis focused on MPs expenses should be broadened to include
consideration of the role of Parliament because Parliament can no longer
scrutinise Government effectively.
When I first produced the attached written evidence for the Constitution and
Home Affairs Select Committees inquiries into the Surveillance Society in
2007/8, I was concerned that a decision to use the ID Card database as a
general information resource for the public sector was not scrutinised by
Parliament.
This evidence shows that Government told Parliament one thing but behind the
scenes it did another, and that Ministerial statements to Parliament often
struggled to pass the minimum threshold of being “economical with the
truth”. The evidence takes the form of a timeline – what Government was
planning and what Parliament was told.
If the politics of accountability, scrutiny and debate over public policy
cannot be channelled through a Parliamentary process on a subject as mundane
as "efficient public administration", how can Parliament assume it has
properly scrutinised any other governmental policy? There is wide-spread
concern that Parliament is no longer the focus of political and policy
debate; I think the evidence that follows goes a long way to illustrate one
reason why this is the case.
Chris
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