SNP answers back to defend 'evasive' MSP

Hamish Hutchinson • Published 8 Sep 2010 09:30 2 Comments

Labour has branded Ochil MSP Keith Brown the SNP’s “most evasive Minister” for failing to answer more than one in five parliamentary questions on time.

But the SNP has hit back, insisting Labour should “wake up” and stop the petty, political point scoring.

Between January and March this year Mr Brown, who is Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning, failed to answer 20 out of 88 questions tabled to him within 10 working days, required under strict parliamentary rules.

The figures, obtained by Scottish Labour following a Freedom of Information request, revealed that Mr Brown did not answer 21.3 per cent of Skills and Lifelong Learning questions on time.

Finance Secretary John Swinney came second for not answering 20.5 per cent of questions on time, followed by Minister for Transport, Infrastructure & Climate Change, Stewart Stevenson with 16.3 per cent.

Labour’s Shadow Minister for Schools, Ken McIntosh said, “Parliamentary questions are an important way of holding the government to account and allowing MSPs to obtain factual and statistical information on behalf of our constituents.

“Yet with the number of questions that fail to get answered on time it would seem some SNP ministers are either desperate to avoid scrutiny of their work or they are just plain lazy.

“Keith Brown might be an education minister but embarrassingly he comes bottom of the class for failing to answer one in every five parliamentary questions on time. It is frustrating enough that the answers we receive are so often evasive without having to wait weeks on end too.”

In total 2801 parliamentary questions to the SNP failed to receive a substantive answer within the time limit between May 2007 and March 2010.

A spokesman for Mr Brown said Mr McIntosh should “wake up” and stop the “petty politicking”.

He said, “Scotland is still recovering from Labour’s recession and we are all going to have to face up to the budget cuts Labour imposed on Scotland. Mr McIntosh should cut out the petty politicking and focus on what matters: frontline public services, jobs and the economy.

“Parliamentary questions are answered as quickly as possible and all this kind of nonsense reveals is that Labour has nothing meaningful to say and no constructive suggestions to help hard pressed families.”

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• 

  redhopi
  28 posts
  Sep 13, 22:21
  Report comment

  Of course he picks and chooses what questions to answer. If they don't make him look good, he just refuses, just like the MP for this area, but then, he is Labour Enough said!!!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

• 

  Susie
  Unregistered User
  Sep 15, 19:52
  Report comment

  Before he left Clackmannanshire Council to become an MSP, I made a complaint to him about a council matter. As soon as Edinburgh beckoned, he just dumped my complaint and disappeared off the horizon. No passing on. A self-seeking individual and he will never get my vote.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

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