DA to raise issue of question-dodging in Parliament

Government spindoctor Jimmy Manyi's claim that Ministers are doing everything they can to answer parliamentary questions is not borne out by the facts. The truth is that parliamentary questions - one of the most important accountability tools at an MP's disposal - are increasingly treated with contempt by Ministers.

Consider the following:

• By the end of 2010, more than 175 written questions remained unanswered, resulting in the questions being considered as "lapsed".
• In seven working days, close to the December holidays, more than 115 replies were released to the DA. This ‘question dumping' close to the end of the parliamentary term is clearly orchestrated to prevent meaningful consideration of the replies.
• This year, more than 360 DA questions have so far gone unanswered within the prescribed time-frame of ten working days.
• 224 questions asked in the first six months are still unanswered, 33 of which date from February. This rubbishes Mr Manyi's argument that Ministers need more time. How much more time do they need?
• Many questions that are replied to are not fully answered.

It is clear that government is not meeting its constitutional obligations to account "collectively and individually to parliament for the exercise of their powers and the performance of their functions."

Parliament cannot go on like this. In these circumstances, we cannot fulfill our constitutional mandate.

Mr Manyi's solution is to hold a "workshop" with the media to discuss the challenges that parliamentary questions represent. This sounds like another opportunity to "spin" the facts to me.

It is not up to Mr Manyi and the government to decide whether parliament is working, it is up to parliament to honestly assess whether it is functioning as the Constitution envisages. We don't need a government-meets-media "talkshop", we need parliament to take charge of its own responsibility to hold the executive to account.

To this end, I will:

• Write to the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Deputy President, in his capacity as Leader of Government Business, giving a full breakdown of unanswered questions and urging action to be taken against errant Ministers.
• Place the issue of unanswered questions on the agenda of the Chief Whips' Forum, where I will push for a multiparty resolution to force the Speaker to ensure that Ministers reply to all questions posed to them.
• In terms of rule 117 (1) of the rules of the National Assembly, I will refer a number of important written questions for oral reply at the next available oral questions session.
• Push through the National Assembly Rules Committee amendments to parliamentary rules to ensure the executive answers questions in time. This includes requiring all Cabinet Ministers to request an extension, in writing, if they have a legitimate reason for not replying to a question within 10 working days.

These interventions will go a long way to stop question-dodging and restore parliament's central role in holding the executive to account. We will not allow parliament to become a rubber stamp of executive decisions - as much as Mr Manyi would like us to.

Statement issued by Ian Davidson MP, DA Chief Whip, August 23 2011

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter