Meacher in call for straight answers, not spin

OLDHAM MP Michael Meacher is calling for a parliamentary ombudsman to be appointed to stop government hiding information it doesn’t want to reveal.

The Oldham West and Royton MP tabled parliamentary questions to uncover how many people in Oldham have had benefits stopped — only to be told the information was not available.

Weeks later, when he again asked for the figures, the details were published in the Commons library.

Mr Meacher said: “We are in a position where answers are being blocked or not answered properly because the Government doesn’t want the information in the public domain as it will embarrass them.”

Mr Meacher said unacceptable answers could be referred to the ombudsman and end selective answering or blocking.

He added: “Many of the questions are not answered. Instead the Government spouts its propaganda. It is a deliberate evasion of information which is going to be embarrassing.”

Last week during Business Questions in the House of Commons it was revealed that answers from the Ministry of Justice go through at least four press officers before being signed off by the minister.

“We are not looking for spin in parliamentary answers,” Mr Meacher said. “When an MP asks a question through the appropriate channels it should not be censored.”

A recent question by Mr Meacher asked how many reviews the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had carried out following the death of benefit claimants, how many involved sanctioning and how many found the DWP was in the wrong. The only information he received back was that there had been 49 reviews.

The Labour veteran added: “Even the most serious of questions are being ignored and dismissed. It is disgusting, these are real people and real lives and people have killed themselves because of what the Government has put them through and it does not even have the decency to respond to my question.”

Mr Meacher has also accused the Government of covering up how many people are given hardship payments when work benefits are stopped.