Govt trying to limit scrutiny - Bridges

Watch below a video Simon posted on his Facebook page this morning.

The Government is trying to limit scrutiny of its actions by attempting to cut the number of Opposition MPs on select committees because it is short on numbers itself, says Shadow Leader of the House Simon Bridges.

'The role of the Opposition is to hold the Government to account, to scrutinise its actions and to advocate for the views of the people they are elected to represent,” says the Tauranga MP.

'One of the most important ways to do that is through the select committee process. But rather than fronting up to that scrutiny, Labour is now saying it wants to allow fewer elected representatives to carry out that vital function – that's undemocratic.

'While the number of positions on select committees has traditionally matched the number of MPs in Parliament, Labour wants to restrict the number because it doesn't have enough members of its own.

'This is after Labour's hopeful speaker Trevor Mallard claimed that under Labour ‘select committees will go back to being creatures of the Parliament and not rubber stamps for the executive'.”

Simon says reducing the level of oversight is not increasing accountability. He says it does the opposite.

'Voters elected 56 National Party MPs to Parliament – more than the two governing parties combined - to represent their views and their communities. Under Labour's plan, 11 of them won't have that full opportunity.

'Marginalising their ability to carry out their democratic functions is an affront to the voting public who rightly expect their MPs to have full participation in the parliamentary and legislative process,” says Simon.

'We're willing to compromise but the Government is refusing to. The Government must let parliamentary structures fully reflect the decisions of voters and allow its ideas to be tested – that's in the interests of all New Zealanders.”

When asked of the government is trying to limit opposition Mps on select committees, leader of the house Chris Hipkins says no.

"No, that is not the case. All parties represented on Parliament's Standing Orders Committee, including National, agreed unanimously on this in July under the previous government."

Leader of the house Chris Hipkins.

You may also like....

8 comments

Get out the

Posted on 06-11-2017 13:11 | By Merlin

Get out the tissues Simon you lost so you have to abide by the legitimate government and the way they want the run things.At least their will be more integrity than we got from your lot leading up to the election.


Govt trying to limit scrutiny

Posted on 06-11-2017 13:32 | By Margaret Green

Weren't National trying to do just that prior to last election?????


Got. Trying to limit scrutiny.

Posted on 06-11-2017 15:49 | By Christine1965

Simon you should accept that you are not in Parliament with grace instead of complaining about labour being in power. Remember national was not squeaky clean either 7


Soar loser

Posted on 06-11-2017 16:04 | By roseh

I understood National were trying to do the same thing before the election?Is it a different story now Simon that you are in opposition. It would have happened if you had got into Goverment and we wouldn't have heard a thing.Which was how things worked when National were in


Media-bias

Posted on 06-11-2017 16:28 | By Marshal

I am amazed that National still gets soooo much media coverage.. Its like they didn't loose the election.We hardly hear about what Labour Ministers are doing.. ??Cheers All.


Here’s a hint, Simon

Posted on 06-11-2017 17:05 | By Astoreth

All you ever achieved in paliament was whinging about the other side. Try actually doing something. Something constructive.


Spot on, Margaret G....

Posted on 06-11-2017 18:43 | By SML

that's exactly what National DID (not just "tried to do"), for the last nine years! No stats at all in a number of critical fields (housing, child poverty, those bein taken off waiting lists for surgery, suicide stats, just for starters), and when asked critical questions, either in the House or by reporters, there has never before been such an outbreak of "MP Amnesia" as we saw with 2 PMs "not recalling"..... As voters we watched, and knew porkies were being promulgated, and now there's a new Government. As the old saying goes "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. " - Abraham Lincoln. Sorry, Simon, but Tauranga now has THREE Government MPs, and you.


Hey Simon..

Posted on 07-11-2017 10:58 | By Me again

Zip it. Let them get on with it.


Leave a Comment


You must be logged in to make a comment.