Prime Minster Question Time is supposed to be the highlight of the parliamentary week but it has long become Prime Minister Doesn't answer the Question Time and Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson has managed to actually abuse it even more than his predecessors.
The North Wales Post reports that.
The North Wales Post reports that.
"Prime Minister Boris Johnson dodged a question about cuts leaving disabled people in North Wales struggling to get assessed for benefits - and gave a "non-answer" about buses instead.
Arfon MP Hywel Williams challenged Mr Johnson in the Commons over the closure of the assessment centre in Bangor to which people go to be assessed for disability benefit payments.
Mr Williams told MPs that it meant some people faced journeys of several hours to get to the nearest assessment site in Rhyl or Aberystwyth, despite the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) contract with provider Capita stating no-one should have to travel for more than 90 minutes for their meeting.
But Mr Johnson's response to Mr Williams' plea to reverse the closure decision completely disregarded the issue the North Wales MP raised.Mr Williams said: "In November last year, the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Assessment Centre in my constituency was moved to Rhyl. No notice was given.
"The next bus from Caernarfon to Rhyl takes one hour forty four minutes.’
"Or a case in point, in my Right Honourable Friend’s constituency (Dwyfor Meirionnydd), Barmouth to Rhyl takes five hours fifteen minutes.’
"Or a disabled person in Barmouth could take the train to the Aberystwyth Assessment Centre, at a mere two hours twenty five minutes, o
"This is a reality in the Prime Minister’s soar-away Global Britain. Will he (the Prime Minister) instruct his Minister to remedy this matter immediately?"In response, the Prime Minister said: "We do need to improve our bus services across the whole country and that's why we're investing another £250m immediately into improving bus services and the Chancellor has many more such investments in the pipeline."
Describing Mr Johnson's reply as a "non-answer", Mr Williams said: "The assessment process is not fit for purpose as it is, and instead of supporting vulnerable people, the process is often dehumanising, erroneous and worsens existing health conditions for vulnerable people.
"This situation is a serious cause of concern for me and my constituents and the government must urgently clarify what efforts are being made to establish a new assessment centre to meet the needs of local claimants."
In response, the Prime Minister said: "We do need to improve our bus services across the whole country and that's why we're investing another £250m immediately into improving bus services and the Chancellor has many more such investments in the pipeline."Describing Mr Johnson's reply as a "non-answer", Mr Williams said: "The assessment process is not fit for purpose as it is, and instead of supporting vulnerable people, the process is often dehumanising, erroneous and worsens existing health conditions for vulnerable people.Why are the Prime Minister and his Ministers allowed to do this?
"This situation is a serious cause of concern for me and my constituents and the government must urgently clarify what efforts are being made to establish a new assessment centre to meet the needs of local claimants."
Surely the Speaker should intervene in cases when they have obviously , not just evaded the question but ignored it altogether?
Perhaps the current situation is due to the televising of PMQ , I wonder what PMQ's was like in the days when it was only carried in the "Quality" newspapers.?
Maybe opposition MPs should Boycott PMQ's to highlight how the government are abusing it by not only not answering a direct question but as Johnson did giving a totally different answer.
We are supposed to be a democracy and the government are turning the commons into something that resembles a fascist state.
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