Strengthen standards requiring direct answers to questions in Parliament — 8 signatures. Status: rejected.
Clarify and strengthen parliamentary standards so Ministers and Members must give clear, relevant and direct answers to questions asked in either House, except where a refusal is formally justified under established public-interest or statutory exemptions.
Avoiding a question through redirection, unrelated commentary, ad hominem or repeated refusal without clear justification can undermine scrutiny. We believe Parliament should clarify and strengthen its procedural standards so that: Answers must address the substance of the question asked; refusals to answer must explicitly cite a recognised procedural, legal, or public-interest ground; and the Chair may require clarification where an answer clearly fails to address the question.
View this petition on the official UK Parliament website