JACOB Rees-Mogg has said UK Cabinet ministers have had an “easier” time due to a lack of scrutiny from MPs during the pandemic.
The Leader of the House of Commons said that the Government hasn’t been “effectively scrutinised” during an evidence session to the Commons Women and Equalities Committee this afternoon.
The remarks were made during a discussion on how “gender sensitive” the Westminster parliament is.
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Rees-Mogg asked what the committee thought could be useful in Parliament to support women and those with families to make it a more “friendly environment”.
Labour MP Alex Davies-Jones replied: “I’m glad you’ve asked that question because one of things that has shown to be more suitable is the hybrid working arrangements during the pandemic, that that has had on not just gender sensitivity but on parent MPs.
“How will the positive impact of this hybrid working arrangement be retained post-pandemic?”
Rees Mogg said: “This becomes a matter of balance about how you best run a democracy and how constituents are best represented.
“I think constituents are best represented face to face, I think that there is an important part of the role that requires meeting people, talking to people, seeing people, having genuine debates rather than speeches read into the record.
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“So I don’t think the Government has been effectively scrutinised during hybrid proceedings, I think it’s better than nothing but that it has made the role of government ministers much easier because the level of scrutiny has been less.
“So I think it's really important we remember why we are fundamentally here, and we are fundamentally here to represent our constituents to seek redress agreements, hold the government to account and legislate.”
Asked if hybrid working would be retained post-pandemic, Rees-Mogg said: "MPs have a job of work to do and they are expected to be in Westminster for about three and a half days a week for 35 weeks of the year.
“That’s a really important job to represent their constituents and to be physically present to do that. Within that the role should be supported as well as possible and as we’ve discussed a number of steps have been taken to do that.
“The proxy voting had been made permanent by the House for maternity and paternity leave and that seems to me to be a very reasonable step to be taken.”
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