Time for more questions

Both Slugger and O'Conall Street correctly have a go at FMDFM for wanting to reduce their appearances at Question Time to once a month. The argument is that they can only answer questions relating to their own department: equality, young people, older people, victims etc. therefore they should face questions as often as other Ministers.

Accountability is crucial to the success of any political dispensation. For Robinson and McGuinness to shy away from this does little to boost confidence in the political-public contract. Given that a Minister only tends to answer 5-6 questions in each Q Time session, and all of these questions are known two weeks in advance, it is not as if the existing accountability mechanisms are that robust!

Both Robinson and McGuinness can't have too much to fear from Q Time, if anything they should relish more cut and thrust - it is where the two savvy political operators could arguably be at their best.

A poor political move, which if put into effect, deserves public outcry.