A very quick response from the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

Below is the response I just received from the Standards Commissioner.  It just highlights the uselessness of complaining about the conduct of our MPs.

Dear Mr Cook

This is a difficult request, as there isn’t really anyone responsible for overseeing the way in which MPs choose to deal with correspondence or with constituency cases generally.

In these matters, they are answerable not to Parliament, but to their electorate, who can decide whether or not to vote for them.

If you think they are not doing a good job, you can complain to their party Whips in Parliament or to the chair of their local party association (in this case, Thurrock Conservatives), but there isn’t really an official channel for this.

I am very sorry that I cannot be more helpful.

Yours sincerely

Jon Prawer

Complaints Manager|Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards

House of Commons|Room 603 7 Millbank |London SW1P 3JA

020 7219 8431

Here’s my reply:

Dear Mr Prawer,

The problem is that Jackie Doyle-Price was installed in the Thurrock constituency by the National Party and not the local group so I doubt contacting them would do much good.

I would like to suggest that an independent body is created for precisely this type of situation as waiting around for an election is hardly holding MPs to account in the meantime especially as this administration has put legislation in place to remain in power for the full five year term and made it more difficult, if not impossible, to remove an MP before their term of office is over.

MPs are in Parliament to represent the contituents in their constituency and Ms Doyle-Price is ignoring not just me but other people I have spoken to including one person who received an abusive e-mail from Ms Doyle-Price.  If she is ignoring her constituents then she is in breach of the agreement between herself and the electorate of Thurrock and her duty towards them.  She is also making a mockery of the whole idea of the democratic accountability of MPs and bringing further disrepute upon an already disreputable group of people who are supposed to be earning the trust of the electorate rather than destroying it.

Please pass on my comments to all relevant officers up to and including Mr Cameron, Prime Minister.

Regards,

Myles Cook

If you agree with my suggestion of an independent body being set up to handle complaints against MPs, please feel free to contact Mr Prawer at his contact details above or at his e-mail address standardscommissioner@parliament.uk

Any response will be posted here!