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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
No More Covering Up Errors, Government Told
By our own correspondent:
The Government will have a legal duty to be honest about mistakes as part of an overhaul of the system in the wake of the umpteenth scandal.
The move is part of a package of measures in England to put citizens at the heart of government, ministers said.
Propaganda Secretary Hegemony Junta said the response on Tuesday marked the start of a "fundamental change to the system".
"We cannot merely tinker around the edges - we need a radical overhaul with high quality care and compassion at its heart."
He said he wanted to create a culture of "zero harm" through the changes.
Key to this will be the new post of chief inspector of MPs - and the statutory duty of MPs to be honest about mistakes, known as a duty of candour.
But the government said it would wait before deciding whether to make individual MPs criminally accountable for hiding mistakes as it was concerned about creating a "culture of fear".
On training for MPs, ministers said there would be a pilot programme whereby MPs will have to work for up to a year as healthcare assistants before getting parliamentary expenses.
Meanwhile, cabinet ministers who fail in their jobs will be barred from holding such positions in the future.
Oh, how I wish!
The above wishful thinking is inspired by this news story.