16 November 2006

Spoonfed

Just occasionally, the answer to a parliamentary question reveals something interesting. Here, for example:
Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list those journalists who receive copies of answers to parliamentary questions directly from the Scottish Executive’s Media and Communications Press Office at the same time that MSPs are notified of the answer, giving the news organisation which they represent and the dates when they were added to this distribution list.

(S2W-29134)
Mr Tom McCabe: By longstanding arrangement the Scottish Executive issues batches of parliamentary answers to journalists once the answers have been sent to the MSPs who lodged the questions. It is open to all journalists covering parliamentary business to request this service. We do not hold records of when individual journalists asked to be included. Those currently receiving copies of answers are as follows...

So, the dead tree journalists are issued by the Executive with copies of the answers as soon as the answers are sent to the MSPs. The rest of us have to wait a day or two until they are published on the Parliament's website.

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