He was expected for his first solo performance in the Hemicycle. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal did not give up and confronted opposition deputies on subjects as varied as public finances, unemployment insurance, schools and Samu.
For his first, which aims to dust off the QAG, the questions to the government on Wednesday, the Prime Minister made a copy that could be largely improved, his entourage emphasizing that it was still a “week of running-in”. The exercise was inspired by that of the Prime Minister’s Questions in the British House of Commons.
As is the tradition of questions to the government, the subjects chosen by the opposition were not revealed in advance. The speakers, on the other hand, were known in advance, but were not group leaders. 20 minutes takes stock of the essential points he addressed.
Implementation of the new Samu
At the end of January, “I said that I wanted 100% of the territory to be covered by an SAS in the summer, and that if this was not the case, I was ready to reestablish custody obligations. I will keep (these) commitments,” assured Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to the National Assembly, during the first session of parliamentary questions which were exclusively addressed to him. “My government will present a decree on the generalization of the SAS by next month,” he said.
He responded to a question from the MP for Loir-et-Cher Mathilde Desjonquères (Modem), worried about the future of an equivalent local platform but not yet labeled, which has, according to academic work, proven itself. “Obviously, we must ensure that platforms like those you mention (…) can be recognized as SAS, this is what our services are working on,” said Gabriel Attal.
Faced with the growth of medical deserts, he also promised to “soon bring together deans, university presidents and regional health agencies (ARS)” to “create more places” for medical students. The executive has already “changed the “numerus clausus” towards a “numerus apertus”” but “we must go further”, he judged. He also renewed his commitment to increase the number of medical assistants to “free up medical time”. “There were 6,000 when I was appointed Prime Minister”, it will be “8,000 this summer, and 10,000 at the end of the year. This is 2.5 million more consultations for the French,” he assured.
No tax increase for those “who work”
Gabriel Attal also assured Wednesday that the government would “never” increase taxation on “working French people” or “the fruit of their savings”, during this first session of parliamentary questions intended exclusively for the Prime Minister in the Assembly national, and while the increase in taxes to reduce the deficit divides its majority.
When the RN deputy Sébastien Chenu (RN) castigated the government’s “piper tune” on public finances which “is not at all enchanting for the Mozarts of finance”, the Prime Minister launched his retort at the jump . “With you, it would be the twilight of retirement and enchanted debt. This is the program of the National Rally”, while Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN deputies, shouted “you are the ruin” and the Renaissance deputies applauded the head of government.
A short exchange on the unemployment rate also pitted Gabriel Attal against Adrien Quatennens when the LFI deputy attacked the new unemployment insurance reform that even some in the majority contest. The head of government defended a “social model more encouraging to activity”.
Defense of level groups at school
Despite the strike in public education on Tuesday to protest against level groups and defend public schools, the Prime Minister stuck to his positions, reaffirming one of the flagship measures of his “shock of knowledge” reform launched in December when he was Minister of Education, to raise the standards of students.
Which did not fail to make the deputies of France Insoumise agitated. “No one wants it,” said Antoine Léaument. “There’s no point in trying to scream to stop me from speaking,” the Prime Minister replied, still applauded by his camp.