Question Time
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Question Time is also the name of a British television programme. For this entry, see Question Time (TV series).
Question Time is a section of proceedings in a parliament in which backbenchers (members of Parliament who are not Ministers), including members of the minority parties, ask questions of the Prime Minister (and, in some countries, other government ministers) which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances. Question Time originated in the Westminster system of the United Kingdom but occurs in several other countries as well.
In practice, the questions asked in Question Time are usually pre-arranged by the organisers of each party, although the questions are without notice. Questions asked by members of the opposition parties are usually intended to force the government to admit failures or to otherwise criticise it, whilst questions from government backbenchers (termed "patsies" in the United Kingdom and "Dorothy Dixers" in Australia) are either intended to allow the Minister to discuss the virtues of government policy, or to attack the opposition. A typical format of such a government backbencher's question might be "Could the Minister discuss the benefits of the government's initiative on <issue>, and is the Minister aware of any alternative policies in this area?"
Whilst Ministers often try to avoid opposition questions, lying or providing misleading answers to Parliament is not permitted by the standing orders, and the resulting political outcry often results in that Minister being relieved of his position, and possibly suspended from the House. Skilled Ministers will often attempt to turn around the opposition's questions, rather than answering the question asked using them to further attack the opposition. However the oration must be rather precise, as the opposition member can raise the issue to the Speaker as to the wavering relevance of the response.
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[edit] Question time in the UK
- Main article: Prime Minister's Questions
In the United Kingdom, Question time lasts for an hour each day from Monday to Thursday (2:30 to 3:30 on Mondays and Tuesdays, 11:30 to 12:30 on Wednesdays, and 10:30 to 11:30 on Thursdays). The various Government departments each have their place on a rota which repeats every four weeks. Of most interest are Questions to the Prime Minister which take place each Wednesday from 12 noon to 12:30.
Additionally, each Member of Parliament is entitled to file a limited number of written questions to any government minister at any time. Questions are submitted to the Clerks of the Table Office, either on paper or electronically, and are recorded in The Official Report (Hansard) so as to be widely available and accessible.[1]
[edit] Question time in Australian Parliaments
The Australian Parliament standing orders and practice allow the Prime Minister to terminate Question Time by noting to the Speaker that "further questions be placed on the Notice Paper". It is possible for the Prime Minister to prematurely terminate or terminate Question Time altogether, although this is never done due to the implications it would have (and bad publicity it would create).
The Victorian Parliament allows for a set number of "questions without notice" to be asked of Ministers, proportionally from each Party represented in the House, and traditionally starting with the Opposition. So, for example, in the current Parliament, the Liberal Party has one question, then Labor (the governing party), then the Nationals (a minority party) and on occasion a question from the independent Member for East Gippsland, Craig Ingram.
Question time is generally scheduled from 2 - 3 pm on every sitting day. Apart from Divisions, it is the only time where the chamber is likely to be filled.
Tactically, it is considered an important defining characteristic for an Opposition Leader to be able ask a pertinent question of the Prime Minister or Premier, or to single out perceived weak performers in the Ministry.
[edit] Question time in Canada
- Main article: Question Period
[edit] Question time in Hong Kong
The questions in the Legislative Council are aimed at seeking information on government actions on specific problems or incidents and on government policies, for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of the government.
Questions may be asked at any council meeting except the first meeting of a session, a meeting at which the President (the speaker) of the council is elected, or the Chief Executive delivers the annual policy address to the Council.
No more than 20 questions, excluding urgent questions that may be permitted by the President, may be asked at any one meeting. Replies to questions may be given by designated public officers, usually secretaries, orally or in written form. For questions seeking oral replies, supplementary questions may be put by any member when called upon by the president of the council for the purpose of elucidating that answer. Where there is no debate on a motion with no legislative effect at a meeting, no more than ten questions requiring oral replies may be asked; otherwise, no more than six questions may require an oral reply.
The Chief Executive, who is the head of the region and head of government, attends Question and Answer Session of the council which are held several times in a legislative year.
[edit] Question time in India
- Main article: Question Hour
[edit] Question time in Japan
The Diet of Japan held its first question time (党首討論 tōshu tōron?) on November 10, 1999: the first question asked to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was "Prime Minister, what did you have for breakfast this morning?" Japan's question time was closely modeled after that of the UK, and many Diet members traveled to the House of Commons to study the British application of the concept.[2]
Question time is 45 minutes long and questions are limited to the leaders of parliamentary caucuses (which must consist of at least ten members of either house). Although it is generally held every week while the Diet is in session, it may be cancelled with the agreement of the opposition: this often happens during the budgeting period and at other times when the Prime Minister must sit in the Diet.
[edit] Question time in New Zealand
[edit] Oral Questions
Questions asked to Ministers must be concise and related to the area of the Minister's responsibility. Questions require that all facts be authenticated. Before a question is asked it is checked that it meets the requirements of the House's Standing orders, before being transmitted to the relevant ministers.
In New Zealand oral questions are asked at 2pm on each sitting day. Twelve principle oral questions are asked, with supplementary questions also given, but that must relate to the initial subject matter. The opportunity to ask questions is equally shared amongst the members of the house, excluding ministers. Urgent Questions while possible are uncommon.
The Question is addressed to the portfolio of the Minister receiving the question, and the questioner must ask the question as written. Once a question is asked, supplementary questions can be asked.
[edit] Written Questions
There is no limit to the written questions that any MP can ask and can be submitted each working day before 10.30am. Submission and publication of the question is an electronic process with no hard copy record. Ministers have 6 days to respond to a question.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ House of Commons Information Office (June 2005). Parliamentary Questions: House of Commons Information Office Factsheet P1. Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
- ^ Kono, Yohei (2005-03-03). Report on my visit to the UK. Embassy of Japan in the UK. Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
