Prime Minister's Questions
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Prime Minister's Questions (officially Questions to the Prime Minister) is a constitutional convention in the United Kingdom, where every Wednesday when the House of Commons is sitting the Prime Minister spends half an hour answering questions from Members of Parliament ("MPs").
In Canada this convention is known as Question Period and occurs both in the federal Parliament and in the provincial legislatures. In Australia and New Zealand the period is called Question Time. In the Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales this practice is called First Minister's Questions. India's Lok Sabha (lower house) has a Question Hour.
[edit] UK practice
The practice of regularly asking the Prime Minister of Britain questions in parliament in a fixed period was started in the 1950s. Backbench MPs wishing to ask a question must enter their names on the Order Paper. The names of entrants are then shuffled in a ballot to produce a random order in which they will be called by the Speaker of the House of Commons. The Speaker will then call on MPs to put their questions, usually in an alternating fashion: one MP from the government benches is followed by one from the opposition benches. The leader of the main opposition party is traditionally the third or fourth MP to be called, and the leader of the lesser opposition party the fifth or sixth.
The first formal question on the Order Paper, posed by simply saying "Number One, Mr. Speaker", is to ask the Prime Minister if he/she will list his/her engagements for the day. The current Prime Minister, Tony Blair, usually replies:
- This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I will have further such meetings later today.
The Prime Minister may also take a moment before giving the answer to extend condolences or congratulations after significant events. After this, the MP may ask a supplementary question about any subject which might occupy the Prime Minister's time. The reason for asking the Prime Minister about his engagements is because, until recently, any member of the cabinet could answer the posed question, allowing the Prime Minister to avoid answering questions themselves, but once someone answers a question, they are obliged to answer follow up questions (on any topic). The only question that the Prime Minister had to answer personally was his list of engagements for the week; hence he is asked this question first, and all subsequent questions are follow up questions, forcing the Prime Minister to answer the questions himself.
The Leader of the Opposition is allowed six supplementary questions (which he will normally use as two groups of three), and the leader of the third largest party (currently the Liberal Democrats) has two. The Speaker tries to alternate between government and opposition questioners, and MPs who have drawn a low number or did not enter the ballot can be called in order to provide this balance.
If the Prime Minister is away on official business then a substitute will answer questions. This is usually the Deputy Prime Minister, or if unavailable, the Leader of the House of Commons. It is customary on occasions where the Leader of the Opposition or the leader of the third party is absent for them to also send a substitute.
Since the televising of Parliament, Prime Minister's Questions (or "PMQs") have formed an important part of British political culture. Because of the natural drama of this confrontation, it is the most well-known piece of Parliamentary business. Tickets to the Strangers' Gallery (public gallery) for Wednesday are the most sought-after Parliamentary tickets. One of Tony Blair's first acts as Prime Minister was to replace the two 15-minute sessions, held on a Tuesday and Thursday, with a single 30 minute session on a Wednesday - a move for which he was criticised.
PMQs has also been a popular feature on the US cable channel C-SPAN, and has been spoofed by sketches on Saturday Night Live. It is also currently being re-broadcast on CPAC in Canada.
[edit] Leaders at the Dispatch boxes during Prime Minister's questions since 1945
The most high-profile contributors at Prime Minister's Questions are, of course, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition - who speak opposite each other at the Dispatch box (podiums). Regular, fixed sessions have taken place since the 1950s, and the list below shows all the Prime Ministers since 1945 and all the Opposition Leaders they faced across the floor of the House of Commons;
Clement Attlee, faced by Winston Churchill 1945-1951
Winston Churchill, faced by Clement Attlee 1951-1955
Anthony Eden, faced by Clement Attlee 1955, Hugh Gaitskell 1955-1957
Harold Macmillan, faced by Hugh Gaitskell 1957-1963, George Brown 1963 and Harold Wilson 1963
Alec Douglas-Home, faced by Harold Wilson 1963-1964
Harold Wilson, faced by Alec Douglas-Home 1964-1965, Edward Heath 1965-1970 and 1974-1975, and Margaret Thatcher 1975-1976
Edward Heath, faced by Harold Wilson 1970-1974
James Callaghan, faced by Margaret Thatcher 1976-1979
Margaret Thatcher, faced by James Callaghan 1979-1980, Michael Foot 1980-1983, and Neil Kinnock 1983-1990
John Major, faced by Neil Kinnock 1990-1992, John Smith 1992-1994, Margaret Beckett 1994 and Tony Blair 1994-1997
Tony Blair, faced by John Major 1997, William Hague 1997-2001, Iain Duncan Smith 2001-2003, Michael Howard 2003-2005 and David Cameron since 2005
[edit] External links
- Website of 10 Downing Street Archive of videos and transcripts of PMQs
- BBC Documentary about PMQs (Real Player)
- BBC Documentary about PMQs (Windows Media Player)
