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Question Hour
Generally, the first hour of a sitting of National Assembly is devoted to Questions and that hour is called the Question Hour. Question Hours takes place every Tuesday and Friday from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM. It has a special significance in the proceedings of Parliament.
Asking of questions is an inherent and unfettered parliamentary right of members. It is during the Question Hour that the members can ask questions on every aspect of administration and Governmental activity. Government policies in national as well as international spheres come into sharp focus as the members try to elicit pertinent information during the Question Hour.
The Government is, as it were, put on its trial during the Question Hour and every Minister whose turn it is to answer questions has to stand up and answer for his or his administration’s acts of omission and commission. Questions enable Ministries to gauge the popular reaction to their policy and administration. Questions bring to the notice of the Ministers many an abuse which otherwise would have gone unnoticed.
The Question Hour is an interesting part of the Parliamentary proceedings. Although a question mainly seeks information and tries to elicit facts on a particular subject, there are many a time lively and quicksilver repartees between the Members asking the questions and the Ministers answering them.
Types of Questions
Questions are of two types:—
Starred Question - one to which a member desires an oral answer in the House and which is distinguished by an asterisk mark. When a question is answered orally, supplementary questions can be asked thereon. Only 20 questions can be listed for oral answer on a day.
Model of Starred Questions:
Will the Minister of Foreign Affairs be pleased to state*:
- The status of Border Talks held with the government of China and outcome thereof.
- Time schedule for the next round talk to take place.
- What would be our agenda for the talk?
Unstarred Question - one which is not called for oral answer in the House and on which no supplementary questions can consequently be asked. To such a question, a written answer is deemed to have been laid on the Table after the Question Hour by the Minister to whom it is addressed. It is printed in the official report of the sitting of the House for which it is put down.
Model Unstarred Question
Will the Minister of Ministry of Labor and Employment be pleased to state:
- The target set in the Approach Paper to the Tenth Plan for reduction of poverty and creation of gainful employment during the Tenth Plan period.
- Whether the proposed Constitution Development Fund is intended to address the above mentioned issues.
- If so, what would be the procedure to utilize it so that there is no room for manipulation or misuse
- The measures taken by the Government to ensure that there is no duplication of work between the LG and C.G.
Notices of Questions
A member gives notice in writing addressed to the Secretary-General, National Assembly, intimating his intention to ask a question. Besides the text of the question, the notice states clearly the official designation of the Minister to whom the question is addressed as also the date on which the question is desired to be placed on the list of questions for answer as also the order of preference, if any, for its being placed on the list of questions when a member tables more than one notice of questions for the same day.
The normal period of notice of a question is not less than two clear days.
Grouping for Ministry (questions)
GROUP A- Prime Minister, Ministry of Home & Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Information & Communication
GROUP B- Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
GROUP C- Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
GROUP D- Ministry of Works and Human Settlement, Ministry of Health
GROUP E- Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labor and Employment
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