House of Lords Parliamentary Questions

Questions in the House of Lords

John Turner, Clerk of the Table Office
17 October 2013

© House of Lords 2011

The Table Office

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John Turner, Elspeth Jones and Joey Topping
Rotating band of “minute clerks”
Clerk Assistant
Business tabled up to 6pm each sitting day
Everything checked by Clerk of the Table Office, Clerk
Assistant, Clerk of the Parliaments, Government Whips’
Office
• House of Lords Business published overnight every sitting day;
written questions e-mailed to departments

Questions: general principles

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To Her Majesty’s Government
Or Leader of the House or Chairman of Committees
If asked in House, leave required
Self-regulation


Types of questions

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Oral questions
Secretary of State questions
Private notice questions
Questions for short debate (+ topical QSDs)
Questions for written answer


Standing Order 34: Oral Questions

• Questions to which a star is attached, indicating that they are
asked for information only, may be placed on the Order
Paper for any day on which the House is sitting other than a
Friday. No debate may take place on such Questions, and
supplementary questions must be confined to the subject of
the original Question.
1 June 1954


House of Lords Business


Oral questions
• Timing – question time is 30 mins at start of business, 4
questions
• Tabling – slots available 4 weeks in advance; queues
• Ministers’ replies (75 words) and supplementary questions
• Topical questions:
– Timing
– Ballot, drawn 2 days in advance (or on Fri for Tues)
– Tests of topicality: Coverage? What’s new? Could it wait?
– “The Clerks discourage members from tabling questions
which are clearly not topical” Companion, para 6.33


Secretary of State questions
(currently not in operation)
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Timing: One Thursday a month, after oral questions
3 questions, 20 minutes
Tabling: ballot drawn on the Monday
Proceedings: same as other oral questions


Private Notice Questions

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Urgent and important
Lord Speaker decides; consultation; no appeal to the House
Decision taken by 12 noon; question asked at 3 to 3.30
Timing: 10 minutes, after the topical oral question
Number: 8 in 2012-13 (32 requests)
10 in 2010-12 (52 requests)
Proceedings: much the same as other oral questions
Repetition of Commons Urgent Questions uses same rules
(so 10 mins rather than 40)

Allowed private notice questions

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Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty’s Government what action they
propose to take to ensure that the security of the United Kingdom is not
compromised on 30 November. (28 November 2011)

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Baroness Royall of Blaisdon asked Her Majesty’s Government in the light
of the loss of public and commercial confidence in News International
and the imminent closure of the consultation period, whether they will
suspend consideration of News Corporation's bid to take over BSkyB. (7
July 2011)


Failed private notice questions
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To ask HMG what is their response to the escalating crisis in Sudan.

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To ask HMG whether they will ensure that there are sufficient copies of
the Boundary Commission for England’s Initial Review of Parliamentary
Boundaries in England, published on 13 September, available in the
Printed Paper Office for the use of all Members of the House.

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To ask HMG, in light of the conflicting public views expressed by senior
Cabinet Ministers, whether they continue to support the Human Rights
Act 1998.
To ask HMG whether they will extend the consultation period in respect
of their proposal to abolish hallmarking of items made from precious
metals.

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Questions for short debate

• Timing: “Dinner break”, last business, Grand Committee
• Tabling: added to list whenever; Government Whip’s Office
table them (roughly) in order
• Duration: 1 or 1 ½ hours, strictly time-limited
• Although initiating a debate, still a question rather than
motion; no right of reply for initiating member
• Minister’s reply: 12 minutes


Topical questions for short debate

• New innovation. First one should be taking place about now
• But there were no valid entries in the ballot
• Drawn on Tuesdays for a debate to take place Thursday the
following week
• Must have had coverage in at least two “mainstream media
outlets” over the weekend


Questions for written answer

• Six per day; 12 per week; no “named day”
• Answers:
– Within 10 working days; transfers possible
– “Naughty list”; follow-up questions (Lord Jopling)
– Published in Hansard
– Sent to member; email


Highest scorers of 2012-13
Maximum possible = 426
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Baroness Tonge: 180
Lord Hylton: 219
Lord Myners: 263
Lord Alton of Liverpool: 286
Lord Laird: 382
Top five questioners tabled 1330 questions
Total tabled in the session = 6808


Questions: HMG responsibility

• Must relate to HMG’s responsibilities
– Not matters devolved to local authorities
– Or to devolved institutions
– Not internal affairs of another country – except
regarding human rights or matters covered by
international conventions to which the UK is party
– Not matters for the Church of England
– Not over 30 years old


Questions: eliciting information

• “The purpose of parliamentary questions is to elicit
information from the government of the day, and thus to
assist members of both Houses in holding the government to
account.”
• So should be asking for information
– Not expressing an opinion
– Not providing information
– Not hypothetical
– Not “trivial, vague or meaningless”

Questions: admissibility

• May not:
– Ask the government for a legal opinion
– Relate to matters sub judice
– Be too broad (initial oral reply in 75 words; written
answer within two columns of Hansard; disproportionate
cost for QWAs set at £800)
– Be phrased offensively
– Cast reflections on Sovereign or Royal Family
– Ask about House of Commons matters

Wording of questions

• Should be short, clear and focused
• House style



• To ask HMG their view on the BBC issuing guidelines that
amount to abandoning the terms in the calendar of BC and
AD.



• To ask HMG what representations they have made to the
Israeli government concerning the content of History books
used in Israeli schools.


Questions should not “contain an
expression or statement of opinion”
• “To ask HMG why before again misleading the House on 25
April the Minister did not apologise to the House for stating
that the report of the Congressionally-mandated US
Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Illnesses is being
reviewed by the United States Institute of Health; and if he
will now apologise both to the House and the ex-service
community for doubly misleading Parliament.” NO


... a bit better

• “To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answers
by Lord Tunnicliffe on 27 April (HL Deb, cols 8-10), whether
his statement that the United States Institute of Medicine
(IOM) was then reviewing the findings of the
Congressionally-mandated US Research Advisory
Committee’s inquiry into Gulf War Illnesses and that he
expected the IOM to report in February 2010 took account
of all information readily available; and whether they are
revising his statement and will be informing the House
accordingly.”

A little opinionated

• To ask HMG what steps you are going to take for the
adverse effect of comercialisation and marketisation that will
fragment patient care and erode the NHS’ ethical and
cooperative founding and it will not deliver efficiency, quality,
fairness or choice.


Nice and neutral

• To ask HMG what steps they are going to take to protect
the public from any adverse effects arising from
commercialisation and marketisation within the National
Health Service.


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