A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he was not allowed to ask supplementary questions in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla said it was not right to raise questions on decisions of the Chair outside the House.

His remarks came after the House took up a question related to cold storage for fish, where many supplementaries were asked. It took around 20 minutes before the Speaker moved to the next question.

Birla has always been emphasising in the House that questions as well as answers should be kept short so that more issues can be taken up during the Question Hour.

Questioning the government

Generally, the first hour of a sitting of the Lok Sabha is devoted to questions and this hour is called the Question Hour.

It is during the Question Hour that MPs can ask questions on every aspect of administration and government activities.

Government policies in national as well as international spheres come into sharp focus as MPs try to elicit pertinent information during the Question Hour.

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.

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. These repartees are sometimes coupled with flashes of wit and humour. That is why the public galleries and the press galleries are packed to the capacity during the Question Hour.

Significance of Question Hour

Question Hour has a special significance in the proceedings of Parliament. Asking questions is an inherent and unfettered parliamentary right of members.

Through the Question Hour the government is able to quickly feel the pulse of the nation and adapt its policies and actions accordingly.

It is through questions in Parliament that the government remains in touch with the people in as much as members are enabled thereby to ventilate the grievances of the public in matters concerning the administration.

Questions enable ministries to gauge the popular reaction to their policy and administration.

Questions bring to the notice of the ministers many loopholes that otherwise would have gone unnoticed.

Sometimes questions may lead to the appointment of a commission, a court of inquiry or even legislation when matters raised by members are grave enough to agitate the public mind and are of wide public importance.

Four types of questions

Starred Question: It is one to which a member desires an oral answer from the minister in the House and is required to be distinguished by him / her with an asterisk. The answer to such a question may be followed by supplementary questions by members. Only 20 questions can be listed for oral answers on a day.

Unstarred Question: It is one to which a written answer is desired by the member and is deemed to be laid on the table of the House by the minister. Thus it is not called for oral answer in the House and no supplementary question can be asked thereon.

Short Notice Question: A member may give a notice of question on a matter of public importance and of urgent character for oral answer at a notice less than 10 days prescribed as the minimum period of notice for asking a question in ordinary course. Such a question is known as Short Notice Question.

Questions to Private Members: A question may also be addressed to a private member (an MP who is not a Cabinet minister), provided that the subject matter of the question relates to some Bill, Resolution or other matter connected with the business of the House for which that member is responsible. The procedure in regard to such questions is the same as that followed in the case of questions addressed to a minister with such variations as the Speaker may consider necessary.

Process of asking a question

A member gives notice in writing addressed to the secretary-general, Lok Sabha, intimating one’s intention to ask a question.

A member is allowed to give not more than 10 notices of questions, both for oral and written answers, in all, for any day.  

The normal period of notice of a question is not less than 15 clear days.

On receipt of the notice of a question, it is scrutinised to see that the designation of the minister and date of answer have been correctly mentioned in the notice. A preliminary ballot of identical questions is held and the member who obtains priority is deemed to have tabled the question.

The next stage is to examine the notices of questions in the light of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, directions by the Speaker, provisions of the Constitution and past precedents.

In the Lok Sabha, the list of Starred Questions is printed on green paper and the list of Unstarred Questions on white paper. The Short Notice Question is admitted and printed in a separate list in light pink paper.

Allotment of the days for the answering of questions relating to various ministries are made. The ministries are divided into five groups and fixed days are allotted to groups of ministries during the week.

A member whose question has been admitted and which is included in the list of questions for oral answer for a particular day, rises in one’s place when the turn of the question comes and asks the question. The minister concerned answers the question.

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