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Title

Ch15 Questions / QUESTIONS IN WRITING

Database

House Practice

Date

01-05-2005

Source

House of Reps

Parl No.

41

Chapter

Questions

Chapter No.

Chapter 15

Page

548

Section No.

 

System Id

procedural/practcer/chapter15.39.doc


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Ch15 Questions / QUESTIONS IN WRITING



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House of Representatives                                Ch 15                                                 p 548

 

Questions

 

Questions in writing

‘Questions on notice’ were originally part of the order of business in the House, a period during which Ministers read to the House answers to questions in writing, the terms of which had been printed on the Notice Paper. Questions were placed on notice to be answered on a particular day, either the next or one in the near future, and were commonly answered on the day for which notice had been given. Questions without notice were also asked during this item of business. In the early Parliaments relatively few questions on notice were asked, only two or three usually appearing on the Notice Paper for a particular day and more than eight or nine being unusual. These figures included any questions remaining unanswered from the previous sitting.

Over the years more and more time was taken up with questions without notice, and in order to save the time of the House, a new standing order was adopted in 1931 to provide that the reply to a question in writing could be given by delivering it to the Clerk, who would supply a copy to the Member concerned and arrange for its inclusion in Hansard. 1 Soon afterwards answers, which until then had been printed in Hansard immediately after questions without notice, were added at the end of the report of the day’s proceedings. Questions themselves, however, remained listed prominently as the first item of business on the Notice Paper until 1950 when ‘Questions without notice’ replaced ‘Questions on notice’ in the order of business.

By the early 1980s an average of 50 questions was being asked each sitting day, with a record number of 711 questions being placed on a single day’s Notice Paper. 2 The average for the 40th Parliament was 37 questions in writing each sitting day.



VP 1929-31/693; H.R. Deb. (25.6.31) 3029-30; H.R. Deb. (26.6.31) 3127-9. There were however earlier instances of incorporation, H.R. Deb. (10.9.15) 6913, 6924.



NP 23 (9.4.81) 1347-1430—691 by one Member.