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House of Representatives                                Ch 15                                                 p 542

References to newspaper reports, etc.

It is established practice that, provided the Member asking a question takes responsibility for the accuracy of the facts upon which the question is based, he or she may direct attention to a statement, for example, in a newspaper or a news report, but may not quote extracts. ¹ It has been held that the questioner must vouch for the accuracy of any such report referred to, not simply for the accuracy of the reference to it. When a Member could not do so a question has been ruled out of order, ² but Speaker Andrew indicated he would not seek to impose a strict application of past practice.

In 1977 a Member’s authentication of a newspaper report referred to in his question was challenged by the Member whose speech was the subject of the report. As he was in no position to adjudicate on the matter the Speaker accepted the questioner’s authentication at face value and suggested that if any misrepresentation was involved this could be corrected in a personal explanation after Question Time. Instead leave was granted for the full text of the reported statement to be incorporated in Hansard. ³ In a similar case in 1978, when leave was not granted for incorporation of the reported statement, the Member concerned made a personal explanation. ⁴ In 1981 the Speaker stated that he only asked for Members to vouch for the accuracy of press reports over which there was clearly controversy. ⁵

The restriction on quotations in questions, which reflects House of Commons practice, ⁶ has always been applied to questions in writing but the Chair has often chosen not to apply it to questions without notice, perhaps on the basis that, where a statement of fact is strictly necessary to render a question intelligible, a succinct quotation may more readily achieve this objective. ⁷ In permitting quotations the Chair has ruled that they may not contain matter which would otherwise be ruled out of order, for example, comment, opinion, argument or unparliamentary language. ⁸ In 1962 the Standing Orders Committee recommended that standing orders be amended to make explicit provision for questions not to contain quotations. Consideration of the proposal was deferred by the House and subsequently lapsed. ⁹

It has been the practice, following that of the House of Commons, ¹⁰ that it is not permissible to ask whether a reported statement is correct. ¹¹ A Minister, although he or she may have responsibility for a matter, does not have responsibility for the accuracy of reports by others on the matter. It is in order to ask whether a Minister’s attention has been drawn to a report concerning a matter for which the Minister has responsibility and to ask a question in connection with the subject of the report. ¹²

Standing Orders Committee, Report , H of R 1 (1962-63) 32.

H.R. Deb. (7.9.77) 801; but see for example H.R. Deb. (11.9.96) 3984-5, and statement by Speaker Andrew, H.R. Deb. (7.12.2000) 23810.

H.R. Deb. (29.3.77) 645-7.

H.R. Deb. (24.5.78) 2390-1, 2395, 2396-7.

H.R. Deb. (4.3.81) 415.

May , 23rd edn, p. 346.

H.R. Deb. (14.10.85) 1937-8.

H.R. Deb. (13.12.34) 1205; H.R. Deb. (7.6.45) 2685; H.R. Deb. (29.9.48) 937.

H of R 1 (1962-63) 32.

May , 23rd edn, p. 348.

H.R. Deb. (16.6.39) 2085; H of R 1 (1962-63) 32; H.R. Deb. (27.9.60) 1329 (statement by the Speaker).

H.R. Deb. (10.2.97) 471.