Parliamentary Questions: It's types, Admissibility, Restrictions, Question Hour, Starred and Unstarred Question ❓

Parliamentary Questions: It's types, Admissibility, Restrictions, Question Hour, Starred ⭐ and Un-starred Questions 

Question Hour?

Rule 32 of the “Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha” provides that unless the Speaker otherwise directs, the first hour of every sitting of the House shall be available for the asking and answering of Questions. Thus, it is taken up from 1100hrs to 1200 hrs in every sitting. Normally, there is no Question Hour during the first Session of the new Lok Sabha and also on the day when the President addresses both houses assembled together or on the day when General Budget is presented in Lok Sabha and on the sittings held during the extended period of session or on Saturdays/Sundays and Holidays.

  

Parliamentary Question

Question is one of the important Parliamentary devices available to the Members to seek information on a matter of urgent public importance subject to conditions imposed by the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha and the Directions by the Speaker. A Member may ask question for the purpose of obtaining information on a subject matter of public importance within the special cognizance of the minister to whom it is addressed.

 

What are the different types of Questions that asked in the Parliament of India?

There are basically four types of Questions:-

• Starred: A Member who desires an oral answer to his question is required to distinguish it by an asterix. Maximum 20 Questions are included in the list of Starred Questions for a particular day. This is printed on green paper. Minimum of 15 clear days notice is required for tabling Starred Questions. The Questions not orally answered in the Starred list of questions are treated as Unstarred Questions and their replies are laid on the Table of the House.
• Unstarred: These do not carry the asterix mark and are meant for obtaining written reply. Not more than 230 Questions can be placed on the Unstarred list for a particular sitting. This list is printed on white paper. Minimum 15 clear days notice is required for tabling Unstarred Questions. Written answers given by the Ministers are deemed to have been laid on the Table of the House at the end of Question Hour.
•  Short Notice Question: Question can also be asked on a matter of urgent public importance at a notice of less than ten clear days. The list of admitted SNQ is printed on a pink paper. The procedure of SNQ is regulated by Rule 54 and the basic test for its admissibility is the urgency of matter. SNQ is asked and answered soon after the Question Hour. 
• Question to Private Members: A Question may also be addressed to a Private Member under Rule 40 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, which provides that the subject matter of the question should be related to some Bill, Resolution or other matter connected with the Business of the House for which that Member is responsible. For instance, the Questions which relates to matters under the purview of Parliamentary Committees can be addressed to respective Chairperson. Similarly, Members piloting Private Members Bills and Resolutions can be addressed questions, which are within cognizance of them under this provision. 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.

Maximum number of Questions admitted for a particular day

The maximum number of Questions to be placed on the list of Questions for oral answers (Starred Question) on a particular day is 20, while the maximum number of questions to be placed on the list of Unstarred Question is 230. However, the number of Unstarred Questions may exceed by a maximum of 25 Questions pertaining to State/States under President’s Rule.

 Whether there is any restriction regarding the number of notices  that each Member may give with regard to Questions? 

 A Member is permitted to give not more than 10 notices of Questions both Starred and Unstarred combined for any day. But not more than five admitted questions, both Starred and Unstarred combined, by one Member are placed on the list of questions for any one day. Out of these 5 questions, not more than one Question distinguished by the Member with asterisk* as Starred is placed on the list of Questions for oral answer. This limit of one question for oral answer does not include any Short Notice Question of the Member which may have been admitted for answer on that day. However, a Member can have more than one Starred question in the list in the event of transfer or postponement of Questions in the printed list from one day to another.

 

Who decides the admissibility of Questions?

 Admissibility of questions is governed by Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, Directions by the Speaker as also the past precedents. The Speaker, Lok Sabha, decides whether a question or a part thereof, is or is not admissible under the Rules, and may disallow any question, or a part thereof, when in his/her opinion, it is an abuse of the right of questioning or is calculated to obstruct or prejudicially affect the procedure of the House or is in contravention of the Rules. The right to ask a question is governed by certain conditions like it should be pointed, specific and confined to one issue only. It should not contain arguments, inferences, ironical expressions, imputations, epithets or defamatory statements.

 What is an Half-an-Hour Discussion?

Another instrument available to the Members of Lok Sabha for raising issue of public importance is the Half-an-Hour Discussion. Under this, a Member may raise discussion on a matter of sufficient public importance which has been the subject of a recent question, Starred, Unstarred or Short Notice Question and the answer to which needs further elucidation on a matter of fact.

What is the procedure for Half-an-Hour Discussion?

The procedure regarding Half-an-Hour Discussion is regulated by Rule 55 of the ‘Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha’ and Direction 19 of the ‘Directions by the Speaker’. Under this, a Member may give notice to raise a discussion on a matter of sufficient public importance and which has been the subject of a recent question, Starred, Unstarred or Short Notice Question, and the answer to which needs further elucidation on a matter of fact. A notice is also required to be accompanied by an ‘Explanatory Note’ stating the reasons for raising the discussion and should also be signed. Normally, only one notice of Half-an-Hour Discussion is put down for a sitting and no formal motion is moved in the House nor does voting take place. The Member who has given notice makes a short statement and the Members who have previously intimated the Speaker and have secured one of the four places in the ballot are permitted to put a question each for the purpose of further elucidating any matter of fact. Thereafter, the Minister concerned replies briefly.

When a Half-an-Hour Discussion is taken up?

Half-an-Hour Discussions are normally held on three sittings in a week namely, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Normally, Half-an-Hour Discussion is not held on the first sitting of the session. Further, normally the Half-an-Hour Discussion is not held till the passage of the Finance Bill by the House. As the name suggests, normally the discussion is for half an hour on the said days and is taken up during the last half an hour of the sitting.

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