Speaker’s Rulings — Oral Questions—Conduct

We come now to questions, but before I ask for the first question, I want to make a small change to the way we’re doing questions. Last week, I advised the House how I would manage question time to ensure a freer flow of questions and answers, without the Speaker being so involved. Having reflected on last Thursday’s question time, I intend to make a small change to assist those listening to proceedings. Once a member has asked a primary question, I will now call on the Minister to answer it.

The feedback I had was that members of the public listening on the radio couldn’t tell who it was who was answering the questions, especially when a Minister was answering on behalf of another Minister. The requirement for members not to interject during the asking of questions will apply until after I have called the Minister to answer.