Manner of Asking and Answering Question

“26. (1) At the time appointed for the oral asking and answering of questions under Standing Order No. 18, (Order of Business) the Presiding Officer shall call the questions in turn upon each member in whose name the question stands upon the Order Paper, in the order in which the questions are printed, or in any such order as the Presiding Officer may on any particular occasion determine, and each member so called shall rise in his place and ask the question by reference to its number on the Order Paper, and the Secretary questioned shall give his reply.

(2) After the answer to a question has been given, supplementary questions may, at the discretion of the Presiding Officer, be put for the purpose of elucidating the answer given orally, but the Presiding Officer may refuse any such question which in his opinion introduces matters not relative to the original question, or which infringes any of the provisions of Standing Order No. 25 (Contents of Questions), and may in that case direct that such a question be not reported in the Official Report.

(3) When all the questions for which an oral answer is required have been called, the Presiding Officer, if time permits, shall call again any question which has not been asked by reason of the absence of the member in whose name it stands, in which case another member may, if deputed by the absent member, on his behalf either ask the question or request its postponement. The Presiding Officer shall also call again any question which has not been answered by reason of the absence of the member to whom it is addressed.

(4) A Secretary may decline to answer a question, if the publication of the answer would in his opinion be contrary to the public interest.

(5) Not more than three questions requiring an oral answer shall appear on the Order Paper in the name of the same member for the same day, and any question in excess of this number shall not be called by the Presiding Officer but shall be answered as provided in paragraph (7) of this Standing Order, save that no postponement shall be allowed.

(6) The question and answer period should not exceed forty-five minutes.

(7) Questions which have not received oral answer after forty-five minutes in the question time shall be answered in writing by the Secretary to whom the question was addressed, and copies of the answer shall be sent immediately after that hour to the Clerk of the Assembly, who shall send a copy to the member in whose name the question stood upon the Order Paper and cause the answer to be circulated with Minutes of Proceedings, unless at any time before question time a member having a question on the Order Paper but whose name has not yet been called by the Presiding Officer signifies to the Clerk at the Table his desire to postpone the question to a later sitting or to withdraw it.”