Question Hour in Parliament: Why is it important?

The Lok Sabha Secretariat has officially released the schedule for the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, which will be held this year from September 14th to October 1st. An interesting point to note is that the Question Hour has been cancelled i.e., no time is allocated for the Question Hour in the upcoming Monsoon Session.

The significance of the Question Hour

Generally, the first hour of a sitting of the Lok Sabha is dedicated to questions, and this hour is called the Question Hour. A Question Hour has special significance in parliamentary proceedings because asking questions is an essential and unrestricted parliamentary right given to all Members of Parliament. In a way, the Government is put on trial during the Question Hour, and Ministers have to stand up and answer for the activities of their administration.

It is during the Question Hour that Members of Parliament can ask questions to get relevant information on every aspect of administration, governmental activity, government policies etc. The Question Hour permits Members to express the complaints of the public with regard to government administration, and it is through these questions that the Government remains in touch with the issues faced by the people. These questions also enable Ministries to assess the popular reaction to their policy and administration.

Further, because of these questions, Ministers can become aware of many loopholes which they might have overlooked. Sometimes, the matters raised by Members are of wide public importance. In this case, impactful questions asked during the Question Hour may lead to the appointment of a Commission, a Court of Enquiry or even changes in the law.

Types of Questions

With regard to the Lok Sabha, the details related to the procedure for asking questions, admissibility of questions etc. are given under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha.

There are 4 types of questions that can be asked by Members:

(i) Starred Questions – If a Starred Question is asked, this means that the Member who asks the question wants an oral answer from the concerned Minister. The Minister’s answer may be followed by other additional questions by Members. 

(ii) Unstarred Questions – An Unstarred Question does not need an oral answer, and the question will get a written answer which will be submitted to the Parliament by the concerned Minister. In this case, no additional questions can be asked. 

(iii) Short Notice Questions – These are questions asked on matters of public importance which need to be addressed urgently, within a shorter time period than ordinary questions. Like a Starred Question, a Short Notice Question is answered orally, and can be followed by additional questions.

(iv) Questions to Private Members – A question can also be asked to a Private Member (a Member who is not a Minister), if the question is related to subjects or parliamentary matters for which the Private Member is responsible.