Oral questions are one of the most reliable and regular mechanisms for MPs to hold the government to account in the House of Commons. They are daily sessions in the parliamentary timetable where government ministers must answer questions in person from MPs about the work of their departments.

These sessions provide a routine opportunity for both the official opposition and backbenchers to question ministers directly on policy, decisions and current events. All questions receive an immediate, on-the-record response.

Each department answers oral questions in the House about once every five sitting weeks. They take place as the first item of business, following prayers.

Types of oral questions

There are several different types of oral questions session, each with its own specific format and purpose.

Departmental questions (substantive)

For approximately one hour at the start of most sitting days, a specific government department is subjected to questions in the House of Commons. (Oral questions do not take place on a Friday.) A rota system ensures that each department’s ministers, including the secretary of state, face questions roughly once every four weeks. MPs table their questions to the department in advance.

Departmental questions (topical)

At the end of most departmental question sessions, there is a 15-minute period for “topical questions.” Unlike the main questions which are tabled to a specific brief, these allow MPs to ask questions on any issue that falls within the department’s area of responsibility.

Topical questions and answers are expected to be briefer than questions on specific issues. The short, sharp nature of topical questions means they are generally seen as for the benefit of backbenchers.

Topical questions follow a generally worded, listed question about the department’s responsibilities. It is expected that the relevant secretary of state answers this general question with a brief statement updating the House on their duties.

The secretary of state decides who answers subsequent topical questions. In practice, ministers volunteer themselves to answer questions relevant to their brief.

Prime minister’s questions (PMQs)

Considered the main event of the parliamentary week, PMQs takes place for 30 minutes every Wednesday at 12 noon. The session is an opportunity for MPs to question the prime minister (or a deputy in their absence) on any aspect of government policy.

The leader of the opposition is entitled to ask six questions, and the leader of the third-largest party (currently the Liberal Democrats) is entitled to ask two. Backbench MPs enter a ballot to be selected to ask a single question. MPs will also “bob” in the hope of “catching the speaker’s eye” and being called to ask a question.

Business questions

There is also parliamentary time set aside for the leader of the commons to take questions from MPs. The commons leader appears before the House every Thursday to deliver the weekly business statement and take questions.

Procedure: how do oral questions work?

Oral Questions sessions follow a well-established procedure.

1. Tabling and the ‘shuffle’: MPs submit their questions to a specific department in advance. To ensure fairness, these questions are then randomly ordered by a computerised ballot known as the “shuffle”. The final list is published in the parliamentary order paper for the day.
2. Asking the main question: The speaker calls the first MP on the list, who stands and states the number of their question (the number is assigned by the shuffle and listed on the order paper). The minister then reads out a prepared answer from the dispatch box.
3. The first supplementary: The MP who tabled the original question is then guaranteed the right to ask a follow-up question, known as a supplementary. This is often more pointed and less predictable than the original question. The supplementary is not printed in the order paper but must relate to the original question.
4. Further supplementaries: After the minister has replied to the first supplementary, the speaker will call several other MPs to ask their own brief supplementary questions on the same topic. This may include the opposition’s frontbench spokesperson. MPs indicate their intention to intervene by ‘bobbing’. The same minister returns to the dispatch box to answer these supplementary questions.
5. Moving to the next question: Once the speaker deems a question has been sufficiently explored, they will call the next MP on the order paper to ask their question.

Any questions on the order paper that are not reached in the allotted time automatically receive a written answer from the department.

Grouped questions

Any similar oral questions tabled by two or more members may be grouped together with the minister giving a single answer to all of them, thus saving time. The MPs behind the grouped question are then called successively to ask their supplementaries.

It is up to the secretary of state, not the speaker, to decide whether to group questions. The speaker must nonetheless agree to the secretary of state’s judgment.

The standard formula for grouped oral questions is: “I shall, with permission, Mr Speaker, answer this question and question(s) No(s) (…) together”.

Rules when submitting questions

Questions submitted by MPs must adhere to the rules of the House. They are checked by clerks in the House of Commons Table Office. But the speaker is the final authority when determining a question’s eligibility.

Questions must be about something for which a minister is responsible; be based on fact, not speculation; and use neutral language and not contain unnecessary information.

They should not ask for information which is readily available, or refer to a case that is active in the UK courts (known as ‘sub judice’).

If the Table Office decides that edits are needed, they may contact the relevant MP.

The minimum notice for submitting an oral question is at 12.30 pm three sitting days (excluding sitting Fridays) before the scheduled session. The secretaries of state for Northern Ireland and Scotland are expected to receive five sitting days’ notice.

The wording is expected to indicate a particular subject matter.

If the question is deemed not to relate to the responsibilities of the government department concerned, they may “transfer” oral questions to other government departments as written questions.

Oral questions in the House of Lords

Oral questions in the House of Lords follow a distinct format compared to the commons.

Like the commons, they take place at the start of business on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. According to Erskine May, the authoritative account of parliamentary procedure, the session “may not exceed 30 minutes.”

A maximum of four questions are asked each day. These are marked with an asterisk in the House of Lords business paper and, unlike in the commons, they are “addressed to the government as a whole rather than to any particular minister.”

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the fourth slot is reserved for a topical question, which is selected by ballot.

In the Lords, questions must be worded strictly as requests for information. Erskine May notes that “no debate may take place on oral questions.”

The member who tabled the question is permitted the first supplementary, but they have “no automatic right to ask a final question.” This is an established convention. The House of Lords is a self-regulating body, meaning its members are collectively responsible for maintaining order and upholding the rules of the House.

Supplementaries must be short, raising “not more than two points”, according to Erskine May.

Additional resources

• UK Parliament – What are Oral Questions? (Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x4NIJzIR8M
• UK Parliament – Find Oral Questions: https://whatson.parliament.uk/oralQuestions
• UK Parliament – Oral Questions Rota: https://commonsbusiness.parliament.uk/Document/96028/Html?subType=Standard