HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

Secretary of State’s questions are excluded from this rule;
oral questions are asked by leave of the House, and so may be
disallowed by the House.
Asking the question
6.26 The form of words to be used in asking a question is:
“My Lords, I beg leave to ask the question standing in my name on
the order paper.” 1
6.27 If a member of the House is not present to ask a question
standing in his name the question may be asked by another member on
his behalf with his permission. 2 On such occasions, the member who is in
fact to ask the question should inform the Table, who will inform the
government. The unanimous leave of the House is required for one
member’s question to be asked by another when the authority of the
member named on the order paper has not been given. 3 If the Clerk of
the Parliaments knows that an oral question is not going to be asked, he
informs the House before he calls the first question; 4 the full 30 minutes
is available for the remaining questions.
Ministers’ replies and supplementary questions
6.28 Ministers’ initial answers should not generally exceed 75 words.
Supplementary questions may be asked but they should be short and
confined to not more than two points. 5 If a supplementary question
exceeds these guidelines, the minister need only answer the two main
points. Supplementary questions should be confined to the subject of the
original question, and ministers should not answer irrelevant questions. 6
The essential purpose of supplementaries is to elicit information, and they
should not incorporate statements of opinion. They should not be read.
The member who tabled the question has no automatic right to ask a
final supplementary question.
1 Procedure 1st Rpt 1967–68.
2 Procedure 2nd Rpt 1984–85.
3 SO 42(2).
4 Procedure 1st Rpt 1999–2000.
5 Procedure 1st Rpt 1984–85; 1st Rpt 1987–88.
6 Restated in Procedure 1st Rpt 2002–03.
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