HOUSE OF LORDS - United Kingdom Parliament

or any other member to ensure that the minister’s reply is available to
the House by putting down a question for written answer. 1
Answers
6.40 Written questions, including those tabled in the summer recess,
are expected to be answered within 10 working days. 2 Answers are sent
to members by post. Members may register with the Table Office to
receive answers by e-mail. When the House is in recess, answers should
be sent to the member concerned within 10 working days. They are
printed in Hansard either on the next sitting day, or, in the case of the
summer recess, on the day following the second tabling day, with a
reference to the date of the answer. Where appropriate, written
questions may be answered on the day on which they are tabled. On
occasion, and at the discretion of the Editor of the Official Report, very
long answers to written questions may be placed in the Library of the
House rather than printed in Hansard. 3 The Leader of the House advises
on individual cases of difficulty. 4
Limits on number of written questions
6.41 Members of the House of Lords are not entitled to table more
than six written questions on any one day. 5 The tabling of a series of
different requests for information in the form of a single question is
deprecated. 6
Questions for short debate
6.42 A question for short debate is distinguishable from a motion in
that there is no right of reply. 7 Such a question may be tabled for any day
on which the House is sitting. Members should table such questions in
House of Lords Business without a date, and then consult the
1 Procedure 7th Rpt 1971–72.
2 Procedure 3rd Rpt 2009–10.
3 Procedure 4th Rpt 1998–99.
4 Procedure Committee minutes, 4 April 2000.
5 Procedure 2nd Rpt 1988–89, 3rd Rpt 2006–07.
6 Procedure 1st Rpt 1977–78.
7 SO 36.
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