Questions, questions
Yesterday I sat in the dock in Stormont Room 152, together with fellow hacks Eamon Mallie of Downtown Radio and Billy Graham from the Irish News. We were giving evidence to the Stormont Committee on Procedures about how the Assembly's question time might be reformed.
There seemed to be a general consensus that the question time isn't sufficiently engaging or relevant. Our thoughts, boiled down, included more topical questions (currently MLAs have to table their questions a fortnight in advance) a ban on reading (if you have to read out a question, surely it must be too long) and possibly splitting the current Monday question time (instead of three ministers appearing in a row, you could have two ministers on a Monday and another two on a Tuesday).
If anyone has any better ideas let me know and I shall pass them on to the Committee.
I'm 
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Mark,
It appears that the 2 weeks from Question submitted to full answer is for the Civil Service Department responsible to prepare an answer and brief the Minister. How about each Minister faces 1 hour of questions and leave it remaining on a Monday? Tuesday can be spent on debate or introducing legislation once the executive sits down again?
Another thing for Question time is in Parliament the MP asks the question but is not brought back. Once the Minister answers the question they move on. In the Assembly after the question is answered then another 4 or 5 MLA's ask supplementary questions which are answered. Most of the time it is just running through old ground. If that was stopped more questions would be asked.
Another suggestion for the Assembly commission why not have a facility through its website for the public to ask questions to which the Government departments can ask. That way the questions would be more relevant. If people ask repeat questions then the Assembly can refer them back to previous answers. It would mean more transparency.
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The same latitude given during Assembly Questions as there is in Question Time in Parliament. If they aren't capable of fielding questions on the hop they're in the wrong job.
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two weeks is for the relevant civil service office to prepare the response, brief the minister if neccessary. The problem is that most oral questions should be written requests. for example an oral question for 20.10.08
To ask the Minister of Education to list the capital programmes ready to go out to tender in the next month.
Could that not be a written request? the fact that it even asks for a list will lead simply to a response with a dull list.
another question on the same date-To ask the Minister of Education how many primary schools in urban areas currently have (i) more than; and (ii) fewer than, 140 pupils--surely a written response would be more than adequate.
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Mark
IMPROVING QUESTION TIME: SACK 108 MLAs
A few suggestions, in no particular order, for improving Question Time:
1 A ban on Ministers reading their answers. Ministers of all persuasions often make speeches rather than answer questions. Had this ban applied during Dr Paisley's term as First Minister he would have been mute.
2 A ban on answers in Irish or Ulster-Scots dialect. The Shinner Ministers frequently use Irish to stretch out their answer so as to reduce the number of questions posed. I would exclude Jim Shannon from my stricture on the use of Ulster-Scots as he’s much easier to understand when he's using that dialect than when he’s attempting to speak English.
3 Time limits on questions and answers.
4 There should be live coverage of Question time on radio/TV so that the Public can see the paucity of talent among our elected representatives.
5 There should be a more robust approach by the Speaker(s) to Ministers' answers. If a Minister gives a duff answer the Speaker should call him/her to account. At present Ministers are getting away with rubbish answers.
6 I am quite taken by Stormontspy's suggestion that the Public should have an opportunity to ask questions. Why not let the Public, via the Assembly website, put questions to Ministers; I'd suggest two questions, drawn at random, should be put during each question time.
In closing, Mark, I have a question: How long can the Assembly continue to have the charade of Question Time in the absence of Executive meetings?
Susie
Carryduff
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No questions in advance (that's what written questions is for), right to reply for member asking question.
Reading questions strictly banned. Answers from Minister only allowed from notes not word for word from paper.
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I've never seen it, so change the time to teatime on BBC1. I can't see the problem if First Minister's questions takes up 15 minutes of Newsline once a week.
I didn't know it was so stilted and boring, so I agree with everybody above who says ban the reading. I think I remember this issue being discussed here before, when Ian Paisley thought he was going to be asked a question about his delinquent son, got asked about something else, but read out the answer to the question he thought he was going to be asked anyway.
And 2 weeks warning on the questions? That's a bit silly.
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With my suggestion of the public asking questions of the Ministers I think it would be important that questions are not shown to the Minister until Question Time. Minsters would work harder for their money if they are unprepared. For anybody else in the world they have to think on their feet. This would demonstrate who is competent and who is not.
I remember Ian Paisley at question time. It was boring. If the script had been taken away it would have made good TV but not as it was.
I would like to know why do Ministers not ask written questions of other departments?
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Just a few comments -
I wouldnt sack all of the 108 MLAs - however there are a few on sit on their arses all the time and never ask questions or do anything for that matter !!
A public involvement in Question Time would be an interesting aspect. However I think that it would be changed to represent something like Gordon Brown did with You Tube.
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