§ Mr. SpeakerI have a brief ruling to make to clarify the position regarding open questions to departmental Ministers.
I have recently reviewed the practice regarding open questions to departmental Ministers, namely, questions relating to a meeting with some person or organisation without indicating the purpose of the question.
In the light of experience with a growing number of open questions this Session, I am now convinced that it would not be desirable to encourage them still further. I have therefore decided that once those open questions that at present stand in the Order Book have been answered, I shall revert to the earlier practice of the Chair and will not call supplementaries to any further question to a departmental Minister about that Minister's meetings which does not state its purpose reasonably precisely.