HC Deb 27 March 2003 vol 402 c139WH 2.30 pm
Mr. Deputy Speaker

Before we begin this second session of questions in Westminster Hall, I shall make a short statement about the procedure that I intend to follow.

As happens in the House, I will call each Member with a question in turn, and that Member should rise and respond, "Question No. 1," and so on. I will then call a Minister to answer. However, this session is different from questions in the House in that four Ministers from three Departments are present. The House has decided that questions in Westminster Hall should relate to an overall "cross-cutting" theme, which on this occasion is older people.

After the Minister's initial answer, I will call the Member in whose name the question was tabled to ask a supplementary question. One of the other Ministers present may want to answer that supplementary question instead of or in addition to the Minister who gave the original answer. I will then call other Members to ask supplementary questions—including, on some questions, Opposition Front Benchers. I may also call a Member to ask a second supplementary question, if I deem it appropriate.

However, Members should remember that this is a question and answer session rather than a series of mini-debates. There is therefore a premium on brevity in both questions and answers, and I expect there to be a large measure of precision. I hope to achieve a free-flowing exchange to allow us to make good progress through the Order Paper in the hour allotted to questions.

If Divisions take place in the House there is injury time: if there is one Division, we will reconvene within 15 minutes of adjourning, and if there are two successive Divisions, we will reconvene within 25 minutes.

This is still a fairly novel procedure, and I ask for the co-operation of all hon. Members to continue to make it a useful addition to our procedures for holding the Government to account. It is inevitably still experimental. As was the case with the first such session in January, I do not intend any precedents to be set by my rulings, and I will be happy to receive privately any suggestions from colleagues for modifications.

I remind hon. Members that sittings in Westminster Hall are governed by the same conventions on behaviour and mode of address as the main Chamber.

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