PM’s Question Time to be reintroduced
The Prime Minister’s Question Time might be reintroduced in the House of Assembly and Senate, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara told Parliament on Tuesday.
The Standing Rules and Orders Committee (SROC) met on Monday to discuss the matter and resolved to urgently reintroduce the Prime Minister’s Question Time.
The Prime Minister’s Question Time was discarded in 1987 when then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe became Executive President.
Modelled along the British style, the Prime Minister’s Question Time allows back-bench MPs wishing to ask a question to enter their names on the Order Paper.
The names of entrants are then shuffled in a ballot to produce a random order in which they will be called by the Speaker.
The Speaker will then call on MPs to put their questions, usually in an alternating fashion: one MP from the government benches is followed by one from the opposition benches.
MPs who are not selected may be chosen to ask a supplementary question if they “catch the eye” of the Speaker, which is done by standing and sitting immediately before the Prime Minister gives an answer.
Occasionally, the first question tabled is on a specific area of policy.
Though this is quite rare, it would allow the Prime Minister to prepare a response in advance; the impromptu question allows for the chance to catch the Prime Minister out with an unexpected supplementary question.
"The SROC met and addressed this matter on Monday and changed the rules so that there would be Prime Minister’s Question Time under the mandated rules of the House,” said Mutambara.
Last December, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs minister Eric Matinenga gave notice in the House of Assembly that he would move a motion to compel that the Prime Minister’s Question Time to be introduced in Parliament.
Matinenga said the Prime Minister’s Question Time would afford MPs a chance to pose questions to Tsvangirai and receive information regarding the formulation and implementation of government policies.
The Prime Minister’s Question Time was discarded in 1987 when then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe became Executive President.
Modelled along the British style, the Prime Minister’s Question Time allows back-bench MPs wishing to ask a question to enter their names on the Order Paper.
The names of entrants are then shuffled in a ballot to produce a random order in which they will be called by the Speaker.
The Speaker will then call on MPs to put their questions, usually in an alternating fashion: one MP from the government benches is followed by one from the opposition benches.
MPs who are not selected may be chosen to ask a supplementary question if they “catch the eye” of the Speaker, which is done by standing and sitting immediately before the Prime Minister gives an answer.
Occasionally, the first question tabled is on a specific area of policy.
Though this is quite rare, it would allow the Prime Minister to prepare a response in advance; the impromptu question allows for the chance to catch the Prime Minister out with an unexpected supplementary question.
"The SROC met and addressed this matter on Monday and changed the rules so that there would be Prime Minister’s Question Time under the mandated rules of the House,” said Mutambara.
Last December, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs minister Eric Matinenga gave notice in the House of Assembly that he would move a motion to compel that the Prime Minister’s Question Time to be introduced in Parliament.
Matinenga said the Prime Minister’s Question Time would afford MPs a chance to pose questions to Tsvangirai and receive information regarding the formulation and implementation of government policies.
