New methodology in scheduling of Questions for Oral Answers in the Order Paper of Parliament – Speaker Announces

The Hon. Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena today (22) announced that a new methodology will be adopted in scheduling of Questions for Oral Answers in the Order Paper of Parliament

The Speaker also informed the House that the decision was taken due to the fact that backbench Members of Parliament who have submitted questions do not get equal opportunity to ask questions as only a few Members of Parliament get the opportunity to do so on every Sitting Day of Parliament because of the methodology which is followed at present in scheduling Questions for Oral Answers in the Order Paper of Parliament.

The decision was taken after special attention was paid at the Meetings of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held recently regarding the requests made by Backbench Members

The aforementioned new methodology will be effective from the first Sitting Day of Parliament in May 2022. Accordingly, the Speaker also announced the guidelines of the new methodology to be followed in incorporating questions for oral answers into the Order Paper of Parliament.

Following is the full text of the Speaker’s statement.

Announcement

Hon. Members,

I wish to inform to this House that special attention was paid at the Meetings of the Committee on Parliamentary Business held on 16.03.2022 and 08.04.2022 respectively regarding the requests made on the Floor of the House as well as those submitted in person to me in writing and orally stating that Backbench Members of Parliament who have submitted questions do not get equal opportunity to ask questions as only a few Members of Parliament get the opportunity to do so on every Sitting Day of Parliament because of the methodology which is followed at present in scheduling Questions for Oral Answers in the Order Paper  of Parliament.

This House is informed that, the Committee on Parliamentary Business, accordingly, made the following guidelines unanimously after long deliberation regarding introduction of new methodology in scheduling of Questions for Oral Answers in the Order Paper of Parliament in future:—

5. The number of Questions for Oral Answers that are scheduled for a Sitting Day be restricted to ten (10);
6. According to the chronological order of the Questions for Oral Answers that have been submitted by Members, the first question of each Member be given priority, and on the first Sitting Day of Parliament ten (10) questions – one question from each of the first ten (10) Members whose names appear in the list – be scheduled in the Order Paper of Parliament;
7. On the second day, the questions of the next ten (10) Members whose names appear in the list, be scheduled in the Order Paper, and questions be scheduled for other sitting days also following the same procedure;
8. Giving priority, as appropriate, for the questions for which further time was sought to reply of the relevant Member of Parliament at the next Sitting day of Parliament on which the Member of Parliament gets his turn;
9. The aforementioned new methodology will be effective from the first Sitting Day of Parliament in May 2022;