Meetings

Review of Oral Assembly Questions

This page gives details of any meetings held which will, or did, discuss the matter, and includes links to the relevant Papers, Agendas and Minutes.

Note: Meeting Agenda can change at short notice. Particularly where future meeting dates are indicated more than a week in advance. Please check before planning to attend a Committee Meeting that the item you are interested in has not been moved.

Meeting: 27/11/2018 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)

Review of Oral Assembly Questions

Supporting documents:

  • Restricted enclosure 2

Minutes:

There was general support among Business Managers for Leaders and Spokespeople to keep their questions short, but less so for setting a specific time limit to ask their three questions. There was also support among Business Managers for reminding Spokespeople that the purpose of having three questions is that they develop a theme, rather than asking three different questions.

 

Business Managers stated that they would support the Llywydd in taking steps to keep questions short. The Llywydd will consider options and bring forward a note at start of the next term.


Meeting: 14/02/2017 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)

Topical and Urgent Questions

Supporting documents:

  • Restricted enclosure 5

Minutes:

Having agreed in principle to introduce a new procedure for Members to ask topical questions to the First Minister and Cabinet Secretaries in Plenary, Business Managers considered a detailed proposal for such a procedure.

 

The Committee agreed to discuss the matter with their groups, and to return to the issue on 7 March.


Meeting: 31/01/2017 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)

Review of Oral Assembly Questions

Supporting documents:

  • Restricted enclosure 8

Minutes:

Business Managers considered options to introduce a new procedure for Topical and Urgent Questions.

 

Business Managers agreed for the Secretariat to draft possible criteria for the new procedure, and for a revised Urgent Questions procedure. The Leader of the House indicated that she intended to circulate a note setting out her proposed criteria for each. Business Managers agreed to return to the matter at a future meeting.


Meeting: 15/11/2016 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)

Review of Oral Assembly Questions

Supporting documents:

  • Restricted enclosure 11

Minutes:

Business Managers considered a paper on a review of OAQs, based on recommendations by the previous Business Committee in its legacy report and in comparison with other UK legislatures.

 

The Committee agreed that the number of Oral Assembly Questions would remain the same and that the Llywydd would prioritise calling Members to ask tabled questions, with the result that fewer supplementaries would be called. The Llywydd also emphasised that she would be stricter on calling Spokespeople and other Members to order if they take too long in coming to questions.

 

Business Managers asked for a further paper on Urgent Questions and Topical Questions and agreed to return to the matter early in January.


Meeting: 18/10/2016 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)

Reforms to Oral Assembly Questions

Supporting documents:

  • Restricted enclosure 14

Minutes:

Business Managers noted revisions to comparative data with other UK legislatures relating to questions, and agreed to return to the matter in mid November.


Meeting: 11/10/2016 - Business Committee - Fifth Senedd (Item 5)

Review of Oral Assembly Questions

Supporting documents:

  • Restricted enclosure 17

Minutes:

Business Managers considered a paper summarising the reforms made during the fourth Assembly and the recommendations made by its predecessor committee on a review of Oral Assembly Questions, alongside a paper on introducing Topical Questions.  

 

Business Managers requested that the Clerk work with Government officials to clarify comparative figures with other legislatures and for a revised paper to be brought before the Committee in mid November.