Assembly Business – in the Northern Ireland Assembly at 10:45 am on 24 September 2024.
Edwin Poots
DUP
10:45,
24 September 2024
The motion is necessary to allow business to continue at 2.00 pm in the absence of questions to the Department of Health. I received a letter from the Minister of Health last night indicating that he is unwell and therefore unable to attend. In exceptional circumstances, we were not able to get another Minister to take his place, but I wish for this not to be taken as a precedent. The normal expectation is that, if a Minister is not available, another Minister steps in. Apparently, that was not able to be achieved.
I want to ensure that Members who were successful in the ballot for today's Question Time still have the ability to have their questions answered. Therefore, I will ask the Business Committee to consider rescheduling questions for oral answer to the Minister of Health in the second Question Time slot next Tuesday. Subject to the Business Committee's agreement to reschedule, the ballot order for both listed and topical questions to the Minister of Health will remain the same for Question Time on 1 October as it was for today.
Robbie Butler
UUP
11:00,
24 September 2024
I beg to move
That Standing Order 20(1) be suspended for 24 September 2024.
Edwin Poots
DUP
Before we proceed to the Question, I remind Members that the motion requires cross-community support.
Question put and agreed to.
Resolved (with cross-community support):
That Standing Order 20(1) be suspended for 24 September 2024.
Question Time is an opportunity for MPs and Members of the House of Lords to ask Government Ministers questions. These questions are asked in the Chamber itself and are known as Oral Questions. Members may also put down Written Questions. In the House of Commons, Question Time takes place for an hour on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays after Prayers. The different Government Departments answer questions according to a rota and the questions asked must relate to the responsibilities of the Government Department concerned. In the House of Lords up to four questions may be asked of the Government at the beginning of each day's business. They are known as 'starred questions' because they are marked with a star on the Order Paper. Questions may also be asked at the end of each day's business and these may include a short debate. They are known as 'unstarred questions' and are less frequent. Questions in both Houses must be written down in advance and put on the agenda and both Houses have methods for selecting the questions that will be asked. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P1 at the UK Parliament site.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
