Editing Question time (section)

===United Kingdom===
{{See also|Prime Minister's Questions}}
[[File:David Cameron Dispatch Box.jpg|thumb|[[David Cameron]] answering Prime Minister's Questions in 2012]]
In the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]], question time in the House of Commons, officially titled Oral Answers to Questions, lasts for an hour each day from Monday to Thursday (2:30 to 3:30pm on Mondays, 11:30am to 12:30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 9:30 to 10:30am on Thursdays). Each Government department has its place in a rota which repeats every four to five weeks when the House is sitting. The larger Departments generally have the full hour for oral questions whereas smaller Departments will have less time allocated.  In addition, [[Questions to the Prime Minister]] takes place each Wednesday from noon to 12:30pm, and questions are asked each Thursday (Questions to the [[Leader of House of Commons]]), about the business of the House the following week. 

The larger departments also have a Topical question period for the last 15 minutes of their hour for questions, where the Secretary of State outlines recent developments in their department and then [[backbencher|backbench]] MPs can ask any question relating to their department, for which ministers are not given prior notice.{{cn|date=November 2021}} Topical questions have been part of each question time in the Commons since November 2007. For question time, Government [[Whip (politics)|whips]] organize "support groups" of government MPs whose duty it is to support the ministers who answer questions by asking questions helpful to the government and shouting in its support.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hardman |first=Isabel |date=2023-01-31 |title=Are Tory MPs resigned to defeat? |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/are-tory-mps-resigned-to-defeat/ |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=The Spectator |language=en-US}}</ref>

In addition to government departments, there are also questions regarding the [[Church of England]], House of Commons reform and Law Rulings.<ref name="pdf" />

Questions for oral answer are selected by ballot a few days before the question time takes place and published. Ministers therefore have advance warning of the initial questions, but after each question has been answered, the MP in whose name it appears may ask a supplementary question on the same subject area for which no notice is given (unless the MP chooses to do so privately). The Speaker will usually call other MPs to ask further supplementary questions and this will often include Opposition front bench spokespersons. A second ballot enables MPs to put forward their names to ask a topical question for which no notice is required.{{cn|date=November 2021}}

Questions to the prime minister are usually tabled on a topical basis so that the name of the MP is published but not the question itself.{{cn|date=November 2021}}

Additionally, each Member of Parliament is entitled to table an unlimited number of written questions. Usually a Private Member directs a question to a [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)|Secretary of State]], and it is usually answered by a [[Minister of State]] or [[Parliamentary Under Secretary of State]]. Written Questions are submitted to the Clerks of the Table Office, either on paper or electronically, and are recorded in ''[[Hansard|The Official Report (Hansard)]]'' so as to be widely available and accessible.<ref name="pdf" />

In the House of Lords, half an hour is put aside each afternoon at the start of the day's proceedings for "Lords Questions". A peer submits a query in advance, which then appears on the [[Order Paper]] for the day's proceedings.<ref name="pdf" /> The Lord shall say: "''My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper''". The Minister responsible then answers the query. Afterwards, for around ten minutes, any Lord can ask the Minister questions on the theme of the original put down on the order paper. (For instance, if the question regards immigration, Lords can ask the Minister any question related to immigration during the allowed period).<ref name="pdf" /> The Lords usually do not have a call list, as the Commons does, so Peers rise to ask a question themselves and they alternate between the Government, opposition and [[crossbench]] sides of the chamber. Unlike the Commons, where only the Speaker can call a member to order, any Lord can call any other Lord to order, and on many occasions noble Lords intervene to ensure fair distribution of questions around the chamber. If unable to settle who the next speaker is, usually the [[Leader of the House of Lords|Leader of the House]] will intervene. Due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], call lists had been in use in the Lords from April 2020 to December 2021 as some Peers participated virtually. A peer may also table up to six questions for written answer on any day the House is sitting.<ref name="pdf">{{cite web |author=House of Commons Information Office  |title=Parliamentary Questions: House of Commons Information Office Factsheet P1  |date=June 2005  |url=http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/p01.pdf 
 |url-status=dead  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016215929/http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/p01.pdf  |archive-date=16 October 2006 }}</ref>