Parliamentary Rules of Procedure - European Parliament - Europa

in Germany implementing or executive legislation
often requires the consent of the Upper House
(Bundesrat) while the Bundestag usually does not
review implementing measures directly.
Rule 189(1) of the Portuguese Assembly provides:
Any ten Members may subscribe motions to consider
executive laws with a view to causing them to
cease to be in force or amending them. Such motions
shall be submitted to the Bureau in writing within 30
days of the publication of the executive law in question,
excluding periods in which the Assembly of the
Republic’s proceedings are adjourned.
Question Time
On the whole parliaments make provision for
members of the government/executive to respond
to parliamentary questions. These may be by
the Portuguese Assembly
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written procedure with the written answer to be
published by a specific deadline (e.g. three months).
Generally, however, parliaments also have a public
Question Time on the floor of the house, a tradition
that originates in the British parliamentary system
but is unusual in congresses in presidential systems.
Every member has the right to table questions,
but parliaments largely allow some discretion for
presiding officers to select the order in which they
will be taken – for instance giving priority to party
leaders at the beginning of Question Time.
The initial question is normally tabled a few days
in advance in writing. This enables the minister/
executive to become acquainted with the subject
matter. However, Question Time in most parliaments
allows an immediate follow up question from
the original author and, possibly, supplementary
questions from other members. These are an opportunity
to catch a minister off guard or to spring an
unexpected query upon him or her. needless to
say, those which require detailed research are not
appropriate for such occasions, but politically incisive
ones can enliven proceedings.
Question Time does not always possess the drama
or cut-and-thrust of Prime Minister’s Questions
(PMQs) in the House of commons. Quizzing a
departmental minister on the detail of a particular
policy area will be less spectacular, but it is nonetheless
an important part of parliamentary scrutiny.