REVIEW - Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly - Tamil Nadu Government

(1) General
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CHAPTER XI
QUESTIONS
Question Hour in the House of the Legislature is considered as an important
and significant transaction in a Parliamentary Democracy. It provides an
opportunity for the members to seek and to obtain or elicit information on a
matter of public interest on the floor of the House. This exercise of putting
questions to Ministers directly on the floor of the House establishes the control
and supervision of legislature over executive. Thus, question hour throws more
light on several aspects of administration. The quickness with which the
Members formulate supplementaries based on the answer furnished by the
Ministers and the corresponding place with which the Minister replies to those
supplementaries make the proceedings of the question hour more attractive and
lively. Each day of the business of the House is thus commenced with a concerted
participation by all concerned in the House.
The first hour of a sitting is provided for questions and answers. Though
the main purpose of question hour is to put questions to the Ministers to elicit
information, the inherent right conferred on the member with the consent of the
Hon. Speaker, to raise supplementaries gives an opportunity to the member to
bring omissions and commissions in administration to the notice of the
Government for appropriate immediate action. The Government is also kept in
touch with the public through questions and gauge the public opinion. The
member may bring to the notice of the Government the grievances of their
constituencies and related issues affecting the public, which otherwise would
have gone unnoticed.
Notice of questions
A member who desires to table a question shall give notice of the same in
writing to the Secretary. There is no restriction about the number of question to
be given notice of by a member. Questions are received all through the year
even during non-session period and they are processed with reference to the
T.N.L.A. Rules and guidelines issued by the Hon. Speaker. They are then
admitted and forwarded to the concerned departments within 15 days from the
date of its receipt, with a request to send the answers within 42 days. Such
admitted questions shall normally be entered in the list of questions on the forty
second day at the latest after the day on which they are admitted by the Speaker.
When a Member’s question has been admitted and other Members give notice
of questions on the same subject subsequently, the names of all the members
are clubbed and one common answer is given.
Type of Questions:
Generally questions are of three categories, namely (1) Starred (2) Unstarred
and (3) Short Notice Questions.
(1) Starred questions:
A starred Question is one to which a Member desires an oral answer in the
House. Such questions are distinguished by an asterisk mark. Answers to such
questions are furnished orally in the House by the concerned Ministers. However,
if the answer to such questions requires lengthy statement, such statements are
laid on the Table of the House on the date on which the particular question has
been included in the question list and it will form part of the official proceedings.
Members have a right to put supplementaries on such answers.
(2) Unstarred Questions:
An unstarred question is one which does not bear an asterisk mark or which
is deemed appropriate for a written answer, the Speaker may direct that such
question be classified an Unstarred question. Questions requiring long statements
or statistics are generally admitted as unstarred questions. Answers to such
questions are laid on the Table of the House and printed in the official proceedings
of the Assembly.
Conversion of starred questions into unstarred questions:
(Rule-51 of TNLA Rules)
The Speaker, in his discretion, unstarred such of those questions that are
pending answer at the end of a session or at the end of a meeting and order to
place such answers on the table of the House. 5767 starred questions have been
converted as unstarred questions and placed on the Table of the House during
the Eleventh Assembly.