The bank holiday is over and September is upon us already as we are busily asking ourselves where the summer has gone. The new school term has begun, much to the relief of many parents, and the shops will soon be filled with the next wave of seasonal merchandise.
Of course this also means the end of the Parliamentary recess as MPs will be returning to Westminster next week. For me, this week has involved a lot of swotting as I prepare for Oral Questions which are taking place on the very first Monday back.
In the House of Commons chamber, Question Time takes place for an hour every Monday to Thursday after preliminary proceedings and private business. Each government department answers questions according to a rota called the Order of Oral Questions, and the questions asked by other MPs must relate to the responsibilities of the government department concerned.
For me this is the Department for Work and Pensions in which I am the Minister for Disabled People, alongside Ian Duncan Smith, the Secretary of State. Some MPs have already submitted their questions, for which the Speaker will have randomly drawn on to be put on the Order Paper. So this week has been a matter of working through those and ensuring that a detailed and helpful answer is given in response.
Each Minister in the department handles the questions that relate to his/her portfolio and usually it is established early on who will deal with which question. Despite having many of the answers prepared beforehand, standing up at the dispatch box in the chamber is still an extremely nerve-wracking experience!
The eyes of the media are upon you, as well as members of the opposition who are ready to pounce on any sign of weakness. It is also constantly in the back of your mind that everything said is being recorded in Hansard, the official verbatim record of Parliament. So there really is no room for any mistakes!
For each selected question, supplementary questions can be raised but must be connected to the original question. For example if I am asked about Mental Health, other MPs can also do so. The final 15 minutes are set aside for topical questions which haven’t been written on the order paper. Therefore you have no idea what these may be and the only time you have to prepare an answer in your mind is the time it takes you to get to your feet to the dispatch box! This is why it is essential that Government Ministers know their brief inside out - and quite rightly too!
For each selected question, supplementary questions can be raised but must be connected to the original question. For example if I am asked about Mental Health, other MPs can also do so. The final 15 minutes are set aside for topical questions which haven’t been written on the order paper. Therefore you have no idea what these may be and the only time you have to prepare an answer in your mind is the time it takes you to get to your feet to the dispatch box! This is why it is essential that Government Ministers know their brief inside out - and quite rightly too!
I certainly will have had easier first days back at Parliament but thankfully I enjoy being a Minister incredibly so don’t mind the long preparation that is involved. Oral questions is democracy at its best and it is great to be a part of this - despite all of the nerves experienced beforehand!
