Working Of Parliament

Question 1

Provisional Calender

Answer 1

A Provisional Calender is issued at the commencement of each session. This calender indicates what type of work will be done on each day of the session.

Question 2

Parliamentary business is divided into two categories

Answer 2

Private members’ business and Government Business.

Question 3

Private members’ business

Answer 3

Last two and a half hours of every Friday when the house is in session , or any other day the Presiding officer may decide after consulting with leader of the house is allotted for private members business. Committee on Private members’ Bill and Resolutions is nominated by the Speaker in Lok Sabha. /
In RS, the entire sitting after lunch is usually allowed for private member’s business, alternatively for bills and resolutions.

Question 4

Government Business

Answer 4

Items that come up daily or even periodically even if they are initiated by private members, are transacted during the time allocated for government business.

Question 5

Committee on private members’ bills and resolutions

Answer 5

This committee is nominated by the speaker of LS.
This committee recommends a time limit for discussion on private member’s bills and resolutions.
It examines every private member’s bill before motion for its introduction in the house.

Question 6

Government business

Answer 6

PARLIAMENTARY Affairs Committee and Cabinet ministers take decisions on government bills. Order of government business is decided by consultation between Presiding officer and Leader of the house. Business Advisory committee of each house decides on the question of time allocation for each Bill on the house.

Question 7

Business Advisory Committee

Answer 7

Business Advisory Committee of each house decides on the question of time allocation for each Bill on the house.
Business Advisory Committee in LS consists of 15 members and in RS of 10 members.
In both the houses, Committee is presided by the Presiding officer of the respective house.

Question 8

Devices of Parliamentary proceedings

Answer 8

Question hour, Zero hour and Motions.

Question 9

Question Hour

Answer 9

First hour of every parliamentary sitting is reserved for question hour. In this hour, members ask questions to ministers and ministers usually give answers.

Question 10

Types of Questions asked in Question hour.

Answer 10

3 types of questions :-
1) Starred Questions
2) Unstarred Questions
3) Short notice Questions

Question 11

Starred Questions

Answer 11

Question has an asterisk in the corner. Answers to this Question must be oral and the member asking the Question gets to ask another question to the minister.
The second question is called SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION.

Question 12

Unstarred Questions

Answer 12

This question requires a written answer from the minister. No supplementary question follows.

Question 13

Short notice Question

Answer 13

Asked without giving a 10 days Notice. This question is answered orally.

Question 14

Color codes for questions

Answer 14

The questions asked are color coded :-
Starred Questions - GREEN
Unstarred Questions - WHITE
Short Notice Question - LIGHT PINK
Private member - YELLOW

Question 15

Zero Hour

Answer 15

This is an INDIAN INNOVATION.
It has been used since 1962.
It is NOT mentioned in the Book of Rules of Procedure.
It is an Informal mechanism that members can use to raise matters without any prior notice.
Zero hour begins immediately after Question hour and is continued till the agenda of the day is taken up.
12pm to 1pm.

Question 16

Motions

Answer 16

It is a proposal.
Any proposal to draw out a decision of the House.
Every question to be decided by the house must be proposed by a member in the form of a motion.
Motions are the basis of all parliamentary proceedings.
Any matter of importance or public interest can be the subject matter of a motion.
Every matter is determined in the house by means of a question put from the chair on motion made by a member.

Question 17

Categories of Motions

Answer 17

Motions falls into 3 categories :-
1) SUBSTANTIVE MOTION
2) SUBSTITUTE MOTION
3) SUBSIDIARY MOTION

Question 18

Substantive Motion

Answer 18

A substantive motion is a self- contained, Independent proposal submitted for the approval of the house and drafted in such a way as to be capable of expressing a decision of the House.
Example - All resolutions are substantive motions , NO confidence motion etc.

Question 19

Substitute Motion

Answer 19

Motions moved in the substitution of the original motion are called Substitute motion. It can be taken up for consideration Of a policy, or situation or any matter that can substitute the matter taken up in original motion.
The substitute motion, being in the nature of an amendment to the original motion, is also placed before the house and is discussed along with the original motion.
Amendments to substitute motions are not permissible.
At the end of the debate, the substitute motion only is put to the vote of the house.

Question 20

Subsidiary Motion

Answer 20

It depends upon or relates to other motions or follow upon some proceedings in the House. They by themselves have no meaning and are not capable of stating the decision of the House without reference to the original motion or proceedings of the house.

Subsidiary motion can be divided into 3 sub categories :-
1) Ancillary Motion
2) Superseding Motion
3) Amendment

Question 21

Ancillary Motion

Answer 21

Motions which are recognised by the practice of the house as the regular way of proceedings with various kinds of business.

Question 22

Superseding Motion

Answer 22

Motion in the course of a debate to supersede the issue of the previous debate. In this class falls all motions of dilatory character.
All the decisions on the dilatory character of the motion and any decision hereafter are up to the discretion of the Presiding officer.

Question 23

Amendment

Answer 23

It seeks to modify only part Of the original motion. Amendments may be to the clauses of a bill, to a resolution or a motion , or to an amendment to a clause of a bill, resolution or motion.

Question 24

No- Day- Yet - Named Motion

Answer 24

If the speaker admits a notice of a motion and no day is fixed for its discussion, it is called a no- day- yet- named motion.