Oral Questions Plenary: How It Unfolds

Plenary sittings dedicated to oral questions to members of government follow a legally defined procedure. With the case of the National Assembly, Sections 75 to 80 of the Standing Orders of the House largely dwell on oral questions to members of government by legislators. This is in accordance with parliamentary oversight mechanisms as stated in Article 35 of the Constitution. Indeed, Section 76 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly state that, “Any member of the National Assembly who wishes to put oral or written questions to the Government shall submit them to the President of the National Assembly who shall inform the National Assembly accordingly and refer them to the competent Minister.” The question is written and signed by the legislator and submitted at the Secretariat of the National Assembly or Senate. It is reviewed by the Bureau for admissibility, that is making sure it avoids personal issues and relates strictly to Ministerial duties. Validated questions are then sent to the Chairman’s Conference where it is also assessed and then deemed admissible to be brought in plenary. A plenary siting could be convened to announce questions received or such questions could be communicated at the end of a plenary sitting that was dedicated to other matters. The bureau then forwards the questions to the Minister Delegate at ...