use of Lords
8. The preparation of the answer to a House of Lords oral question (a "starred" question), of which there are never more than 4 on any given day (Monday to Thursday), is the same as for a House of Commons oral question. Remember that Ministers in the House of Lords speak on behalf of the Government, rather than for their own Departments. addition, our Minister in the Lords, Lord Brabazon, may require more supplementaries than other Ministers because he will be dealing with subjects which are not his day to day responsibility. If in doubt, check with Lord Brabazon's
office.
In
9.
All draft PQs have to be put into the correct format by PRU and cleared by Ministers before they are answered. It is therefore essential that you should meet the deadlines PRU sets to fit in with the requirements of Parliament and Ministers' Private Offices. Please let PRU know if you foresee any cause for delay. It will usually be better to update a draft submitted on time than to submit a late draft.
10.
If you have to answer a PQ, you should be familiar with DSP Vol 5. But if you are unsure about anything, eg format, style, parliamentary language, ask PRU; thirty seconds on the 'phone could prevent a lot of unnecessary extra work.
Parliamentary Relations Unit
5 October 1989
CH1ACL