CHAPTER – 1
QUESTIONS
1.
Notice Period
The Notice period of giving
notices of Questions under Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of
Business in the Rajya Sabha may be extended from 10 clear days to 15 clear days
and the ballot of Questions which is at present held on the last day of
receiving notices of Questions be advanced accordingly.
[R.S.
Bulletin Part-II, dated 30.3.1994]
2.
Limit on Notices of Questions
A limit of 7
Notices of Questions per sitting per Member may be fixed and notices received
in excess of 7 from a Member for a day may be kept for subsequent sittings
concerning that Ministry/Ministries in that Session. Members who intend to give notices in bulk for the entire Session
may do so by indicating their inter-se
preferences. In case no such
preferences are indicated, notices in excess of 7 per day will be considered
for subsequent sittings on the basis of point of time of their receipt. However, the existing limit of five admitted
questions per day per Member may continue.
[R.S. Bulletin
Part-II, dated 30.3.1994]
3.
Joint Notice of a Starred Question
When notice of a Starred
Question is given by more than one member, such notice shall be deemed to have
been given by the first signatory for the purpose of ballot.
[R.S. Bulletin Part-II, dated 17.10.1978 and
16.1.1982]
4.
Draw of Lot
In respect of all notices of Starred
Questions for any particular day received upto 3.00 P.M. of the last date of
receipt of such notices under Rule 39
of the Rules of Procedure and
Conduct of Business, a ballot will be held at 5.00 P.M. on that day with a view
to determining the inter se priority
of Members who have given such notices and the list of admitted Starred
Questions will be prepared in accordance with the result of such ballot.
[R.S. Bulletin, Part-II, dated 17.10.1978 and 16.1.1982]
5.
List of Starred Questions
Not
more than twenty questions, instead of thirty as at present shall be placed on
the list of questions for oral answers on any one day.
[R.S.
Bulletin , Part-II, dated 17.10.1978, 12.1.1979 and 16.1.1982]
6.
Maximum Questions of a Member in Day’s List
Not
more than five questions, both Starred and Unstarred combined, by one Member,
should be placed on the lists of questions for any one day and out of these not
more than three questions should be placed on the list of questions for oral
answers.
[R.S. Bulletin, Part-II, dated 14.11.1962]
7.
Clubbing
of Names of Members to a Starred Question and Short Notice Question
Names of not more than two
Members shall be clubbed to a Starred Question instead of three as at
present. Besides the first name which
will be in accordance with the result of the ballot, the name of the other
Member clubbed will be in the order in which his notice was received in point
of time. The same procedure shall also
be followed in respect of the Short
Notice Questions.
[R.S.
Bulletin, Part-II, dated 5.11.1980 and 16.1.1982]
8.
Transfer of Questions
After a Question is admitted and
printed, no transfer from one Ministry to another shall take place. However, if a request for the transfer of a
Question from one Ministry to another is made before it is admitted and
printed. Chairman shall be the final
authority to decide in the matter.
[R.S. Bulletin, Part-II, dated 30.3.1994]
9.
Availability of Answers in Notice Office
One
set of answers to all the Starred Questions included in the List of Questions
for the day should be kept in the Notice Office by 10.30 A.M. for perusal by
the Members. However, these answers
would be considered confidential and would not be treated final till the
questions are actually answered in the House.
[R.S. Bulletin, Part-II, dated 6.2.1979 and 16.1.1982]
10.
Placing of long statements on the Table
MR. CHAIRMAN : I will tell you there are people who err on
both sides. Sometimes people lay very
short statements on the Table of the House and some people go on reading long
statements only. Therefore, you must
observe the rule…….. (interruptions)……
Please hear me, I am giving this direction that small statements must be
read and long statements must be placed on the Table of the House.
[R.S.
Debate, Part-II, dated 30.4.1987, cols. 15-16.]
11.
Questions lapsed on termination of the
Session
Subject to the provision of rule
43(1) of the Rajya Sabha Rules of Procedure, Questions in excess of five given
notice of by a Member for any one day may be put down in the list of Questions
on a subsequent day allotted to the group of Ministries. Notices of questions which lapse on
termination of Session may be returned to the Members who had given these
notices.
[R.S. Bulletin, Part-II, dated 6.2.1979 and
16.1.1982]
12.
Procedure for Ministers correcting Answers to Unstarred Questions
(i)
The
Minister shall give to the Secretary-General notice of his intention to correct
the reply given to an Unstarred Question.
The notice shall be accompanied by a copy of the statement proposed for
correcting the answer already given.
(ii)
The
Secretary-General shall include the item in the List of Business on the
appropriate date in the following manner :-
STATEMENT
CORRECTING ANSWER TO UNSTARRED QUESTION NO………… GIVEN IN RAJYA SABHA ON THE …………
SHRI/SHRIMATI………………
to lay a statement
correcting answer to Unstarred Question No. ……….given in Rajya Sabha on the
……………regarding ……………..
[R.S. Bulletin, Part-II, dated 17.2.1982]
13.
Notice of Questions
After reviewing the prevailing
position regarding Questions, Chairman, Rajya Sabha, is pleased to give the
following directions under Rule 266 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of
Business in the Rajya Sabha:-
(I) Notice Period
“Under
Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha,
notices of Questions shall be given with
not less than 15 and not more than 21 clear days’ notice.”
The Notices of Questions should, accordingly, be given not
earlier than 21 clear days’ and not shorter than 15 clear days’ from the date
for which the notice of Question is marked.
Notices of Questions received before 21 clear days shall not be accepted
in the Notice Office and in case the same are received through the Mail Box, no
action shall be taken on such notices and the same shall be returned to the
Members in original. Instructions
issued vide Parliamentary Bulletin Part-II No. 35718, dated the 24th
June, 1996, permitting Members to give notices of Questions for the entire
Session in one bulk stand modified accordingly.
The above directions of the
Chairman, Rajya Sabha , shall come into effect
from the 5th July, 1996, and the notices of questions received
upto the 4th July, 1996 shall be dealt with as per the procedure
prevailing prior to the adoption of the above direction.
(II) Format of Notice
of Question
“Text of the notice of Question should
be typed or neatly handwritten on the printed standard format available in
Notice Office. Notices of Question
where the text is either stapled or pasted
on the standard format shall not be entertained and such notice of
Questions shall be returned to Members in original.”
[R.S.
Bulletin Part-II dated 4.7.1996]
14. Removal of restriction of maximum period for
giving notices of Questions
X X X X X X X
X X X X X X X
“Under Rule 39 of the Rules of Procedure
and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha, notices of Questions shall be given
with not less than 15 and not more than 21 clear days notice”.
The notices of Questions should,
accordingly, be given not earlier than 21 clear days and not shorter than 15
clear days from the date for which the notice of Question is marked. Notices of Questions received before 21
clear days shall not be accepted in the Notice Office and in case the same are
received through the Mail Box, no action shall be taken on such notices and the
same shall be returned to the Members in original.”
Members
are informed that the Hon’ble Chairman, Rajya Sabha has now decided to do away
with the restriction of maximum period of 21 days for giving notices of
Questions with immediate effect.
Hereafter, Members may give notices of Questions for any date,
immediately after issue of Summons.
[R.S. Bulletin Part-II, dated 5.5.1998]