Committee OKs extending time frame for additional questions to ministers to 30 minutes

Parliament’s General Purpose Committee on Monday approved extending the time frame granted for parliamentarians to pose additional questions to government ministers summoned to the Parliament to 30 minutes. 

Parliament’s Standing Orders grant parliamentarians the right to question government ministers summoned to the Parliament. 

Each parliamentarian is allowed 45 seconds to question ministers. Total 20 minutes are allotted for additional questions. 

Parliament’s Secretary-General asked the General Purpose Committee to review the current time frame following complaints from parliamentarians that it was too short. 

The committee convened on Monday to conduct unofficial discussions on the issue and called for a vote. The committee members who attended the meeting voted unanimously to extend the time frame to 30 minutes. 

The motion to extend the time frame to 30 minutes was presented by Alifushi MP Mohamed Rasheed Hussain. He said that the time frame would only be extended if government ministers did not object.