Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Hansard source

The chair is in the difficulty that if the chair identifies other aspects that could be considered core to the question, they are open to being involved in the debate. Core to the question might have been the preamble about the $38 million being spent on advertising. The core could also have been the part of the question that talked about deliberately misleading about other taxes and levies. I think that this shows the problems about question time. Whilst I do not want to delay people much longer, I would refer them to pages 515 and 527 of Practice which, inter alia, say:

The purpose of questions is ostensibly to seek information or press for action.

Before the guffawing, this statement I am going to make refers to everybody:

However … it is often a time for political opportunism—

where the questions will seek to embarrass the government—

… while government Members will be tempted to provide Ministers with an opportunity to put government policies and actions in a favourable light or to embarrass the Opposition.

This is the tradition of question time that has developed. If the House would like to have changes, it should deal with that itself. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

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