Bi-weekly question hour takes off in March

PHILIPSBURG – Parliament will begin to host a bi-weekly question hour with members of the government after the February 26 elections at the beginning of March, President of parliament MP Sarah Wescot-Williams said on Wednesday.

While not everything is set in stone, the idea is to hold these sessions on Monday morning. The meetings will be open to the public.

“Members of Parliament will send their questions beforehand to the ministers,” Wescot-Williams said. “During question hour they get two minutes to repeat their question; the minister gets one minute to answer.”

After that first round, parliamentarians get another two minutes for a rebuttal, after which the minister has one minute to respond.

The establishment of the bi-weekly question hour is rooted in a change to the Rules of Order of Parliament. These rules have been approved and published, Wescot-Williams said.

Photo caption: President of parliament MP Sarah Wescot-Williams. Photo Hilbert Haar.