Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

It would also exclude the absolute time-wasting we witness every day whereby Members raise issues under Standing Order 31 asking that the Dáil be adjourned because of something that could only be termed as very trivial or of minor interest.

The issue of Question Time has been raised by backbenchers on both sides of the House. Oral and written questions provide a very valuable opportunity for Members to obtain information and to hold Ministers to account. When one examines the numbers, one will note how important Members regard questions. In recent years, the number of parliamentary questions has increased dramatically. In 1997, 19,708 parliamentary questions were tabled, and last year 35,460 questions were asked.

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