Urgent questions in the House of Commons since 1997

The urgent questions procedure allows MPs to apply to the Speaker to request that a minister come to the House of Commons at short notice to make a statement and take questions on an important issue.

Applications to ask an urgent question must be made to the Speaker’s Office before the start of the day’s sitting. The Speaker gives permission if they determine the question is of an urgent character and relates to matters of public importance. The Speaker’s Office contacts the Member to let them know whether their application has been successful but does not provide feedback on unsuccessful requests. Urgent questions are asked at the end of that day's oral question time, or at 11am on a Friday.

Urgent questions were known as private notice questions until 2002.

Private Notice Questions in the House of Lords

A private notice question (PNQ) gives a member of the House of Lords the opportunity to ask an urgent and important question to the government on any sitting day. Peers can apply to the Lord Speaker to ask a private notice question. If granted, the relevant government department is informed, and the question is asked at the end of Question Time.

The downloadable Excel file lists urgent questions asked in the House of Commons from the beginning of the 1997 to 1998 session. Source details are available in the Excel file. 

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