Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what are the criteria taken into account by the Lord Speaker when he is considering whether or not to accept a Private Notice Question.

The Companion to the Standing Orders and Guide to the Proceedings of the House of Lords states that a private notice question (PNQ) gives members of the House the opportunity to raise urgent matters on any sitting day. The Lord Speaker, after consultation, considers whether the question is of sufficient urgency and importance to justify an immediate reply. The Procedure Committee’s 2nd Report of Session 2009-10 (HL Paper 51), recommended that the Lord Speaker’s decision, in respect of the admissibility of PNQs, be considered final. The House agreed this report on 16 March 2010.