Additional
provisions relating to Assembly debates
(adopted by the Bureau of the Assembly on 25 March 2002 and
17 December 2007)
vi.Guidelines for questions to guest speakers
A. Questions to the
Chairperson-in-office of the Committee of Ministers (Rule 62.2.
of the Rules
of Procedure)
I. Oral questions
1. In order to enable members
of the Assembly to put their questions to the Chairperson of the
Committee of Ministers and to hear the replies, the presentation
of the report on the activities of the Committee of Ministers may
not exceed one-third of the total time allotted for the communication
from the Committee of Ministers.
2. Representatives
or substitutes wishing to put an oral question to the Chairperson
of the Committee of Ministers must enter their names on the appropriate
register within the prescribed time (see “Additional provisions
relating to Assembly debates” - ii. List of speakers, paragraph 5).
When they enter their names on the register, they will be asked
to state the subject of their question.
3. If there is sufficient
time, the President of the Assembly may authorise the author of
a question to the Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers to ask
a supplementary question following the latter’s answer.
4. Each political
group may appoint a spokesperson to put a question to the Chairperson
of the Committee of Ministers.
II. Written
questions
5. Representatives
or substitutes wishing to put a written question to the Chairperson
of the Committee of Ministers must enter their names on the appropriate
register and submit the text of the question at least one week before
the opening of the part-session.
6. Written questions
on the same subject or related subjects may receive a joint answer.
B. Questions to other guest speakers
7. Representatives and substitutes
and members of partner for democracy delegations may put written
questions to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe for
oral answer. They must enter their names on the appropriate register
and submit the text of the question at least one week before the
opening of the part-session. Written questions on the same subject
or related subjects may receive a joint answer. This exercise requires
the consent of the Secretary General.
8. Representatives
or substitutes and members of partner for democracy delegations
may put spontaneous questions to guest speakers when this is provided
for in the agenda of the part-session or authorised by the President
of the Assembly during a sitting. Questions may be restricted to
political groups’ spokespersons. No supplementary question may be
asked.
C. Criteria applicable to questions
9. The time allowed
for the presentation of all questions or supplementary questions
by their author shall be limited to thirty seconds.
10. The President
of the Assembly shall decide whether questions are in order and
determine the order in which questions are called.
11. To assess whether
a question is in order, the following considerations shall be taken
into account:
— the question must be of general interest and not relate to
strictly personal matters;
— the question shall be formulated
clearly and concisely and be restricted to the elements which are
absolutely essential for an understanding of the question;
— the question shall be interrogatory
in form and contain only one request;
— the question shall not
contain any personal accusation against third parties mentioned
by name, or any insulting or defamatory remarks;
— a question to the Chairperson-in-office
of the Committee of Ministers must fall within the competence of
the Organisation and the sphere of responsibility of the Committee
of Ministers.
12. Oral answers shall
be published in the report of the sitting. Written answers shall
be published as an official Assembly document distributed before
the opening of the sitting at which the communication from the Committee
of Ministers is to be presented.
