What is "question time"

n. a period during a parliamentary session when members of Parliament may ask questions of the ministers

Question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances. Question time originated in the Westminster system of the United Kingdom, and occurs in other countries, mostly Commonwealth countries, who use the system.

In practice, the questions asked in question time are usually pre-arranged by the organisers of each party; although the questions are usually without notice. Questions from government backbenchers are either intended to allow the Minister to discuss the virtues of government policy, or to attack the opposition. A typical format of such a government backbencher's question might be "Could the Minister discuss the benefits of the government's initiative on , and is the Minister aware of any alternative policies in this area?"

Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions? The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer pre-selected questions put to them by an audience selected on the basis of its political views and demographic. The independent production company Mentorn has made the programme for the BBC since 1998. Question Time is presented by David Dimbleby.

It is usually recorded about two hours prior to transmission, but occasionally it has been broadcast live.

Until 2010 BBC One Northern Ireland replaced Question Time with the more local debate show Let's Talk at least once a month hosted by Mark Carruthers but this show has been axed and brought under the Spotlight brand and is now shown once a month on Tuesday night with Noel Thompson. Nowadays BBC One NI have their own political show called The View: this is broadcast live from 10.35pm to 11.05pm, presented by Mark Carruthers, and is followed by Question Time. Occasionally, if Question Time is made in Northern Ireland, it would be broadcast at the same time as the rest of the UK; as in September 2011 when it was broadcast from Derry, and in May 2013 when the programme was from Belfast.

Although the show is intended for UK viewers, it is occasionally seen on BBC World News as news events warrant. Additionally, the episode which originally aired just a week before the 2015 UK general election was seen on the US channel C-Span.