Prime Minister’s Questions: 18 March 2009
18 March 2009 (updated on 22 April 2010)
Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, answers MPs' questions on subjects including unemployment, the recession, further education colleges, cervical cancer screening, Stafford general hospital and carers' benefits.
- Commons Hansard: Prime Minister's Questions
- Video and Audio: PMQs 18 March 2009
- About Parliament: Question time
The Prime Minister answers questions from MPs in the Commons for half an hour every Wednesday from 12pm.
The session usually starts with a routine question from an MP about the Prime Minister's engagements. This is known as an 'open question' and means that the MP can then ask a supplementary question on any subject.
Following the answer, the MP then raises a particular issue, often one of current political significance. The Leader of the Opposition then follows up on this or another topic. He and the Liberal Democrat leader are the only MPs allowed to come back with further questions.