Prime Minister’s Questions: 16 December 2009
17 December 2009 (updated on 22 April 2010)
Standing in for the Prime Minister, Leader of the House, Harriet Harman, answered MPs' questions on subjects including the climate change conference at Copenhagen, tax revenue, the Building Schools for the Future fund, the phasing out of cheque payments and Government regulation.
- Commons Hansard: Prime Minister's Questions
- Video and Audio: Prime Minister's Questions
- 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.