Prime Minister’s Questions: 27 January 2010
27 January 2010 (updated on 22 April 2010)
Standing in for the Prime Minister, the Leader of the House, Harriet Harman, answered MPs' questions on subjects including Afghanistan, inequality in the UK, the third runway at Heathrow, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Equitable Life and cervical cancer screening.
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.