MPs' questioning up by nearly a third

Last year saw the number of questions asked in Parliament increased by almost a third.

The release of the Sessional Return for 2007-08 has revealed that politicians submitted 28 per cent more questions in the last parliamentary session compared with the previous year.

In the 2006-07 session a total of 61,561 questions were asked compared with 78,508 in the latest session.

Whilst the reason for the increase in the number of questions is unclear, it is quite possible that the recent rise could be due a change in prime minister, changes to questioning procedure in the House, such as the introduction of topical questions, and the possibility of an imminent general election.

The Sessional Return is produced at the end of each parliamentary session and summarises the business conducted by the House of Commons and its committees.

The latest document can be found on the parliamentary website here.