The Speaker of the House of Representatives stated that ministers have the right to postpone answering questions according to parliamentary rules. He emphasized that the Speaker does not have the authority to compel the executive branch and explained that the government side has proposed opposition parties submit three new questions next week.
On 2 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Sophon Sarum, Speaker of the House of Representatives, explained during a parliamentary session regarding MPs Parit Watcharasindhu and Pakornwut Udompipatsakul from the People's Party list about ministers postponing answers. The MPs accused the government of evading parliamentary scrutiny over alleged collusion involving senators and asked how the Speaker would respond. Mr. Sophon said that ministers have the right to postpone answering live questions. For the benefit of the House, members can resubmit questions the following week. Normally, only three live questions are allowed per week, so if Mr. Parit's question is to be asked again, it must be discussed with both party whips.
Regarding whether the House can better oversee the executive branch's checks and balances, Mr. Sophon explained to the House session that parliamentary rules allow postponing question answers. The Speaker cannot compel the executive to respond. He proposed members submit new questions again as per the rules. This is not the first time this has happened. Future amendments to the House rules may be necessary. The reasons ministers cannot attend to answer questions cannot be infringed upon, as it depends on each side’s discretion.
The Speaker added that the three pillars of government exist to balance power, with each institution fulfilling its duties as prescribed by law. Therefore, sending letters to ministers to inquire about their duties or schedules has never been done by Parliament. The best solution is to bring the matter for discussion at the two-party whip meetings.
The Speaker emphasized that the legislative and executive branches clearly divide responsibilities. If members feel ministers are avoiding answering questions, they can file ethics complaints or initiate no-confidence debates. Therefore, demanding the Speaker to force ministers is not appropriate; all work must follow parliamentary rules. According to those rules, only three live questions are allowed. The government must reduce its questions by one and allocate them to the opposition entirely, as proposed by the government side.