SCRUTINY OF THE EXECUTIVE
It is the duty of Parliament as a whole to monitor the 
work of the Government, by making government 
Ministers answer for the work they do and the decisions 
they make. There are several ways in which the Lords 
can do this. Each day four 'starred questions' may be 
asked at the beginning of business. They are so called 
because they have stars (or asterisks) next to them on the 
house's Order Paper. 30 minutes are spent on Starred 
Questions every day. 

'Unstarred questions' are taken at the end of business. These
can be  on any subject, are delivered in the form of a speech, and usually trigger a short debate, which is closed by a ministerial reply.