Parliamentary Debate Timer
Running order
- 1.Protected — no POIs 01:00
- 2.POIs may be offered 05:00
- 3.Protected — no POIs 01:00
Total 07:00 across 3 steps.
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British Parliamentary debate gives each of eight speakers seven minutes, with the first and last minute protected — points of information cannot be offered during those. The middle five minutes are open, and handling POIs well is one of the format's distinguishing skills.
The protected minute at the start lets a speaker establish their case without interruption; the protected minute at the end lets them conclude. The five open minutes in between are where the debate actually becomes interactive, which is the format's entire design.
Taking POIs is not optional in practice
A speaker who refuses every point of information is marked down at most tournaments, because the format is built around engagement. Two POIs in a seven-minute speech is the usual expectation.
The corresponding skill is answering briefly. A POI is a fifteen-second interruption, and a speaker who spends ninety seconds on a response has let the opposition set their agenda and lost a fifth of their speech.
Offering POIs is part of your score
Speakers are also assessed on the points they offer during other speeches, not only on their own seven minutes. Standing regularly, and phrasing points as sharp questions rather than mini-speeches, is what earns credit.
Offering constantly and being ignored is not a strategy either. Judges notice pointless persistence as readily as they notice silence.
Closing half speeches have a different job
In British Parliamentary the two closing teams speak last on each side and are judged partly on whether they added something the opening teams did not. Repeating the opening's case with better delivery scores badly, however well it is delivered.
That changes how the seven minutes are used. A closing speaker spends the protected opening minute establishing their extension — the new material or new framing they are bringing — rather than restating the motion, because the judge is listening for exactly that in the first thirty seconds.
Formats differ substantially
British Parliamentary uses four teams of two with seven-minute speeches. American parliamentary formats, including APDA, use different speech lengths, team structures and POI conventions.
The times here are the BP standard. For any other format, and for any specific tournament, take the schedule from the tournament's own materials rather than from a general reference.
The standard BP round. Other parliamentary formats use different lengths and conventions.
| Element | Time | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Speech length | 7 min | All eight speakers |
| Protected opening | First 1 min | No POIs may be offered |
| Open period | 5 min | POIs may be offered |
| Protected close | Last 1 min | No POIs may be offered |
| POIs expected | ~2 accepted | Refusing all is marked down |
| POI length | ~15 s | A question, not a speech |
| Teams | 4 × 2 | Opening and closing, both sides |
- Answer POIs briefly — spending ninety seconds on a fifteen-second interruption gives away a fifth of your speech.
- Offering POIs during other speeches is part of your score, but constant ignored persistence is noticed too.
Sources
- British Parliamentary speech times and POI conventions are the widely used standard; other parliamentary formats differ substantially , TheTimerLab — accessed 2026-07-28