❓ Hon. Norman Moore questions the requirement to submit questions without notice by Thursday for Friday sittings, citing a loss of flexibility. Hon. Kim Chance agrees to reconsider the directive, aiming to retain previous flexibility.
AnsweredQoN 45Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
My question relates to question time on Fridays. I draw the Leader of the House’s attention to a note put out by the Legislative Council office that all questions without notice for Friday need to be submitted by the 11.00 am deadline on Thursday - the previous day. Can the Leader of the House reconsider that decision based upon the situation that existed before the new sitting schedule; namely, that if the minister happened to be available and the question was put, the answer was given, and if the minister was not available, we would be told that that was the case? Could the Leader of the House reverse the way the directive was put? It is an absolute, but we must take into account the flexibility that operated before the change to the sitting schedule on Fridays. Hon KIM CHANCE
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for raising that question. The Government is happy to accede to that request. To remind the House of the history of the issue, when the Legislative Council began to sit on Fridays, it was difficult to deal with questions addressed to ministers in the other House, who are often not available on Fridays. The Government suggested that the Opposition continue to submit questions according to the normal format; however, if a question a member intended to ask on a Friday did not come in in time for Thursday’s question time, it might be more difficult to provide an answer. I am happy to retain that format. The instruction referred to by the Leader of the Opposition goes a little further than intended. Obviously, questions asked of ministers in this House can arise at any time. I request that we continue operating in the way with which we became reasonably comfortable last year concerning questions asked of ministers in the other House on Fridays.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied : I thank the Leader of the Opposition for raising that question. The Government is happy to accede to that request. To remind the House of the history of the issue, when the Legislative Council began to sit on Fridays, it was difficult to deal with questions addressed to ministers in the other House, who are often not available on Fridays. The Government suggested that the Opposition continue to submit questions according to the normal format; however, if a question a member intended to ask on a Friday did not come in in time for Thursday’s question time, it might be more difficult to provide an answer. I am happy to retain that format. The instruction referred to by the Leader of the Opposition goes a little further than intended. Obviously, questions asked of ministers in this House can arise at any time. I request that we continue operating in the way with which we became reasonably comfortable last year concerning questions asked of ministers in the other House on Fridays.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for raising that question. The Government is happy to accede to that request. To remind the House of the history of the issue, when the Legislative Council began to sit on Fridays, it was difficult to deal with questions addressed to ministers in the other House, who are often not available on Fridays. The Government suggested that the Opposition continue to submit questions according to the normal format; however, if a question a member intended to ask on a Friday did not come in in time for Thursday’s question time, it might be more difficult to provide an answer. I am happy to retain that format. The instruction referred to by the Leader of the Opposition goes a little further than intended. Obviously, questions asked of ministers in this House can arise at any time. I request that we continue operating in the way with which we became reasonably comfortable last year concerning questions asked of ministers in the other House on Fridays.
Hon KIM CHANCE replied : I thank the Leader of the Opposition for raising that question. The Government is happy to accede to that request. To remind the House of the history of the issue, when the Legislative Council began to sit on Fridays, it was difficult to deal with questions addressed to ministers in the other House, who are often not available on Fridays. The Government suggested that the Opposition continue to submit questions according to the normal format; however, if a question a member intended to ask on a Friday did not come in in time for Thursday’s question time, it might be more difficult to provide an answer. I am happy to retain that format. The instruction referred to by the Leader of the Opposition goes a little further than intended. Obviously, questions asked of ministers in this House can arise at any time. I request that we continue operating in the way with which we became reasonably comfortable last year concerning questions asked of ministers in the other House on Fridays.
I thank the Leader of the Opposition for raising that question. The Government is happy to accede to that request. To remind the House of the history of the issue, when the Legislative Council began to sit on Fridays, it was difficult to deal with questions addressed to ministers in the other House, who are often not available on Fridays. The Government suggested that the Opposition continue to submit questions according to the normal format; however, if a question a member intended to ask on a Friday did not come in in time for Thursday’s question time, it might be more difficult to provide an answer. I am happy to retain that format. The instruction referred to by the Leader of the Opposition goes a little further than intended. Obviously, questions asked of ministers in this House can arise at any time. I request that we continue operating in the way with which we became reasonably comfortable last year concerning questions asked of ministers in the other House on Fridays.
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