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'NDP administration disregarding HOA's Q&A period!' – Hon Fraser
At today’s Third Sitting of the Fourth Session of the Second House of Assembly, Premier Smith moved a motion with the intention of shifting the question and answer period towards the end of the sitting and moving up the business of government.
“Madam Speaker while it is the right of any member to move the suspension of the Standing Orders to amend the Order Paper, I am concerned that this is becoming a norm for this administration where the question and answer period has become almost second nature to these sittings,” said Hon Fraser.
“People come to this House of Assembly on many occasions knowing exactly what the order of the day is. I have seen children come to this House from schools only to leave before the question and answer period comes,” he said.
“Madam Speaker I am concerned about it. If it is the wish of the Premier to have the Standing Order amended to move the question and answer period all the way down to before ‘Other Business’ then we should just do that, so people who have allocated certain portions of the day based on the Order Paper itself would know. Now nobody knows what time it is going to come on,” said Hon Fraser.
Hon Fraser called the question and answer period of the House of Assembly sittings a vital part of good governance which has a lot to do with the public’s perception and the public’s right to know the information being sought at that time. He said too that it could be considered an erosion of the intregrity of the House of Assembly.
“I voice my displeasure and dissatisfaction with it and my disapproval Madam Speaker,” said Hon Fraser.
In response to Hon Fraser, Premier Smith said that the business of the country and the government to be debated should take precedence over questions.
“Madam Speaker, I believe that it is necessary for the Standing Orders Committee to meet and really look at [this issue]. When you [deal with the questions] sometimes you don’t get to the business of the day until late when members are exhausted and cannot properly participate in the debate and pay full attention to [what is happening],” he said.
Premier Smith suggested also that a day could be set aside to deal with questions and answers.
In the end, following a division, the motion to amend the Standing Order was carried by a vote of 8 to 3 and the Order Paper was changed accordingly.
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20 Responses to “'NDP administration disregarding HOA's Q&A period!' – Hon Fraser”
What is good for the Goose is good for the Gander!
And tell us when it was that he ever refused to answer questions