First Brush On Procedure

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29843, 8 June 1962, Page 12

First Brush On Procedure

(From Out Parliamentary Reporter I

WELLINGTON. June 7. Within minutes of the opening of the first sitting of the House of Representatives this afternoon, members were engaged in a brisk exchange during which the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) protested a point of order which was not accepted by the Speaker (Mr Algle). The Speaker kept a firm restraint on proceedings which developed into a flurry of points of order arising from Opposition attempts to block Ministers from giving immediate answers to their questions. Opposition members became annoyed when the Minliter of Education (Mr Ten-

nent) began to supplement bis answer a question on the Canterbury ■ University School of Engineering. They then refused leave to the Minister of Transport (Mr McAlpine) to answer a question immediately The Prime Minister protested on a point of order that Ministers were obliged, if they possessed the information. to answer questions as soon as possible. (Leave of the House is necessary to permit a Minister to do so)

The Speaker ruled that there was no point of order. “There is, sir," Mr Holyoake insisted.

Several Opposition members tn chorus: “You are challenging the Speaker."

After an interjection by the Leader of the Opposition •Mr Nash), Mr Holyoake again rose to a point of order to suggest Mr Nash was “disorderly” in saying that the Government, ind Ministers, were “making a fool of the House.”

The Speaker again ruled that there was no valid point of order.

Mr W. A. Fox (Opposition. Miramar): The Prime Minister is now making a fool of himself. For a short time after this incident members of the Opposition loudly vetoed Ministers’ requests to answer questions forthwith but later relented and several immediate answers were then per-, mitted.