Bill delayed by oversight

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32666, 23 July 1971, Page 2

Bill delayed by oversight

(N.Z. Preax Association» WELLINGTON, July 22. Debate on a local bill, the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board Empowering Bill, was delayed today because Labour members of Parliament objected that the member for Southern Maori (Mrs W. TirikateneSullivan) had not received a copy of the bill from the local authority.

The bill enables the board to make land available to a trust board for the erection of a private hospital.

The Speaker (Sir Roy Jack) upheld an obiection introduced by the DeputyLeader of the Opposition (Mr Watt) that the Standing Orders of the House had not been complied with, although he described the point as “legalistic.”

Consideration of the point raised by Mr Watt took up much of the afternoon.

Mr Watt said the bill was not a simple issue. Standing orders required the local authority to provide the bill to the members whose constituents were likelv to be affected by the bill. Mr R. J. Harrison (Nat., Hawke’s Bay) said he had been in touch with the

solicitor of the board, who said he had notified the members for Napier, Hastings, and Hawke’s Bay. The fact that the member for Southern Maori had not been notified was an oversight.

The solicitor had expressed regret. Mr Harrison said that in the circumstances it would be stretching legality to allow the point and deny the House the right to debate the bill. Sir Roy Jack said it was the responsibility of the local authority to ensure that Standing Orders bad been complied with. In view of the fact that it had been rare in the past for local bodies to supply copies to Maori members, it was not surprising it had not been done this time.

Although he was conscious of the possible loss of public money or loss to the contractor, he felt the proper course was to delay the second reading at this stage so that the bill could be got to the meniber, and her compliance be sought, in the hope the bill could proceed later today or tomorrow.

Mr Watt said Mrs Tiri-katene-Sullivan was absent from Wellington because of a family bereavement.