The week in the House Shortage of work makes for Labour holiday

Press, 16 June 1979, Page 2

The week in the House Shortage of work makes for Labour holiday

By

CEDRIC MENTIPLAY

An air of desperation was showing on the Government benches as the Labour Opposition declined to speak on legislation. The reason was that surprisingly little legislation was oh the Order Paper. Quite suddenly Parliament found itself almost out of business. Mr N. J. Kirk (Lab., Sydenham) disclosed on Tuesday evening that this was the Opposition intention. However, it did not succeed. When Parliament rose on Friday afternoon a few measures remained to be dealt with. The Government will be struggling next week, however, to spin things out until the B"dget announcement comes to its aid next Thursday evening. Tuesday brought the unregretted end of the Address-in-Reply debate, and the beginning of the Labour challenge. At that stage only

six measures were on the!, main Order Paper. As thej; week wore on, it seemed 1 that Labour might succeed in embarrassing the Government — but something else J (intervened. The Auckland War MemiOrial Museum Maintenance Bill appeared on the scene i like an inflated red herring. Museum maintenance is a ■ hot subject in the north, and northern members pursued it like a pack of badly-trained , Ihounds. It lost them' part of! Wednesday and ail of Thurs-i day evening and lost them: the satisfaction (for what it I; was worth) of embarrassing! the Government, (l A protracted debate on the; report of the Public Ex-;' penditure Committee for(i 1978 completed the Government’s defensive victory. Legislative progress was solid, if not spectacular. The Misuse of Drugs

! Amendment Bill (No. 2)1 !passed through all stages,! the Maori Trustee Amend-' ment Bill reached its third; reading, and the Coal Mines Bill advanced into its second reading. As things stand the only other items on the main Order Paper are the Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill, the Contractual Remedies Bill (both at their committee stages) and the Bills of Exchange Amendment Bill. It would be interesting to I know why, with seven full (months between the closing 'of Parliament last October land the opening of this sesI sion, more progress has not 'been made by the various I select committees. When ; Parliament rose before the [General Election, a dozen general bills were before select committees (for study during the recess). Very few of these have come back to the House. I

An abbreviated list of bills’ before various select com-] mittees aS at yesterday, is: j Special Committee —j Okains Bay Maori and Colo-; nal Museum Bill. Labour Committee —I Fishing Industry Bill. Local Bills Committee — 12 bills. Maori. Affairs Committee —Maori Affairs Bill. Social. Services Committee — Pesticides Bill, Pharmacy Amendment Bill, Restricted! Drugs Amendment Bill. ! Statutes Revision Committee — Carriage of Goods Bill, Family Proceedings Bill, Unit Titles Amendment Bill. This list is not an enormous one. If it had been cleared on to the Order Paper, this week’s crisis would have been averted. Have too many members I been on too many overseas trips?