Parliamentary reform an ‘urgent need’

Press, 8 December 1982, Page 27

Parliamentary reform an ‘urgent need’

PA Wellington Parliament needs reforming urgently, according to the Labour Party's constitutional affairs spokesman. Mr G. W. R. Palmer. Mr Palmer said the select committee system and the Parliamentary timetable, which allows two long and general debates near the start of the session, needed review. Mr Palmer asked the Leader of the House, Mr Thomson, if the Government would establish a Standing Orders Select Committee. Mr Thomson’s answer to the written Parliamentary question was that the Government would not. Mr Palmer called this an opportunity lost. “The recess would have provided an ideal time to undertaken such a revision. Submissions from the public could have been heard." Mr Palmer said the present Standing Orders made it too easy for the executive to dominate Parliament and the best way to avoid this was to reform the select committee system. The present system did not permit committees to systematically monitor the performance of government departments and should be reorganised so each committee

could annually analyse their performance. Mr Palmer said there was a need to look at select committees being allowed to initiate inquiries, being open to the public more often, travelling around the country more, and .making minority reports back to the House. Why so much departmental evidence was heard in private should also be looked into, he said. Some of the committees were “hopelessly overloaded” and this meant important work could not be carried out. Mr Palmer suggested greater use of limited-time debates in the House to avoid “tedious repetition.” The Address-in-Reply and Budget debates near the start of the session took up a great deal of time, he said. "they are - too broadly focused. There is no need to have two such debates following one another and consuming weeks of Parliamentary time.” Parliamentary privilege was another area overdue for reform. Particular reconsideration should be given to Parliament’s unlimited power to punish “strangers” or people other than M.P.s, Mr Palmer said.