REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE LATE PROROGATION.

Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives, 1854 Session I-II

:

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE LATE : : . PROROGATION. - I.: t U:rr..._•/> jb: "The Committee, appointed by the House of Representatives to consider and r'P!, report npon the validity of the late Prorogation of the General Assembly, having - V I - ■Referred to such works upou the usage and law of Parliament as are accessible to ; them, have agreed to the following Report. . . • . 4 . •. ... V - - . Following the usage of the Imperial Parliament "which abstains from ascer- ' "taining the precise boundaries of Prerogative and Privilege, they deem it undesira-!.'< bleto seek to define the exact limits of the power of Her Majesty's Representative . • ..'V in the Colony in relation to this subject. They have, therefore, -confined their": Yx-'X attention and limited this Report to a statement of the practice of the Imperial Par-" ' ?' Xf ■ -liament relative to Prorogation, and their approval of its adoption in this Colony. During the time when the Parliament is not actually silting, whenever Her "• - Majesty the Queen is pleased by and with the advice and consent of the Privy. ' - "-'; C "Council of Her Majesty to issue her Royal Proclamation giving notice of her Royal intention that Parliament shall be prorogued, and shall meet and be holden for dispatch of business on any day not being less than fourteen days from the date of i : "such Proclamation, the Parliament is thereby prorogued to the day and place' therein declared (37 Geo. TIL, c. 126, sec. 1) ; and a like power exists when both , •*: Houses stand adjourned for a period exceeding fourteen days (39 & 40 Geo. 111.,' ""' }"■ ■ .;••• C. 14.) - - ■■ But when the Parliament is sitting, prorogation is effected by the Sovereign ; - in person attending the House of Lords, or by commission under the Great Seal, both Houses of the Legislature being in attendance. *To secure this attendance, '.r ' previous notice of the royal intention is usually given in the Government Gazette, v '"-'I .' _ whereby the several Houses of the Legislature are enabled to complete such Bills ' • progress as are in a position to become within the time limited sufficiently ad- ; ' vanced to leceive the royal assent. t 1 This seems to your Committee a convenient mode of. procedure, and one ;• _ , which provides against the great inconvenience arising from a sudden piorogation ~ ... ; without notice," whereby the labour of the two Houses bestowed upon Bills which ■ i may have passed through all their stages, and may be npon the eve of receiving the ■ , assent of the Crown, is rendered nugatory, and must be commenced anew in a sub- ■}/ , " r.\ sequent Ses- ion. V - .v.: ,: »y' ;- 5 -\•-'.X V>\! f V: | r ■; I V;..'. V HENRY SKWELL, ChVirman./'-.. p