Points of Order — Tabling of Document—Question No. 8 to Minister; Tuesday, 24 August

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. Yesterday, Judith Collins sought leave to table a document at the conclusion of question No. 8. I have been advised by the Clerk’s Office that the member has not tabled the document. I am keen to see the report that she mentioned, because she said there had been an increase of 20 percent in the primary health organisation charges from Feilding. As there is no primary health organisation there, someone is being misled.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: Let me say that when leave is given to table a document, the document can be delivered to the House before the House rises. I refer to Speakers’ ruling 128/1. In Speakers’ ruling 128/2, leave to table a document is permission to table it. There is no legal obligation—perhaps there is a moral obligation, but there is no legal obligation—on the member to use the permission given. It is entirely over to the member concerned.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. This raises an interesting question. Frequently when members seek leave to table a document they make certain claims about its content. They say: “This document shows that X, Y, and Z …”. If the member then fails to table the document, it becomes rather difficult to check whether “X, Y, and Z” was true; whether in fact the member, either intentionally or unintentionally, was misleading the House.

💬 Mr SPEAKER: It might become difficult, but that is just too bad. As I said, it might be a moral obligation, but it is not a legal obligation according to the Standing Orders.