Urgent Debates Declined — Beneficiaries—Release of Personal Information

I have received a letter from the Hon Annette King seeking to debate under Standing Order 380 the adoption by the Minister for Social Development and Employment of a new policy on the release of private information relating to individual beneficiaries. Standing Order 380 requires that the matter for debate be a particular case of recent occurrence and involve the administrative or ministerial responsibility of the Government. For there to be a particular case of recent occurrence, the event upon which an urgent debate is sought must be an event that has occurred when the application is lodged. An event occurs at the point in time when a decision is publicly announced. The member has provided no authentication of an actual announcement of a new policy by the Minister. Every statement in a letter seeking to debate a matter of urgent public importance must be authenticated. Therefore, in accordance with Speaker’s ruling 170/5, the application is declined on that ground.