Business Statement

When the House resumes on Tuesday, 15 September it is the Government’s intention to make progress on the Local Government (Auckland Council) Bill and other bills on the Order Paper.

I wonder whether the Leader of the House could give the House an assurance that urgency will not be used once again for legislation relating to Auckland’s governance?

That interesting question has been phrased by the shadow Leader of the House in a way that makes it very difficult for me to answer. I point out, though, that in a normal week the House sits for some 17 hours. If we take out question time and the general debate, that gets it down to 13 hours. I can tell the nation that the Labour Party may well consider 13 hours a week to be a week’s work; the National Government does not.

I raise a point of order, Mr Speaker. I wonder whether you could rule as to whether that reply was consistent with the public interest.