Urgent Debates Declined — Afghanistan—Deployment of Military Personnel Beyond April 2013

I have received a letter from Chris Hipkins seeking to debate under Standing Order 386 the Government’s decision on the closure and merger of schools in Christchurch, Selwyn, and Waimakariri. The Government’s announcement of interim decisions for schools affected by the Government’s education renewal plans is a particular case of recent occurrence involving ministerial responsibility. The test for whether a particular case requires the immediate attention of the House is a high one. The business of the House should not be set aside just because an announcement has been made, even though it may be important. The purpose of an urgent debate is to hold the Government accountable for its decisions. Given that an urgent debate has already been held on this matter and final decisions are not expected to be made for some months, I do not consider that it would be justified in setting aside the business of the House again today. The application is therefore declined.

I have also received a letter from Iain Lees-Galloway seeking to debate the Government’s decision to commit to new deployments of New Zealand personnel to Afghanistan. The decision on New Zealand’s contribution to Afghanistan beyond the April withdrawal of the provincial reconstruction team is a particular case of recent occurrence involving ministerial responsibility. However, the decision is part of an ongoing international deployment not scheduled to end until December 2014. The financial review debate provides an opportunity to debate such operational decisions. The application is, therefore, also declined.