Urgent Debates Declined — Household Incomes—Treasury Estimates

Honourable members, I have received a letter from Darien Fenton seeking to debate under Standing Order 386 the discovery of asbestos in a KiwiRail locomotive. This is a particular case of recent occurrence involving ministerial responsibility. The dangers of asbestos are well known. KiwiRail is carrying out urgent testing to ensure staff safety, and the locomotives themselves will not run until they have been confirmed to be safe. In these circumstances I am not convinced that I would be justified in setting aside the business of the House for a debate today. The application is therefore declined.

I have also received a letter from the Hon Annette King seeking to debate under Standing Order 386 the failure of Southern District Health Board’s information technology systems. This too 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. Although there was some inconvenience to outpatients, the system was restored and a review is promised by the district health board. I am not convinced that the situation is such that an urgent debate is warranted today. The application is therefore declined.

I have received a further application from the Hon David Parker seeking to debate Treasury’s miscalculation of the levels of disposable income of New Zealand’s households. This is a particular case of recent occurrence involving ministerial responsibility. I might have been inclined to accept this application except for the fact that today the House has before it the financial review debate. This provides the opportunity to debate the financial statements of the Government and the performance and current operation of Treasury. In these circumstances I am not convinced that I would be justified in setting aside the business of the House for a debate today. The application is therefore declined.