Urgent Debates Declined — Ministry for Primary Industries—Independent Review into Illegal Dumping of Fish

I have received a letter from Rino Tirikatene seeking to debate under Standing Order 389 the decision by the Ministry for Primary Industries to launch an independent review into its handling of the illegal dumping of fish in 2012 and early 2013. The announcement is a particular case of recent occurrence involving ministerial responsibility.

The big hurdle to get over in applications for urgent debates is whether the matter has reached the stage where the business of the House ought to be set aside. The test is a high one. There must be an element of urgency or substantive policy change for the matter to take precedent over other business. Although the announcement of an inquiry may warrant an urgent debate, the circumstances must be exceptional, especially when the inquiry may take some time to finalise. I am not persuaded that setting aside the business of the House for an urgent debate on this matter can be justified. The application is therefore declined.