Business Statement

As notified to the Business Committee, when the House resumes on Tuesday, 23 August I intend to move that the sitting of the House be extended from 9 a.m. on Wednesday, 24 August 2016 for the consideration of the Committee stage of the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Standardised Packaging) Amendment Bill, the Committee stage of the Judicature Modernisation Bill, and the second reading of the Statutes Amendment Bill, and that the House adjourn at 11.30 a.m. for the State luncheon honouring the service of the Rt Hon Lieutenant General Sir Jerry Mateparae as the Governor-General of New Zealand. The Government will also complete the first reading of the Subordinate Legislation Bill and will look to progress a number of other bills on the Order Paper. Wednesday, 24 August will be a members’ day.

Can I ask the Leader of the House whether the Government would be willing to incorporate Nuk Korako’s member’s bill into the Statutes Amendment Bill that will be debated next week?

That is a very interesting suggestion. Of course, to do that now would require leave of the House, so perhaps he needs to talk to one of his coalition partners.

Can I ask whether the Government would be willing to support an amendment to that bill, which would not require leave but would simply require a majority vote in the House?

The member knows well that you cannot put an amendment to the amendments that are in the bill. It would have to be there in the first place.

I wonder whether the Leader of the House could point to the authority he relies upon when stating that an amendment to a statutes amendment bill cannot be put in the Committee stage.

I will do this very slowly, all right? A statutes amendment bill amends statutes. Those amendments are in the Statutes Amendment Bill now, and they have been through the process of other parties all agreeing to them. We have now got a proposal from that member over there that what would be an amendment to a bill not currently in the Statutes Amendment Bill should itself be amended—utterly ridiculous. [Interruption]

Order! We will now proceed with the balance of proceedings.