Speaker’s Rulings — Debates, Interrupted—Speaking Roster

I think I’ll indicate to the House the approach to be taken for the interrupted speeches for the forthcoming debates, as I indicated to the Business Committee yesterday.

There were a number of members who were part-way through speeches on bills, and the normal practice would be to resume them. What I have decided, because we have quite a different balance in the Parliament, is to adopt a new rotation and to come in at the point of the interrupted speech. So those speeches are, effectively, wiped and another member has the ability to take that.

So we’re not starting the bills again. All we’re doing is saying if we’re at the third speech we’ll have the third speaker according to the new roster, and go from there. If members are interrupted and want to start again when it’s their time, that’s fine enough, but obviously people who’ve completed their speeches can’t have another one on the same question because that would be against the Standing Orders. So I call on members’ order of the day for member’s bill No. 1.