Urgent Debates Declined — Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services—Annual Report

I have received—[Interruption] I’m about to deal, Mr Bishop, with an urgent debate from one of his colleagues—or was it a member behind him who’s looking guilty? Whoever it was, if it was a marginal case, wouldn’t be helping.

I’ve received a letter from Matt Doocey seeking to debate under Standing Order 399 the delay in the release of the 2018-19 annual report of the Office of the Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the data in the report. This is a particular case of recent occurrence for which there is ministerial responsibility. The late release of an annual report and its contents do not meet the threshold for setting aside the business of the House today. It is a matter that could be raised in the annual review debate scheduled to commence next week. The application is therefore declined.

Several recent applications for urgent debates have asserted that they meet the criteria in Standing Order 399(2) without explaining how. I would remind members of the rulings by Speakers Smith and Hunt that it is for members to make out a case for an urgent debate, not for the Speaker to discover one—Speaker’s ruling 199/5.

Applications should explain how the matter they wish to debate meets the criteria for an urgent debate, rather than simply asserting that they do.

I declare the House in committee for the consideration of the Ngāti Hinerangi Claims Settlement Bill.