Points of Order — Speaker’s Ruling—Urgent Debate Declined 28 July

Point of order. Mr Speaker, yesterday the Labour Party requested an urgent debate on the question of the reappointment of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, ⁠Volker Türk. Now, you rightly noted that this was a subject the Labour Party could ask a response from a Minister by way of an oral question, and then the former Labour Party leader Helen Clark said she was ashamed to be a New Zealander because of this issue.

Now, Mr Speaker, I seek your guidance on this issue because there is no question on the Order Paper today about this matter. Has there been some sort of clerical error, perhaps, leading to the question mistakenly not appearing? Or does the Labour Party consider this matter important enough to hold up the whole House in a question of urgency, but when it comes to asking questions, they’re absent.

Hon Shane Jones: Missing in action.

Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS: Missing in action. Perhaps we could find out what the answer is: was there a question submitted?

SPEAKER: No, no. It’s not for me to ask the Labour Party, or any other party, what their process is for deciding on what the questions are of the day. Clearly that’s a matter for them to put their priorities on.