Bridges Simon; Brownlee Gerry; English Bill; Ross Jami-Lee; Collins JudithPOINTS OF ORDEROral Questions—Ministerial Responsibility and ReportsHon SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: I fail to understand what it could be but have a go.Hon SIMON BRIDGES: I want to raise two related matters. Firstly Speaker's ruling 155/3 which states Members are able to ask Ministers whether they agree with the views of other people as long as the view that is being expressed is about a matter that is very much the Minister's responsibility." And of course I'm referring to this situation yesterday—Mr SPEAKER: Well the member will now resume his seat. The member knows well that if he had a point of order in relation to yesterday then yesterday was the time to raise it—not today. Does the member have another point of order?Hon Simon Bridges: Yes I do.Mr SPEAKER: A separate point of order?Hon SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga): Yes Mr Speaker. It's in relation to a related but different matter and it's in relation to 180/6. And of course the situation here is a matter that Mr Speaker has referred to quite a number of times and it's in relation to effectively the requirement that a report be received and that it be an official report—and I do want guidance on this.Mr SPEAKER: The member can resume his seat. The beginning of question time is not the time for a tutorial for members on Speakers' rulings or on the Standing Orders. If the member is uncertain as to interpretations then the member can raise them at the time they occur. I have indicated to members and several members have taken up my invitation to discuss the fine points of Speakers' rulings in my office over a cup of tea if necessary. But what I am not prepared to do is to have question time which is a time of members disrupted by dated points of order that are clearly out of order.Speakers and Presiding Officers—Rulings Timing of Commenting onHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I do think you need to be a bit clearer about what your thinking is—in what guidance you're giving the House—because while you've said this can't be raised today because of something that happened yesterday the reality is that we've got a book that goes back for decades giving us guidance as to how the House might be able to deal with particular issues or moments—Mr SPEAKER: Right. The member will resume his seat. He'll have a good look at the book and especially Speakers' ruling 20/3.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. What was the point of order that you just sat me down on?Mr SPEAKER: It was your invitation to me to refer to—[Interruption] Mr Brownlee you know very well even if you don't know the number what Speakers' ruling 20/3 indicates. That is one of the fundamental Speakers' rulings and that is that matters must be taken up at the time. Disrupting the House and I believe now trifling with the Chair—Hon Simon Bridges: Oh rubbish!Mr SPEAKER: The member will stand withdraw and apologise.Hon Simon Bridges: I withdraw and apologise.Rt Hon BILL ENGLISH (Leader of the Opposition): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You've now raised what is I think a change of practice in the House. An event occurred yesterday; there was some discussion about it. You made a ruling. Now if a member has a view that that ruling is wrong then I think you're indicating that that is not to be discussed in the House. That would be a major change in the way the House operates. It's not regular but often I've seen it—those who've been here for a while will remember long discussions with the Hon Richard Prebble which were exactly a tutorial to the rest of the House about exactly this issue. So I'd be keen to know whether it is now your ruling that once the Speaker has given a ruling that cannot then be contested in House unless similar circumstances arise—that they can be discussed only in the privacy of your office.Mr SPEAKER: What I am indicating to the member is that if he thinks that I have made a mistake on my ruling if I've got things wrong then the first thing that is appropriate is to raise it at the time; if that does not occur to raise it privately. And clearly if a ruling has not made it into Speakers' rulings the next time that particular issue arises if the member is not satisfied with the ruling again then that would be the time to bring it up.Hon SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. There are two matters in relation to this discussion that aren't—Mr SPEAKER: No the member will now resume his seat—the member will resume his seat. There is not a discussion. I have ruled. Question No. 1—the Rt Hon Bill English.Speakers and Presiding Officers—"Today in the House" VideoHon GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: If this is the same matter Mr Brownlee then—Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: No no. It's quite different.Mr SPEAKER: I will take the member's word.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Absolutely; as you should as the man who protects parliamentary privilege Mr Speaker. But I say Mr Speaker I do raise this mindful of Standing Order 15(1) and take some comfort though that there are Standing Orders on the subsequent page that make it clear that there are some bounds to where we do take things in discussions with the Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Well I've just looked at Standing Order 15(1) and it does go to the Clerk running the election.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: No no. Here it is here—Speakers' orders—Mr SPEAKER: Speakers' rulings not the Standing Orders. Right? I'll go to that then.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Well forgive me please Mr Speaker. I throw myself at your mercy once again. I raise this point: we notice that in the last two days at least you have done a video preamble to the House business on each day which is a new initiative that you have—Mr SPEAKER: No not at all. It's a continuation of a previous initiative of my predecessor.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Is that right?Mr SPEAKER: Yes.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Right well I just would like you to perhaps give us some indication of what are the bounds for what you will be talking about each day in that regard particularly if you consider it under that 15/1 which talks about the role of the Speaker particularly being Parliament's man. There's some concern that the popularity of this video may eventually lead to commentary on what the House is likely to do which would be of course completely out of order.Mr SPEAKER: The member will be aware of course—and I'm reluctant to get into this discussion because it is totally out of order—that the Order Paper has been published and I base my comments on that. I base my comments on other things that are publicly available at the time or have been provided to all parties—for example today I referred to the fact that we would be having a ministerial statement because that had been indicated to the Leader of the Opposition yesterday. I did not disclose the fact that Mr Goldsmith had made an application for an urgent debate because that would have given the Government—if any of them were amongst the very few people who had looked at it—an indication of something—[Interruption] Order!—that I should not have done. So that is the basis of it. If members want to look at it and go back look through the old ones I am trying to style myself on my predecessor but I'm afraid I don't quite have his pleasant face.Speakers and Presiding Officers—Rulings Timing of Commenting onJAMI-LEE ROSS (Senior Whip—National): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. You invited us to raise things at the time with you; I now wish to. Can I invite you to have a read of Speaker's ruling 20/5. Speaker's ruling 20/5 provides commentary from the Standing Orders Committee that says a retrospective issue can be dealt with by the Speaker if it is of such importance. I submit to you that the point of order from Simon Bridges was in relation to questions that we can ask. It is a very important matter that we get clarified around whether we can ask particular questions—Mr SPEAKER: Yes and it makes it absolutely clear that the Standing Orders Committee made it clear at that time that if there was a request for retrospective rulings—and I think it generally would have been where members had not been present and something had been drawn to their attention—that was to be brought up with the Speaker in the Speaker's office and the Speaker—[Interruption] Well the member will lose his head if he keeps shaking it like that Mr Bridges. That was the basis of doing it and it was very clear at the Standing Orders Committee.Hon Simon Bridges: Point of order!Mr SPEAKER: Mr Bridges I am now probably for the first time since I've become Speaker beginning to lose my patience and I want an assurance that this is a new and different point of order. I want to warn the member that if he is trifling with the Chair I have called question number one and we are in the area of loss of questions for the National Party.Hon SIMON BRIDGES (National—Tauranga): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I want to raise this at the first available opportunity. I've noticed in all of the points of order that have been raised you have expressed really annoyance that the points of order have been raised and I do want to raise—Mr SPEAKER: Right the member will resume his seat. He will read Speakers' rulings 17/6 and 18/1 and I will call the Rt Hon—Hon JUDITH COLLINS (National—Papakura): I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I don't normally raise points of order. I do however think it is not helpful when words such as "that member will lose his head" are used in the House and Mr Speaker I'd like you to reflect on that.Mr SPEAKER: OK the member will resume her seat. It was an inappropriate comment for me to make but I will remind members of the appropriate way if they do wish to disagree with the Speaker to have a good look at the Standing Orders for working that out."