Walker Holly: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to MembersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeWalker Holly: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members[Sitting date: 30 May 2013. Volume:690;Page:10588. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]1.HOLLY WALKER (Green) to theChairperson of the Social Services Committee: When do submissions to the Social Services Committee on the Housing Accords and Special Housing Areas Bill close?PESETA SAM LOTU-IIGA (Chairperson of the Social Services Committee): Submissions on this bill close today: Thursday 30 May 2013.Holly Walker: Did he consult with the Minister of Housing or his staff before making the decision to close submissions on this date?Mr SPEAKER: Order! The difficulty the member has with any supplementary questions is that they must be something that is a matter of the responsibility of the chairman. As advised by the Clerk that one does not meet the Standing Orders. I invite the member to rephrase her question or attempt to rephrase her question—[Interruption] Order! I am on my feet—to make sure that it is within the Standing Orders and then I will accept a supplementary question.Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. It is not the responsibility of the Clerk and for you to say you were advised by the Clerk that a particular supplementary question is out of order is not satisfactory. You have to rule it out of order and you can choose whether or not you say why.Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member has been here long enough to know that although I accept the responsibility for any decision I make I am on regular occasions advised by the Clerk. I have ruled that question out. I have invited the member to rephrase it in a way that is acceptable.Holly Walker: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I would just like to seek your guidance. The question was in relation to whom the chairperson of the committee consulted with in his capacity as chair before making the decision about the closing date. I do not see how that is out of order—Mr SPEAKER: The member is now starting to question my ruling—[Interruption] Order! I am trying to assist the member. Would she ask a question that is in order and then we will make progress. At the end of this time the ability to ask a supplementary question is entirely at the discretion of the Speaker. If we are not going to make progress here then I suggest that the member will not get opportunities to ask—[Interruption] Order!Gareth Hughes: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I am not trying to trifle with you at all. It is a clarification of whether you are changing the rule of Speaker Smith in Speaker’s ruling 159/2 on this very point which is that a chair can be questioned on whether they have acted independently in making this very specific decision.Mr SPEAKER: And I invite the member to look at Speaker’s ruling 159/2: “The chair of a committee is empowered to call for submissions. The chair does not [have to seek] the approval of the committee to call for submissions. The chair can call for submissions” and then subsequently have them confirmed by the committee. Would the member please proceed—Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: Is the member attempting to question my decision on this—Hon Trevor Mallard: Yes I am—Mr SPEAKER: —because I would take that quite seriously.Hon Trevor Mallard: —because it is inconsistent with the Speaker’s ruling you have just read out.Mr SPEAKER: Then I will hear from the member.Hon Trevor Mallard: When you read that Speaker’s ruling you indicated quite properly—and we all know—that the chairman has the right to make that decision without consultation. However the member asked whether or not in coming to that decision he consulted with the Minister or the office. Asking a person how they came to a decision they are responsible for is in my submission within the Standing Orders and is not inconsistent with Speaker’s ruling 159/1. [Interruption]Mr SPEAKER: Order! I am going to ask the member to repeat the question as asked.Holly Walker: Did he consult with the Minister of Housing or his staff before making the decision to close submissions on this date?Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Under Standing Order 192(1) as chairman I can set a closing date and advertise—Hon Annette King: No no no.Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: Let me finish ma’am. Let me finish.Mr SPEAKER: Order! Let the member—Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: I can as chairperson set a closing date and advertise for submissions or invite submissions from interested parties. As chairman of the Social Services Committee I did make that decision and that decision was confirmed by the committee at yesterday’s meeting on 29 May. As that member knows though the bill was referred to our committee on Budget night 16 May 2013—Mr Speaker if you could bear with me—Mr SPEAKER: Order! It is becoming a very long answer to what was a relatively simple question.Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: —and 10 weeks were due for committee consideration. So prior to the bill being referred I did ask senior Opposition members on the committee seeking leave to meet on Friday—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Now the answer has gone on quite sufficiently long enough. The member was simply asked whether he consulted with the Minister and his office. Could the member please answer that question.Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: After the bill was referred to our committee on the night of Budget night I made—in my own decision—the decision to set a 13-day period for submissions.Mr SPEAKER: Would the member please—[Interruption] Order! Would the member just answer the question. I am going to ask the member Holly Walker to ask the question again.Holly Walker: Did he consult with the Minister of Housing or his staff before making the decision to close submissions on this date?Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: After the bill was referred to us on the night of Budget night I made this decision on my own as is my discretion under the Standing Orders.Hon Trevor Mallard: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. No one has disputed that. The question was whether consultation occurred. After I think four attempts that has not even been addressed.Mr SPEAKER: I am going to ask the member Holly Walker to ask the question again and let us hope that on this occasion we get a simple answer to a simple question.Holly Walker: Did he consult with the Minister of Housing or his staff before making the decision to close submissions on this date?Peseta SAM LOTU-IIGA: The bill was referred on the night of Budget night 16 May and I did not consult with the Minister. I made this decision on my own.Mr SPEAKER: Thank you for that answer.