Brownlee Gerry: Adjournment — Sittings of the HouseText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeBrownlee Gerry: Adjournment — Sittings of the House[Sitting date: 09 December 2015. Volume:710;Page:8717. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]Hon GERRY BROWNLEE (Leader of the House): I move That the House do now adjourn until 2 p.m. on Tuesday 9 February 2016 and that the sitting days in 2016 be as follows:February 9 10 11 16 17 and 18;March 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 29 30 and 31;April 5 6 7 12 13 and 14;May 3 4 5 10 11 12 24 25 26 and 31;June 1 2 7 8 9 14 15 16 28 29 and 30;July 5 6 and 7;August 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 and 25;September 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 and 22;October 11 12 13 18 19 and 20;November 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 29 and 30;December 1 6 7 8 13 14 and 15.This is the debate that will conclude the activities of the House for 2015 and set down the times at which the House will sit during 2016. It is worth noting that Parliament this year has sat for some 88 days—a larger number than was the case in 2014 although that was interrupted by the election. Some 120 bills have passed through their third reading and the number of occasions on which the House has had extended sittings has been five. The number of weeks that the House has sat has been 30 weeks. The number of question times was 87 the number of oral questions to members was 1044 and the number of hours that the House has sat has been some 655 hours and 10 minutes as at Tuesday 8 December.One thing that I would say at this point is I would like to express some congratulations to all members of the Business Committee for the way that that committee has developed and has continued to develop over the past year. It is a place where I think the most poignant points of politics are understood and where the opportunities for people to have their views expressed in the strongest possible terms are organised. The extended sittings that came this year were largely devoted to Treaty of Waitangi settlement bills. These are bills that the whole House agrees with and it makes sense that the House itself agrees on the process for those bills’ passing and it does enable those recipients of those settlements to be here for the historic third readings of those bills. All of that work is I think a tribute to the Business Committee and its ongoing operation.Now I need to thank some people—the Speaker of course yourself Mr Assistant Speaker the presiding officers and all those who assist in the Clerk’s Office including the new clerk David Stevenson for all the effort that they make to keep the wheels of Parliament moving. [Interruption] No I am keeping it a very straight debate Grant otherwise I would start spending endless amounts of time—David Stevenson?Grant Robertson: You got his name wrong—that’s the problem. It’s David Wilson.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Oh David Wilson. Sorry.Grant Robertson: I was just trying to help.Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: Well thank goodness you are here! I apologise to David Wilson. He knows whom I meant. The two gentlemen are roughly the same height although their profiles are slightly different—much like you and me Grant. The thanks I was wanting to extend is to all those who make Parliament a better place for us to work. In the case of Ministers there is the transport system; the VIP drivers are very obliging. To all the security staff here at Parliament who do their best—although today of course we get a demonstration of why they need to be here. To all the House attendants etc. and to anybody who makes this place work—when you start naming people it gets a little difficult. My own staffhave of course a great deal to put up with and they do it very very well. I thank them very much for their work both here in Parliament and in the electorate.It would not be appropriate to end this debate for the year without saying something that is a little bit controversial so in my final minute and a half can I perhaps just ask the members who are going to speak from the other side of the House whether they might tell us how many barbecue invitations they have for this summer.Grant Robertson: Urgh!Hon GERRY BROWNLEE: “Urgh!” Grant moans. You see he is not on any of the lists now—he used to be he used to be; he was the top favourite for a long time—and frankly the way he performed today I can see why.This is obviously a time when people go back to their electorates where they spend time with friends and family. This is not a debate in my view that should be prolonged. There will be people who want to say something. The Business Committee has organised for 18 people to make a contribution this afternoon at the conclusion of which you yourself Mr Speaker will be able to express some views. To you Mr Speaker and to all the House attendants a very merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year.