Chairperson, it has been a long day, and I can see colleagues on my left have been quite busy and agitated today. [Interjections.] Could I say that I stand on behalf of the Speaker of the Assembly, who is actually the Chairperson of the Rules Committee by virtue of being the chairperson of the subcommittee under the Rules Committee which deals with Rule amendments, given the fact that this Report deals essentially with amendments to the Rule Book.
Essentially, the proposed amendments relate to Rule 105, which deals with Members' Statements and the responses thereto by Ministers; to Rule 106, which deals with Ministers' Statements; and to Rule 33, which deals with sittings of Extended Public Committees. Essentially, there aren't any new policy proposals that are being made, but rather the formalisation of practices that had been in place for quite some time - for years.
In relation to Rule 105, which deals with Members' Statements, the proposal is to formalise in the Rules a practice whereby, although the Rules require or allow a maximum of 14 statements on a given day, in practice we have suspended that Rule to allow 15 statements, as you have noticed this afternoon. As far as Ministers' Responses are concerned, instead of five Ministers' Responses, which is the maximum allowed under the current Rules, the changes will allow for six Ministers' Statements in the Rules, which is the current practice.
Insofar as Rule 106 is concerned, which deals with statements by the executive, which is Ministers' Statements, the Rule, as it currently stands, is not consistent with our Constitution, which prescribes the principle of proportional representation to guide our proceedings here because it states that a maximum of three minutes is allowed for members or parties to respond to Ministers' Statements. The proposal here is that the system of proportional representation, which informs the allocation of time in debates, should apply here. In other words, parties would be entitled to respond to Ministers' Statements and would be allocated time proportionate to their representation here. As I understand this, it ranges from eight minutes, which the ANC enjoys, to, I think, five, which the largest opposition party ...
Government in waiting!
Not in our lifetime. Keep dreaming, though. I think it is three minutes for Cope, and for some others I think it is two minutes, and for the rest it is one minute. That is the practice currently, and the practice is consistent with the Constitution. The idea is to make sure that the Rules comply with that practice.
Finally, Rule 33 deals with proceedings in Extended Public Committees in part three. The proposition is that whereas the current Rule does not specifically provide for ordinary members of this House to preside or to chair in Extended Public Committee meetings, the practice has been to suspend that Rule to allow the Speaker to nominate ordinary members to chair. So, the idea is to bring that Rule in line with the practice so as to formalise the authority of the Speaker to actually appoint ordinary members to preside in those meetings. That is, in short, what these Rule amendments are. Let me say on behalf of Speaker and the Rules Committee, I commend these Rule amendments. Thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Chairperson, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.