Hon members, I wish to clarify two issues of procedure that were raised by the hon members during members' statements on Tuesday, 26 February 2013. The hon Minister of Home Affairs raised concerns about the relevance of members' statements to the portfolio of Ministers. I wish to remind members of the guidelines on the members' statements that were agreed to by the Chief Whips' Forum and published in the Announcements, Tablings and Committee Reports, ATCs, of 13 February 2003. According to the guidelines, members' statements may cover any subject that a member wishes to raise, relevant to the national spheres of government, including topical international and national issues, and constituency matters. While it is not within my role to dictate what members must say during members' statements, I do wish to urge members to use this important opportunity in our proceedings effectively to raise pertinent issues.
Secondly, with regard to the second issue, the hon J D Kilian raised a concern about Ministers responding more than once to a member's statement. I have ruled on previous occasions that Rule 105 ensures that a member's statement dealing with a single matter is not responded to twice as it would either have been directed at a particular Minister or made in respect of a particular Minister's portfolio. I therefore appeal that we adhere to this approach. I thank you.