I am making a ruling, Mr Van Niekerk, with respect to questions that appear on the Question Paper of 3 October 2000 as questions for oral reply.
I must perhaps indicate some support for the query raised by Mr Van Niekerk by indicating my concern at the large number of questions that are transmitted for oral reply when they have been tabled for written response. I think we would ask members of the executive to really use the time available for responding to questions for written reply so that they are answered timeously, and are not placed on the Question Paper in the fashion in which we have had them appear on this Question Paper.
With that aspect of your concern I certainly do concur, Mr Van Niekerk. However, the opportunity to rule does arise today. I take that opportunity and make a ruling.
We then come to a second aspect that I would like to rule on. As previously indicated in the ruling I read a few moments ago, questions to Ministers should relate to the public affairs with which they are officially charged. In the same manner that a Parliament cannot bind another, so the next Parliament should not be expected to take responsibility for the previous Parliament. Consequently, Ministers cannot be called to respond to questions referring to issues which emanated within the term of a previous executive office holder.
In this regard, the following questions, in so far as they relate to issues emanating prior to June 1999, are, in my view, out of order: question 1(1)(b) on page 14, question 6(1) on page 15, question 15 on page 17 and question 1(1) on page 19. As previously indicated in my earlier ruling, I will allow those Ministers who have prepared responses to these questions to deliver them.
Where there are no responses, my ruling is that these questions not be proceeded with, and consequently be removed from the Question Paper.
I will also be requesting the Secretary to the NCOP to assist the Rules Committee in arriving at rules that will help us avoid this practice of Ministers responding to questions relating to a former era of Parliament.