Page 2552 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 15 November 1989
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a number of committees in this Assembly. A number of parties, particularly the Government, took the view that Mr Stevenson, being a single member of this Assembly, was not entitled to membership of a range of committees in this place and in particular was not entitled to membership of more than one standing committee. I recall that he sought membership of both the Standing Committee on Social Policy and, I think, the Administration and Procedures Committee.
Mr Stevenson: Public Accounts.
MR HUMPHRIES: Public Accounts, was it? I stand corrected. He sought membership also of the Public Accounts Committee. And what did the Government say at the time? They said "No, Mr Stevenson is not entitled to membership of two standing committees". That was their view at the time, on the basis of standing order 221, and I read it once more:
Membership of committees shall be composed of representatives of all groups and parties in the Assembly as nearly as practicable proportional to their representation in the Assembly.
Now, it is not possible for each committee to have an exact reflection of the composition of this Assembly, unless the committee consists of all 17 members, which of course it never could. Up until today the view accepted by most members of this Assembly was that single members of the Assembly, or perhaps members of very small parties in the Assembly, would not automatically expect membership of every committee in the Assembly. Mr Moore not only wants to keep membership of all three committees on which he currently sits in this Assembly, but also - if an amendment which is before the Chair at the moment is to be carried - wants membership of a fourth. He wants a fourth committee membership. That is just not acceptable and it is not fair.
Mr Speaker, all members will recall previous occasions when the Deputy Chief Minister has moved around among us, speaking to us about membership of committees, and has said to us, "Who is your rep on this committee? Who are you going to put up for this committee? What about X, or is it going to be Y?". The Deputy Chief Minister, as spokesman for the Government on these occasions, has sought the names of members of parties, not because those individuals have any particular attraction, because they were particular individuals; he asked that question because he knew that certain parties, because of their size, were entitled to membership of committees in this place. Notwithstanding what the Chief Minister says - she has left the chamber; she did not want to hear it, no doubt - - -
Mr Berry: It is boring.
MR HUMPHRIES: No, it is not boring, Mr Minister; it is fact. It is throwing back in your face what you have already done in this chamber once. The fact is that we
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