Page 1951 - Week 07 - Thursday, 31 May 1990
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .
Mrs Grassby: I am not interested in what happens up the hill. I am interested in what happens here. You seem to worry all the time about what happens up the hill.
MR HUMPHRIES: We provide shorter answers than your colleagues on the hill do.
The second point is that, almost invariably, questions asked by the Opposition have supplementaries attached to them, frequently not in proper form, frequently not proper supplementary questions, frequently simply tacking on a new issue - a completely unrelated issue - for the sake of getting a second question. I think when we talk about seven questions coming from those opposite we should really talk about more like 14, because that is how many they have had today. Government members do not take supplementary questions. You have had twice as many as you have even claimed to have.
Mrs Grassby: You cannot count. There were only two supplementary questions asked.
MR HUMPHRIES: There were more than two supplementary questions, Mrs Grassby. Almost every member who asked a question asked a supplementary question.
Mr Duby: And a supplementary on the supplementary.
MR HUMPHRIES: Yes, and we sometimes get supplementaries on supplementaries. Before our hearts bleed too much for the members opposite we ought to bear in mind that their cryings and their cravings and so on are a little bit self-serving.
MR MOORE (3.24): I wish to support the Government on this particular issue because I think that what we have got here is a situation where the Chief Minister should have been granted leave, as quite clearly he has an important statement to make to the house. I think it was rather churlish of Mr Berry to challenge that and not give him leave in this particular instance.
I presume that the problem stems from the fact that the Chief Minister was standing at the end of question time and remained standing. To refer back to the other day when a censure motion was being brought up, there is then no opportunity for the Opposition members to have a chance to get to their feet to put the censure motion. I presume that this was the cause of the problem in the original case.
I feel, Chief Minister, that if you would return to your seat at the end of question time when you ask that further questions be put on the paper this would be the appropriate way to handle this situation. Then the Speaker could see who was on his feet first or, using his ruling, which is clearly different from what I read in standing orders, he
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . .