Page 2975 - Week 10 - Thursday, 15 September 1994
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(4) if the Assembly is not sitting when the Committee has completed its inquiry, the Committee may send its report to the Speaker, or in the absence of the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, who is authorised to give directions for its printing and circulation;
(5) the Committee is authorised to release copies of its report, prior to the Speaker or Deputy Speaker authorising its printing and circulation, and pursuant to embargo conditions and to persons to be determined by the Committee; and
(6) the foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with Standing Orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in Standing Orders.
I will be brief in speaking to this motion. Members will be aware that, as a consequence of the earlier budget this year, it has been necessary to split the activities of the Estimates Committee into two phases.
MADAM SPEAKER: Order! Members, I wanted to make this comment yesterday, and I would like to make it now. The acoustics of the building are such that, if members are having private conversations, the noise resounds quite badly and it is quite difficult for me to hear. So, if members would not mind assisting by going to the excellent lobby rooms that we have provided, I would appreciate it. I ask the Chief Minister to continue.
MS FOLLETT: Madam Speaker, the first phase has been completed, and the second phase, which is proposed in this motion, represents an opportunity for the Assembly to scrutinise the budget performance and outcomes, with the benefit of having the end of year figures available to them. The committee that I am proposing is somewhat different from the Estimates Committee that we have become used to, in that it proposes that there be limited membership - in fact, five members - as opposed to our arrangements most recently, where all members have been on the Estimates Committee.
I have arrived at this composition and make-up of the committee in consultation with the chair of the former Estimates Committee, Ms Szuty, and I believe that it will make for a more workable committee and one which still offers all members of the Assembly an opportunity to participate if they wish. I think it limits the potential for political grandstanding that was such a feature of the last estimates process.
Madam Speaker, there is one issue that I do want to mention, and that is the timing of the report by this committee. I recognise that the due date for the committee's report is very late in the life of this Assembly. Again, I have discussed this with Ms Szuty, and I am assured by her that it is unlikely that the committee could conclude its deliberations any earlier than that. For that reason, I have left the date as it is. It would obviously be preferable for the committee to report earlier. I am sure that, if there is a chance that they can do so, they will take that opportunity. The motion also makes provision for the release of the committee's report if the Assembly is not sitting and enables copies to be made available prior to printing, under certain embargo conditions.
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