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Mr Speaker, the sitting pattern is approximately comparable with that of previous years, taking into account that, due to the election and the arrival of a new government, a number of sitting weeks have been lost in the first part of the year. From this point on, I think it is true to say, the intensity of the sitting pattern is the same as in previous years. I emphasise as well, in commending it to the house, that we should not regard the number of sitting days as a measure of the effectiveness of the Assembly, since the question is not so much the quantity as the quality. In this Government's view, it is important to justify the sitting days before they are put onto the notice paper, rather than to have a number of days set down and then try to find business to fill them. It is this Government's intention, certainly, that, if the amount of business on the paper warrants an extension, for example, of the number of sitting days the Assembly has set down through this motion, then that extension should occur. It is, on my experience, much more difficult to try to condense the number of days when the business is not present. I think, therefore, this is the appropriate way of handling the sitting pattern for the rest of this year.

Question resolved in the affirmative.

MEETING TIMES AND PRECEDENCE OF BUSINESS

MR HUMPHRIES (Attorney-General) (8.40): Mr Speaker, I ask for leave to move a motion regarding temporary orders to set the meeting times and precedence of business for this sitting week.

Leave granted.

MR HUMPHRIES: I move:

That unless otherwise ordered:

(1) Standing order 16 relating to the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure be amended until 5 May 1995 by adding “and Assembly Business” to the end of subparagraph (l)(c).

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