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{
    "id": 273552,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/273552/?format=api",
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    "content": "Hon. Members, on Wednesday 18th May 2011, in the Afternoon Sitting, the Assistant Minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Finance issued a Ministerial Statement in response to the request by hon. Mbadi. In his statement, the Assistant Minister stated that the accounts for the Financial Year 2007/2008 had been queried by the Controller and Auditor-General and that the Controller and Auditor- General had submitted a report on the accounts to the House. The Public Accounts Committee had investigated the matters arising and had, subsequently, submitted its report to the House. The Assistant Minister further stated that the accounts for the Financial Year 2008/2009 had also been audited by the Controller and Auditor-General, and that the report of the Controller and Auditor-General was before the Public Accounts Committee. Arising from this, the Assistant Minister argued that issuing a statement in response to the hon. Member’s request would be in violation of the Standing Orders and in breach of parliamentary practice. In response to the aforesaid position taken by the Assistant Minister, the Member for Gwassi averred that the Report of the Public Accounts Committee relating to the Financial Year 2007/2008 had been adopted by the House, and that the report did not cover the matters that he had raised in his request for a Ministerial Statement. On this, the Assistant Minister took the view that the concerns by the Member in his request for a Ministerial Statement had been adequately addressed in the Report of the Public Accounts Committee. I undertook to give directions on this matter as I now do. Hon. Members, having reflected on this matter, I have isolated two issues that require the directions of the Chair. 1. Can a member request for a Ministerial Statement or otherwise seek to re-open debate on a matter that has previously been addressed conclusively by the House? 2. Can a member seek a Ministerial Statement on or seek to deliberate on a matter in Plenary when the same has been referred to, or is before a Committee of the House? On the first issue as to whether or not a member can request for a Ministerial Statement or seek to re-open debate on a matter that has previously been addressed conclusively by the House, the general rule of debate in the House is that, a matter is subject to the Standing Orders, free--- I am sorry, hon. Members. I will have to read that again. On the first issue as to whether or not a member can request for a Ministerial Statement or seek to re-open debate on a matter that has previously been addressed conclusively by the House, the general rule of debate in the House is that, a member is, subject to the Standing Orders, free to interrogate the Executive on any matter of concern to the Member. This is the essence of parliamentary oversight over the functions of the Executive. The Standing Orders, however, do not encourage the repetition of issues that have already been deliberated on and resolved one way or the other by the House. Hon. Members, I will pause for a minute for those at the door to come in."
}