REVISION OF STANDING ORDERS

The Chief Minister: May it please you, Mr Speaker, Sir, this is the sixth sitting of this Assembly, although just two months have passed since we first met. During that period many of us have learned to respect the excellent Standing Orders which control our proceedings. There is, nevertheless, room, I would respectfully suggest, for improvement, for amendment of the Standing Orders, and perhaps for reviewing some of them. I should like, and I give it as a personal opinion, to see the hours of sitting changed from sittings during the day to sittings at night, which would enable members of the public who normally work during the day to follow our proceedings by being present in the Strangers' Gallery; and, perhaps, it would also assist the Ministers to give more time to their very pressing duties. In these circumstances, though I feel a little apologetic to the Member for Serangoon (Mr Lim Choon Mong), who himself has a motion down for amendment of two Standing Orders, I would suggest that it is not a matter for piecemeal reference, but rather for a comprehensive review, so that in the new session at least, we will have Standing Orders which, in the light of our experience, are more nearly adequate to our requirements. Sir, I move,

That the Standing Orders Committee do consider and report on amendments to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly which the Committee may deem necessary.

Mr Chew Swee Kee: I second the motion.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That the Standing Orders Committee do consider and report on any amendments to the Standing Orders of the Legislative Assembly which the Committee may deem necessary.