SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDER

2.38 p.m.

Dr Toh Chin Chye: Mr Speaker, I beg to move,

That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the Fifth Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure of the State of Singapore for 1961 (contained in Paper Cmd. 37 of 1961) and the resumed debate on the motion of the Minister for Finance relating to the financial policy of the year 1962 be taken today.

Question proposed.

Mr David Marshall: If it please you, Mr Speaker, Sir, in the light of the possibility that the Leader of the House is not acquainted with the constitutional traditions of procedure, I would like to remind him that Budget Day - as this day is, as, in fact, you have just informed the House - is a day for the Opposition. There are five hours, Sir, between 2.30 and 8 p.m., our normal time, when the Budget debate takes place. The Opposition has met and the leaders have allocated amongst themselves the time which is theirs which is 4½ hours, leaving half an hour to Government, which is the traditional procedure in this matters. If the Leader of the House is of the view that the debate on the Fifth Supplementary Estimates would take so long as to eat into that half-hour, then the Opposition can meet and surrender part of its 4½ hours. But if the intention is that the. Government Front Benches or the Government side should have more than the traditional time to which it is entitled, Sir, I will oppose this motion, not because today having received notice I am not prepared to sit till late, but because I am not prepared to contravene the spirit of the democratic traditions of parliamentary procedure.

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Sir, the Member for Anson has said it is the practice for Government benches to be allowed only half an hour. This is the first time I have heard of this practice. Could he please elaborate? It is not my recollection that that was the practice we had last year and the previous year.

Mr David Marshall: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am sure the Front Bench will accept it from me. Could I crave the Chair's indulgence? The Chair is acquainted with traditions, and I am sure the whole House will receive an indication from you, Sir, as to what the proper procedure is.

Mr Speaker: I think I have indicated in the past that in all these matters, the parliamentary practice in other Parliaments is for agreement to be arrived at between the Government side and the Opposition side through the usual channels. That means that the Government Whip and the Opposition Whip - if there is an Opposition Whip - get together, decide as to what time should be made available to each other when there is limited time available, decide on the number of speakers and so on and so forth, so that the business on which there is a guillotine could be completed satisfactorily to both sides.

As far as our Standing Orders are concerned, the position is that, ordinarily, the resumed debate on the Question, "That the Assembly approves the financial policy of the Government for the year 1962", should take from 3 p.m. (not 2.30 p.m.) to 8 p.m. Ordinarily also, if there is other business of Supply, that business of supply should be taken on a separate allotted day. But there have been cases where it is anticipated that one business of Supply would not take unduly long, and it has been the practice in the past for the type of motion which has been moved by the Leader of the House to be moved and accepted by the House. I think the Leader of the House will remember that there is an implicit understanding that if the first business of Supply enroaches on the time of the second business of supply, then he will undertake to move, at the end of the day, the suspension of Standing Orders, so that the time taken up by the first business of Supply could be added on to the time taken up by the second business of Supply after 8 p.m. That is roughly the position.

Dr Toh Chin Chye: Sir, it is not my intention to rob Members of the Opposition of any time they wish to use to speak during the course of this debate, but as you have pointed out, according to page 6 of the Standing Orders, there is a footnote down there, which says quite correctly:

'The resumed Debate on the Annual Budget Statement or Business of Supply is taken at 3 p.m. on an allotted day....'

We are now approximately at 2.44 p.m. If by 3 p.m. we do not finish the debate on the Fifth Supplementary Estimates, then at 3 p.m. we will automatically go on to the resumed debate on the Budget Statement. We will continue with the Fifth Supplementary Estimates, and at the moment of interruption we will extend whatever time that is lost.

Mr Speaker: I do not think I have answered the Minister for Finance. He wants to know whether there is a constitutional practice where the Minister is allowed half an hour for a reply -

Dr Goh Keng Swee: The whole of it.

Mr Speaker: Well, the Ministerial bench. The answer is no. There is no such constitutional practice. All these things are made by arrangement. It might well be that the Opposition might think that even the time allotted by the Standing Orders is such that it is not sufficient for them to complete what they want to say and, therefore, insufficient for them to give any time to The Ministerial bench to answer any points they have made. That is left entirely to the Opposition. If they want an answer to the points they have made, then, of course, they should, of their own volition, allow certain time for Ministers of the Government bench to answer the points made.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the Fifth Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure of the State of Singapore for 1961 (contained in Paper Cmd. 37 of 1961) and the resumed debate on the motion of the Minister for Finance relating to the financial policy of the year 1962 be taken today.

Mr David Marshall: Mr Speaker, Sir, do I now understand that Standing Orders are suspended merely for the time that may be required between 3 p.m. and such time as we start the Budget debate - only that extra time?

Mr Speaker: Actually the Standing Orders have not yet been suspended insofar as that aspect of the case is concerned. The Standing Orders will be suspended between 7 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. The Leader of the House has given an undertaking that he will add to the time available for the Budget debate the time which is to be or may be taken up by consideration of the Fifth Supplementary Estimates.