MPs told to work harder
WELLINGTON: Parliamentary committee members will have to meet during recess weeks or they will risk losing their Fridays off, they have been warned.
A review of Parliament’s standing orders has strongly suggested select committee members overcome their ‘‘aversion’’ to working during nonsitting weeks or face consequences.
‘‘The alternative would be to remove the barrier to holding Friday meetings in sitting weeks and the Standing Orders Committee may wish to consider this, if the current aversion to meetings in adjournment weeks persists during the next parliament,’’ a report from the committee, chaired by Speaker David Carter, says.
It is one of a series of recommendations to overhaul committee procedures.
Others include reducing the number of committee members from the full 120 MPs to around 96, and spreading them over 12 rather than 13 committees, with broader interests than those operating now.
The committee has recommended merging the justice and electoral committee with the law and order committee, introducing a broader economic development, science and innovation committee and modifying the governance and administration committee.
‘‘The decrease in committees from 13 to 12 would . . . reduce the burden of multiple committee membership on some members,’’ the recommendation says.
Leaving overall membership at 120 would make each committee larger, but decreasing seats would allow flexibility for parties to manage attendance and absences. ‘‘This flexibility would also allow members to attend committee meetings according to their interests, expertise and availability,’’ it is suggested.
‘‘A total of 96 seats will result in most committees having seven, eight or nine members.’’
The 76page report also makes recommendations to lift the ban on official television coverage of parliament for ‘‘satire, ridicule or denigration’’.
The committee also considered a suggestion from one submitter asking for breastfeeding and bottlefeeding to be allowed inside the Chamber and lobbies.
That could be done with permission from the Speaker rather than changes to standing orders, but the committee said it would need to ‘‘avoid undue disturbance to, and distraction from, participation of other members’’ in the House.