PAPER NO.41 OF 1981
THE STANDING ORDERS OF THE NATIONAL
PARLIAMENT
OF
SOLOMON ISLANDS
SUPPLEMENT to the Solomon
Islands Gazette
Friday, 22nd
October 1982
S.I. No. 25
[Legal Notice No. 52]
THE STANDING ORDERS OF THE NATIONAL
PARLIAMENT OF SOLOMON ISLANDS
ARRANGEMENT OF STANDING ORDERS
STANDING ORDER
PART A - INTERPRETATION
1.
Interpretation.
PART B - MEMBERS AND
OFFICERS OF PARLIAMENT
2.
Oath or Affirmation of Allegiance.
3.
Language.
4.
Presiding in Parliament and in Committee of the Whole House.
5.
Election of the Speaker.
6.
Duties of the Clerk.
PART
C - SESSIONS, MEETINGS, SITTINGS AND ADJOURNMENTS
OF PARLIAMENT
7.
Commencement of Sessions and Meetings.
8.
Conclusion of Sessions and Meetings.
9.
Days of Sitting.
10. Hours
of Sitting.
11. Motions
for the Adjournment of Parliament.
12. Quorum.
PART D - ARRANGEMENT OF BUSINESS
13. Order
of Business at Sitting.
14. The
Order Paper.
15. Arrangement
of Motions and Bills.
PART E - PETITIONS AND
PAPERS
16. Presentation
of Petitions.
17. Presentation
of Papers.
18. Debate
upon Papers Presented.
PART F - QUESTIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT
19. Nature
of Questions.
20. Question
Days.
21. Notice
of Questions.
22. Content
of Questions.
23. Asking
and Answering of Questions.
PART G - STATEMENTS AND
RAISING OF MATTERS OF PRIVILEGE
24. Statements
by Ministers.
25. Matters
of Privilege.
PART H - MOTIONS
26. Notice
of Motions and Amendments.
27. Manner
of Giving Notice of Motions and Amendments.
28. Motions
and Amendments Requiring Recommendation.
29. Manner
of Debating Motions.
30. Manner
of Debating Amendments to Motions.
31. Withdrawal
of Motions and Amendments.
PART I - RULES OF DEBATE
32. Time
and Manner of Speaking.
33. Occasions
when a Member may Speak more than once.
34. Interruptions.
35. Adjournment
of Debate or of Proceedings of a Committee.
36. Content
of Speeches.
37. Behaviour
of Members not Speaking.
PART J - RULES OF ORDER
38. Decision
of Speaker Final.
39. Order
in Parliament and Committee.
PART K - VOTING
40. Decision
on Questions.
41. Collection
of Voices.
42. Divisions.
PART L - PROCEDURE ON BILLS
43. Form
of Bills.
44. Notice
of Presentation of Bills.
45. Examination
of Bills by the Speaker.
46. Presentation
and Publication of Bills.
47. First
Reading of Bills.
48. Second
Reading of Bills.
49. Committal
of Bills.
50. Functions
of Committees on Bills.
51. Amendments
to Bills.
52. Procedure
in Committee of the Whole House on a Bill.
53. Procedure on Reporting of Bill from Committee of the Whole House.
54. Proceedings on Recommittal of Bill Reported from Committee of the Whole House.
55. Procedure
in Select Committee on a Bill.
56. Procedure
on Reporting of Bill from Select Committee.
57. Proceedings on Recommittal of Bill Reported from Select Committee.
58. Third
Reading of Bills.
59. Withdrawal
of Bills.
60. Presentation
of Bills for Assent by the Governor-General.
PART M - FINANCIAL PROCEDURE
61. Presentation
and Second Reading of Appropriation Bill.
62. The
Committee of Supply.
63. Allotment
of time in Committee of Supply.
64. Procedure
in Committee of Supply.
65. Amendments
to Heads in Committee of Supply.
66. Third
Reading of Appropriation Bill.
67. Supplementary
Appropriation Bills.
PART N - SELECT AND
SPECIAL COMMITTEES
68. Appointment,
Nomination and Functions of Select Committees.
69. Public
Accounts Committee.
70. Parliamentary
House Committee.
71. Bills
and Legislation Committee.
71A. Constitution Review
Committee.
71B. Foreign Relations
committee.
72. Procedure
on Select Committees.
73. Special
Committees.
74. Premature
Publication of Evidence.
75. Attendance
at Committees.
PART O - MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS
76. Election
of Governor-General.
77. Employment
of Members in Professional Capacity.
78. Declaration
and Disclosure of Personal Interest.
79. Admission
of Press and Public.
80. Withdrawal
of Strangers.
81. Suspension
of Standing Orders.
82. Procedure
in Case of Doubt.
SOLOMON ISLANDS
INDEPENDENCE ORDER 1978
(L.N. NO. 43 OF 1978)
THE STANDING ORDERS OF THE NATIONAL
PARLIAMENT OF SOLOMON
ISLANDS
(Section 62 of the Constitution)
In accordance with Section 62 of the Constitution the National Parliament of
Solomon Islands hereby makes the following Standing Orders -
PART A
INTERPRETATION
1.
INTERPRETATION
(1)
In these Orders, unless the context otherwise requires-
"Clerk" means the Clerk of the
Parliament and includes any assistant to the Clerk acting as such on the authority of the Speaker;
"the Constitution" means
the Constitution of Solomon Islands set out in the Schedule to the Solomon Islands Independence Order 1978;
"Mace" means the mace of Parliament;
"Member" means a Member of Parliament
elected in accordance with section 47 of the Constitution;
"Minister" means a member of the
Cabinet;
"Parliament" means the National Parliament
of Solomon Islands;
"Speaker" means any person presiding
in Parliament in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution;
(2) In these Orders, unless the context otherwise requires, reference to
printing shall include all mechanical, electrical and photographic methods of reproducing words in visible form.
(3) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (1) of this order, expressions
used in these Orders shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the same meanings as in the Constitution.
PART B
MEMBERS AND
OFFICERS OF PARLIAMENT
2.
OATH OR AFFIRMATION OF ALLEGIANCE
(1) No Member shall be permitted to take part in the proceedings of Parliament
(other than proceedings necessary for the purposes of this order and section 63 of the Constitution) until he has made the
oath or affirmation of allegiance prescribed by that section.
(2) On the first day of the first session of a new Parliament the Clerk shall
administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance to each Member by calling before him in alphabetical order the Members elected
to serve in that Parliament.
(3) The Clerk shall administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance prescribed
by section 63 of the Constitution to any Member who has during the course of a session been elected to serve in Parliament
at the first sitting at which such Member attends.
3.
LANGUAGE
(1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this order, the proceedings and debates of
Parliament shall be in the English language or in pidgin.
(2) Every petition, bill, motion, paper, written question, report, declaration
of interest and notice, and every amendment thereof, shall be in the English language.
4. PRESIDING IN PARLIAMENT AND
IN COMMITTEE OF WHOLE HOUSE
(1) Any question as to who shall preside at sittings of Parliament and sittings
of a Committee of the whole House shall be determined in accordance with section 65 of the Constitution.
(2) The person presiding shall be known and addressed as the Speaker.
(3) Whenever Parliament resolves itself into a Committee of the whole House,
the Speaker shall leave his chair and seat himself at the Clerk's table as chairman of the Committee; and when Parliament
resumes he shall return to his chair.
(4) The person presiding in Parliament or acting as chairman of a Committee
of the whole House shall while so presiding or acting enjoy all the powers conferred by these Orders on the Speaker.
(5) During sittings of Parliament the mace shall be on the Clerk's table
and during sittings of a Committee of the whole House it shall be under the Clerk's table.
5.
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
(1) The Speaker shall be elected at the first sitting of Parliament after
a general election or after the office of Speaker has become vacant, in accordance with the provisions of this order.
(2) Every citizen of Solomon
Islands over the age of twenty-one and who is otherwise qualified for election as a
Member shall be eligible for election as Speaker.
(3) Nomination papers shall be issued to Members by the Clerk not less than
two clear days before the first sitting of the new Parliament and shall be returned to him not later than 4.00 p.m. on the day immediately preceding the date fixed for the first sitting of the
new Parliament. Provided that where the office of Speaker has become vacant during the course of Parliament a date shall be
fixed for the election by the Clerk and this paragraph shall be read accordingly.
(4) A list setting out all the candidates who have been nominated shall be
made available to each Member before the commencement of voting.
(5) The election shall be by secret ballot and each Member shall have only
one vote at the first and each subsequent ballot, if any, and shall be held in accordance with paragraphs (6) to (12) of this order.
(6) If any candidate should at any ballot receive an absolute majority of
votes he shall be declared to be elected as Speaker.
(7) If no candidate should receive an absolute majority of votes at the first
ballot a further ballot shall be held wherein -
(a) the candidate who received fewest votes at the first ballot shall thereby
be eliminated; or
(b) if there is a tie between two or more candidates for the fewest number of votes
received at the first ballot the Clerk shall decide by lot which one of such candidates shall be eliminated.
(8) If in a second ballot no candidate should receive an absolute majority
of the votes of the Members, subject to paragraph (10) of this order, further ballots shall be held until one candidate receives
an absolute majority of votes.
(9) The procedure specified in paragraphs (6) and (7) of this order relating
to the first and second ballots shall apply in relation to subsequent ballots.
(10) If, after one or more ballots, all candidates save two have been eliminated, not
more than three further ballots shall be held to decide the election between these two candidates.
(11) If the three further ballots referred to in the preceding paragraph do not result
in either of the two candidates receiving an absolute majority of votes then the Clerk shall re-commence the procedure de
novo.
(12) Upon the decision of the Members being known in accordance with the voting procedure
the Clerk will forthwith announce the name of the person elected as Speaker.
6.
DUTIES OF THE CLERK
(1) The Clerk shall be responsible for keeping the minutes of proceedings
of Parliament and of committees of the whole House. The minutes of proceedings shall record the Members attending, all decisions
taken and details of every division held.
(2) The Clerk shall submit the minutes of proceedings of each sitting to
the Speaker for his signature and shall then distribute copies to Members before the commencement of the next sitting.
(3) The Clerk shall be responsible for preparing from day to day an Order
Book showing all future business of which notice has been given. The Order Book shall be open to the inspection of Members
at all reasonable hours.
(4)
The Clerk shall be responsible for preparing for each sitting-
(a)
an Order Paper showing the business for that sitting; and
(b) a Notice Paper recording all notices entered in the Order Book on the previous
day if Parliament then sat, or in the case of the first sitting after an adjournment over one or more days, all notices entered
in the Order Book since Parliament last sat.
(5) The Clerk shall be responsible for the custody of the votes, records,
bills and other documents laid before Parliament which shall be open to inspection by Members and other persons under arrangements
approved by the Speaker.
(6) The Clerk, acting under the directions of the Speaker, shall be responsible
for the production of an official report of all speeches made in Parliament and in committees of the whole House.
(7) The Clerk shall be responsible for providing every Select Committee of
Parliament with a clerk.
(8) The Clerk shall perform further duties laid upon him in these Orders
and all other duties in the service of Parliament ordered by Parliament or directed by the Speaker.
PART
C
SESSIONS,
MEETINGS, SITTINGS AND ADJOURNMENTS OF PARLIAMENT
7.
COMMENCEMENT OF SESSIONS AND MEETINGS
(1) Each session of Parliament shall be held at such place and on such days
and shall begin at such time as the Governor-General may appoint in accordance with section 72 of the Constitution.
(2) Written notice of every meeting of Parliament shall be given to Members
by the Clerk at least thirteen clear days before the day of the meeting except in the case of the first meeting following
the constitution or the re-constitution of Parliament or in a case of emergency where the Governor-General, acting on the
advice of the Prime Minister, may dispense with such notice in which event the longest possible notice shall be given.
(3) The Governor-General may, after consultation with the Prime Minister,
at any time after he has determined the day and time upon which a meeting is to begin, change the day or time so determined
to a later day or time, or in cases of emergency to an earlier day or time.
(4) At the first sitting of any meeting the Governor-General, on the invitation
of the Prime Minister, may deliver a speech to Parliament.
(5) Immediately after the Governor-General has delivered such a speech, the
sitting may be suspended for such period or Parliament may be adjourned until such day as the Speaker may determine.
(6) At the resumption of the sitting, or on the day to which Parliament is
adjourned under paragraph (5) of this order, a motion may be moved without notice for an address of thanks to the Governor-General
for his speech.
(7) A motion under paragraph (6) of this order shall be moved in the following
form-
That an address be presented to His Excellency the
Governor-General as follows-
"We, the National Parliament of Solomon
Islands here assembled, beg leave to offer thanks for the speech
which has been addressed by you to Parliament.”
(8) Amendments may be moved to the motion described in paragraph (7) of this
order only by way of adding words at the end of the motion.
8.
CONCLUSION OF SESSIONS AND MEETINGS
(1) A session shall be concluded when Parliament is prorogued by the Governor-General
in accordance with section 73(1) of the Constitution.
(2) A meeting shall be concluded by the adjournment of Parliament for the
conclusion of the meeting.
(3) A motion to determine the day for the conclusion of a session or meeting
shall only be moved by a Minister and in the following terms-
"That at the adjournment of Parliament on
(here the date for conclusion of the meeting shall be entered) the present meeting shall be concluded and Parliament shall
then stand adjourned sine die.”
(4)
