Debated in Parliament on 28 Feb 2017.
Mdm Speaker, I beg to move, "That notwithstanding Standing Order No 26(1) and No 89(3), the Second Reading of the Patents (Amendment) Bill, Architects (Amendment) Bill and Early Childhood Development Centres Bill be taken before today's resumption of debate on the FY 2017/2018 Budget Statement".
Madam, Standing Order No 26(1) states that once an order is made for Bills to be taken after the conclusion of proceedings on the Estimates of Expenditure for FY 2017/2018, as made to the House by the respective Ministers in charge of the aforementioned Bills after their First Reading on 6 February 2017, such an order cannot be moved earlier but only later. As the Debate on the FY 2017/2018 Budget Statement is a Business of Supply, and Standing Order 89(3) requires that Supply business must be the first order of the day on the allotted days, no businesses can precede the Debate on the Budget Statement.
The agreement of the House is, therefore, sought to suspend both these Standing Orders to allow the aforementioned Bills to be read for the Second time before the resumption of debate on the FY 2017/2018 Budget Statement. This is in view of the total number of Bills that need to be read in this House during this period of sittings.
Question put, and agreed to.
Resolved, "That, notwithstanding Standing Order No 26(1) and No 89(3), the Second Reading of the Patents (Amendment) Bill, Architects (Amendment) Bill and Early Childhood Development Centres Bill be taken before the resumption of debate on the FY 2017/2018 Budget Statement on 28 February 2017." − [Mr Desmond Lee]
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