Revised Order of Second Readings
Speakers
Summary
This motion concerns the proposal to revise the Order of Business so that the Second Reading of the Maintenance of Parents (Amendment) Bill precedes the Online Criminal Harms Bill. Leader of the House Ms Indranee Rajah moved the motion as Minister Josephine Teo is currently overseas on official business and unavailable to table her Bill until Wednesday. The change aims to ensure the heavy parliamentary agenda proceeds without delay and provides certainty in timetabling should other government bills finish ahead of schedule. By allowing the private Member's Bill to proceed first, the House maintains progress despite the Minister's temporary absence. The House agreed to the motion, and Mr Deputy Speaker subsequently suspended the sitting for a short break.
Transcript
Mr Deputy Speaker: Order. Leader.
6.24 pm
The Leader of the House (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Deputy Speaker, I beg to move, "That notwithstanding Standing Order 26(2), the Second Reading of the Maintenance of Parents (Amendment) Bill do precede the Second Reading of the Online Criminal Harms Bill."
Mr Deputy Speaker, in the normal Order of Business, Government Bills will proceed private Members' Bills.
In this case, we do have one private Member's Bill standing in the name of Mr Seah Kian Peng and it is currently listed after the Ministry for Home Affair (MHA)'s Online Criminal Harms Bill, which is being taken by Minister Josephine Teo.
Minister Josephine Teo has sought and obtained leave from Speaker for absence of Parliament for today and tomorrow, as she has to travel overseas on official Government business. Under her current travel itinerary, she will only be back tomorrow evening and will only be able to take the Online Criminal Harms Bill on Wednesday at the earliest.
Based on current progress, there is a possibility that we will complete the other Government Bills by tomorrow. So as not to hold back the Parliamentary agenda, which is heavy, and to provide certainty in timetabling, I would like to move that we revise the Order of Business to allow the Second Reading of the Maintenance of Parents Bill to go before the Second Reading of the Online Criminal Harms Bill.
Question put, and agreed to.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Order. I propose to take a break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 6.45 pm.
Sitting accordingly suspended
at 6.26 pm until 6.45 pm.
Sitting resumed at 6.45 pm.
[Deputy Speaker (Mr Christopher de Souza) in the Chair]