Hon members, I would like to remind you that on 4 December 2019 the House adopted the Rules Committee report which introduced a number of amendments to our rules. Some of the amendments pertain to the sequence of proceedings and Members' Statements. To facilitate sufficient opportunity for Ministers' Responses to Members' Statements, the sequence of proceedings has been amended so that Members' Statements are now at the start of the proceedings on days that they are scheduled by the programming committee.
The Rules Committee further agreed that the number of Ministers' Responses be increased from six to seven and that time allowed for Ministers' Responses be increased from two minutes to three minutes.
With that background, I will now take the first item on the Order Paper which is Members' Statements. Does any member of the ANC wish to make a statement?
Sorry Chair, on a point of order.
Please take your seat. Yes, what's your point of order?
I'm terribly sorry to the hon member for disrupting him, but House Chair, I have to just look around this House and I think we need to note that there is one Minister in the House. So, we are about to do ministerial statements but there are not any Ministers in the House to hear them.
I'm looking around the House and I can say that I see a Minister and two Deputy Ministers ... [Interjections.] ... and I believe ... Oh, I'm sorry, mama De Lille. I'm very sorry. I always look this side. My apologies. Mama De Lille is there. Let's hope that as we continue they will arrive because these are the rules that we all adopted. Yes, hon Mente?
House Chair, to say we must proceed ... they will arrive ... how will they respond to something they did not hear?
We have others that will respond ... [Inaudible.] ... in the House.
No, no, no, no, no, no, the rule does not say that.
The rule says seven ... yes, opportunities.
Yes, they are three now. They are currently three.
Hon Mahlangu, how do we resolve this? We will resolve it together. Let's resolve it together.
Go to the next item on the Order Paper and then we can come back to statements.
After having adopted the rules I have to get advice because I can't just flout the rules that we have adopted. Hon Chief Whip?
Hon House Chairperson, I want to support the move that ... let's start with the next item. However, I must say it is uncalled for that we don't have Ministers and Deputy Ministers in the House when they knew that Statements was going to be the first item. Thank you. [Applause.]
Thank you. I think that is the wish of the members in the House. As the Chief Whip has spoken and supports what you are saying, and I am advised by Mr Mahlangu that it is okay, I will proceed that way.