Madam Speaker, on a point of order: Can the members of Parliament who were investigated by the Scorpions, following the Travelgate scandal, debate and vote on these two Bills that will effectively disband the Scorpions? May I address you briefly on this point?
The ACDP raised this issue at the beginning of the public hearings on the future of the Scorpions. Item 12 of the code of conduct for Members of Parliament states the following:
A member must -
(a) declare any personal or private financial or business interest that that member or any spouse, permanent companion or business partner of that member may have in a matter before a joint committee, committee or other parliamentary forum of which that member is a member; and
(b) withdraw from the proceedings of that committee or forum when that matter is considered, unless that committee or forum decides that the member's interest is trivial or not relevant.
We, as the ACDP, hold the view that there was a clear conflict of interest and that further participation in the committees and in Parliament by affected members and possible later voting and debating will amount to a breach of the code of conduct. In our view, interest is not limited to pecuniary interest.
We respectfully ask you to rule whether it is permissible for 43 Members of Parliament to vote and debate on these Bills this afternoon.