On private members’ days, the last half-hour of a sitting may be allocated for discussion of a matter of urgent public importance. Three days’ written notice is required, with an explanatory note. If more than two notices are received, a ballot is held and only two matters may be raised. The discussion involves no formal motion and no vote — the member makes a statement and the relevant Minister replies.
Why it matters for the National Assembly proceedings?
This half-hour slot provides a regular forum for members to raise concerns that are too urgent for normal notice periods but do not meet the strict conditions for other accountability mechanisms. The absence of a vote means no formal resolution is produced — but the Minister’s reply is on the public parliamentary record.
What is in it for citizens?
For citizens monitoring whether their member is engaged with constituency or national issues, the public importance half-hour is a useful indicator. Members who regularly file notices for this slot and use their time to raise substantive issues are demonstrating active parliamentary engagement. However, FAFEN records indicate that Rule 87 is rarely used by members and they often tend to rely, wrongly, on Points of Order to raise issues of public importance.
Source: Rule 87, Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007
The proceedings of the National Assembly are governed by the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The current rules were passed on 23 February 2007 and have since been amended 21 times, most recently on 22 October 2024.
This post is part of FAFEN’s series on parliamentary literacy. Read more of this series here.
