Download - Standing rules and orders of the legislative council of Sierra Leone

Standing rules and orders of the legislative council of Sierra Leone.Author(s): Sierra Leone. and Legislative Council.Source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection, (1892)Published by: The University of Manchester, The John Rylands University LibraryStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/60232266 .

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Standing Sules and Orders of the legislative Council of Sierras Leone framed in pursuaii.ee of Article XXI of the Royal Instructions of the 28th day of November, 1888 and passed by the Legislative Council on the 18th day of October 1892.

X Ordinary Meetings. 1. Ordinary Meetings of the Legislative Council shall be held

on Tuesdays at 2 30 p.m. but this shall not prevent the adjournment of the Council to any other day or hour that to the Governor shall seem fit.

Extraordinary Meetings. 2. Extraordinary Meetings of the Council may be held whenever

ordered by the Governor or Officer administering the Government provided that except in cases of great emergency twenty-four hours notice shall be previously given by the Clerk of the Council to each Member.

7 Governor to preside if possible.

3. The Governor shall preside at all Meetings of the Council ^df unless prevented by illness or other grave cause and in his absence

that Member shall preside who is first in precedence of those present.

Quorum. i. The Legislative Couucil shall not be disqualified from the

transaction of business on account of any vacancies among the Members thereof, but the said Council shall not be competent to act in any case unless (including the President) there be present at and throughout the meeting of the Council throe Members at least.

Adjournment. 5. At any time during a Meeting the Council may on motion to that

effect being carried, adjourn to any other day or hour and should the adjournment be to any subsequent day notice of such adjournment shall be given to Members by the Clerk:—Provided that nothing herein shall affect the power of the Governor or President to adjourn

^_ the Council in the circumstances mentioned in Eules 1 and 6 of these Standing Orders.

President may adjourn during sitting. 6. The President may at any time suspend or adjourn any meetings



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Confirmation of Minutes. 7. When a Quorum has been formed the Minutes of the last pre¬

ceding Meeting whether of the Council or of the Council in Com¬ mittee shall be read by the Clerk and the question of their confirm¬ ation shall be put. No debate shall be allowed thereupon except as to any proposed amendment or as to the accuracy of the Minutes.

Order of Business.

having been confirmed the order of busines» 8. The Minutes shall be as follows :—

a. Messages or Minutes of the Governor. b. Beports from Committees. c. Petitions and written Memorials. d. Notices. e. Questions.

after which the orders of the day shall be proceeded with. Petitions.

9. Petitions should be presented and laid on the table by some Member of Council whose duty it will be to inform the Council if re¬ quired, that in his opinion the Petition is properly and respectfully worded.

Petitions to be respectfully worded or may not be received. 10. It shall be competent to any Member to move that any

petition be not received on the ground that it is not properly or respectfully worded, and this whether the Member presenting the same has expressed any opinion or not.

Petition may be read &c. 11. Petitions on being received may be read or ordered to bo

printed or if relating to a matter before a Committee ordered to b» referred to such Committee for consideration and report.

Messages from the Governor. 12. Messages or Minutes from the Governor may be read at any

time during a Meeting notwithstanding anything to the contrary Contained in Rule 8.

Notice of motion to be given at a Meeting. 13. A member may give notice of a motion during a meeting men¬

tioning the meeting of Council at which it is intended to bring forward the same.

Motions without Notice. 14. The following Motions may be made without notice :—

a. Any motion for the confirmation or amendment of tha Minutes of the Council, or for the adoption, modification or the rejection of the report of any Committee.

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b. Any motion that a petition or other paper do lie on the table or be printed or be rejected.

c. Any motion for the adjournment of the Council or of a debate.

i d. Any motion for the suspension of the standing orders. ~ e. Any motion for the withdrawal of strangers.

'X. / J^Lny motion made when Coancil is in Committee. (/. Any motion the urgency of which is admitted by the major¬

ity of the members present. Notice of Questions.

15. Notice of intention to ask a question of any member if not given at a meeting must two days at least before the meeting of the Council at which such question is to be asked be sent in writing to the Clerk who shall communicate the same to the Governor and to the member of whom the question is to be asked not less than 24 hours before the meeting at which it is intended to ask the question. Provided that nothing herein contained shall prevent a member from putting a question without notice if the President so permit.

Questions &c. for debate. Bules of debate. 16. It shall be competent for any member of the Legislative

Council to propose any question for debate therein and such question if seconded by any other member shall be debated and disposed of

„># according to the Rules and Standing Orders of the Council. Provided that no Ordinance, vote, resolution or question the object or effect of which may be to dispose or charge any part of the revenue arising within the Colony shall be proposed by any member other than the Governor, unless the proposal of the same shall have been expressly allowed or directed by him.

Members to address President when speaking. 17. Every member except the President shall speak standing and

shall address himself to the President and this whether the Council be in Committee or not.

Members not to be referred to by name.

18. No member shall refer to any other member by name except in the case of reference to an unofficial member and then only in so far as is necessary for the purpose of the debate.

Interruption. ^i 19. No member shall interrupt another who is speaking except by

rising to order. A member rising to order shall simply direct attention * to the point which he desires to bring to notice and submit to the

President for his decision.

Procedure when two members rise together. 20. If two or more members rise at the same time the President

shall decide which of them shall address the Council first.



' Speech not to be read. 21. A member may not read his speech but he may read extracts

from written or printed documents to refresh his memory in support of his argument. President's authority.

22. It shall be the duty of the President on his own motion to enforce all Rules and Standing Orders, and when the President addresses the Council any member speaking shall immediately resume his seat.

No speech to be made on presenting petition. 23. No speech shall be made when presenting a petition beyond such remarks as may be necessary to state the number and general

description of the petitioners the substance of the petition and the Members' opinion that the petition is properly and- 4 respectfully worded. ' j i

Disrespectfully worded petitions. { r 24. If any member considers that a Petition presented is disres¬

pectful in its language or that there is any sufficient rdfcson why it should not be received he may move its rejection and if such motion be duly seconded and carried such petition shall not be received.

No debate on a question aslced. 2o. When a question has been asked and answered no further

debate thereon shall be permitted. How often members may speak.

26. No Member may speak more than once on any question ex¬ cept when the Council is in Committee—Provided that nothing here¬ in contained shall prevent the mover of any motion from a right of reply at the close of a debate nor any Member offering a personal explanation if he considers that he has been misapprehended in any statement made by him.

Motion or amendment to be seconded. 27. The mover of any motion or amendment may speak in support

thereof, but no further debate shall be allowed whether the Council be in Committee or not until the motion or amendment has been duly seconded.

Order in which amendments should be considered. 28. If an amendment has been moved and seconded it shall be

considered and put to the vote before the original question. If an amendment of a proposed amendment be moved and seconded it shall be considered as if the previous amendment thereto were an original question.

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Amended Standing Rules and Orders of the Legis¬ lative Council of Sierra Leone framed in pur¬ suance of Article XXI of the Royal Instructions of the 28th day of November 1888, and passed by the Legislative Council on the 20th day of September, 1900.

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS.

Rule 37 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Council of Sierra Leone of the 18th day of October 1892, is hereby repealed and the follow¬ ing is substituted therefor :—

Any of the Standing Orders of the Council may .be suspended by the majority of votes and the "^President shall have an original vote in common

with the other members of the Council, as also a casting vote if, upon the motion for the suspension of any Order, the votes shall be equal.

Passed and adopted by the Legislative Council this 20th day of September, 1900.

Cleric of Legislative Council.

Printed by G. T. Pabkeb, Government Printer. 1900. - - - -

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Rec? c>

Reg* 15 OCT 00



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President may require amendment to be put into writing. 29. Any amendment moved and seconded may be required by the

Prosident to be put into writing by the mover and delivered to the Clerk.

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Bight of speaking not lost if motion is merely seconded ivithout remarks. 30. A member merely seconding a motion without making any further comments will not thereby forfeit his right of subsequently

addi-cssing the Council during the discussion of the motion.

Clauses of Bills to be considered in Committee. 31. When a Bill is in Committee each clause shall be read by the

Clerk and shall be put without motion by the following question. " That this clause shall stand part of the Bill." The clause shall then bo treated as a motion except that a clause may be amended portion by portion the earlier amendments having precedence of the latter.

Filling up of blanlcc. 32. In filling up blanks and in putting questions of amendment

respecting amounts of money, or periods of ume, the question of the smallest amount of money or shortest period of time proposed shall be put first.

Questions to be decided by Majority. 33. All questions proposed for debate shall be decided by the ma¬

jority of votes and the President shall have an original vote in common, with the other members of Council, as also a casting vote if upon any question the votes shall be equal.

Manner of Voting. 34. On a division the votes shall be taken by the Clerk beginning

with the Junior Member. Each member shall in his turn declare he is for or against the motion made and every member present \\hcn a division is taking place must record his vote one way or the other. i

Member voting in minority may have his reasons recorded.

35. Any member voting in the minority who wishes to have his reasons recorded for so voting shall state so forthwith and the reasons shall be recorded either at that or the follow iug ordinary meeting of Council. '

36. After a question lias been once put by the President no farthci discussion thereupon shall bo allowed.

37. Suspension of Standing Orden.

Any o\the Standing Order^of the Council nWy be suspended



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b\ the Vonsent orHhe President and the majority or^the maajberiK- present/^

Business not disposed of to be considered next meeting.

38. Any business not disposed of at the time of any adjourment <* shall stand as an order of the day for the next meeting of Council. T

Enactment of Ordinances. /"

39. In the passing of Ordinances the Governor and Legislative Council shall observe- as far as practicable the following rules.

Form of enacting Ordinances.

a. All laws shall be styled Ordinances and the enacting words shall be ' Enacted by the Governor of Sierra Leone with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof."

Ordinances to be numbered &c.

b. All Ordinances shall be distinguished by titles and shall be divided into successive clauses numbered consecutively and to every such clause there shall be annexed in the margin a short summary of its contents. The Ordinances of each year shall be distinguished by consecutive numbers com¬ mencing in each year with—Number one.

^, Printed copy of Bills to be sent to members. r*^

40. A printed Copy of every Bill shall, in so far as may be possi¬ ble, be sent to each Member twenty four hours at least before it is proposed to read it a first time.

Bills to be published in Gazette after first reading. 41. After having been read a first time every Bill shall, if such is

possible, be published in The Sierra Leone Royal Gazette.

Bills not to be read a second or third time icithout interval of a week betiveen each reading.

42. No Bill shall be read a second time without an interval of one week from the first reading and no Bill shall be read a third tim« without an interval of one week from its second reading.

When a Bill is read a second time Council to go into Committee.

43. When a Bill has been read a second time the Council shall resolve itself into Committee to consider it clause by clause and amend it as may be deemed necessary unless the Bill at this stage be referred to a special Committee. *

Bill being read a third time.

44. A bill may be referred to a special Committee at any time after it sdiall have passed its second reading.

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Bill may be recommitted before third reading and motion carried.

45. If on the third reading of a Bill any member desire to amend or delete any provision contained in the bill or to introduce any fresh provision he may move that the Bill be recommitted and if the motion be agreed to any alteration proposed may be discussed. The Council may then resume and the Bill be read a third time. Amendments mere¬ ly verbal may be made previous to the Bill being read a third time without the Bill being recommitted.

Special Committees of council how chosen 46. The members of a special Committee shall be chosen by the

Council.

Special Committees to consist of three members at least.

47. Every special Committee shall consist of at least three members of Council and shall not be competent to act unless two members are present.

Special Committee to elect chairman thereof. 48. Every special Committee shall elect its own Chairman.

Beport of special Committee to be signed by Chairman.

49. The report of every special Committee shall be signed by the Chairman thereof or in his absence by the senior Member.

Petitions for considering private rights when affected.

50. In any case where individual rights or interests or the proper¬ ty of any private person may be affected by any public or private Bill all parties interested may upon petition for that purpose and on motion, made, seconded and carried be heard before the Council or any Committee thereof either in person or by Counsel.

Examination of witnesses.

51. When it is intended to examine any witnesses the person requiring such witnesses shall deliver to the Clerk a list containing the names, residences and occupations of such witnesses, at least two days before the day appointed for their examination. Any such witnesses m<<y be examined cross examined and re-examined by Council in the same manner as witnesses in any action in the Supreme Court of the Colony and may be questioned by any Member of the Council or of any Committee thereof. The evidence of every such witness shall be taken down by the Clerk and signed by the witness.

Notification of private Bill to be published. 52. Before any private Bill whereby the property of any private

person may be affected is introduced, notification of the intention of the parties to apply for such private bill shall be given by them to the Clerk of the Legislative Council who shall cause the same to be advertised lit the expense of such parties six times consecutively in the Sierra



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Leone Royal Gazette or in such other manner as the Legislative Council may from time to time determine. No private Ordinance shall be passed whereby the property of any private person may bo affected m which there is not a saving of the rights of Her Majesty the Queen, Her Heirs and Successors and of all bodies politic or corporate and of all other persons except such as are mentioned in the Ordinance and those claiming by, from and under them.

Private Bills to be printed &c, at expense of parties interested.

53. All other than General Public Bills must be prepared and printed at the expense of the parties whom they may concern.

Cleric of Council to keep Order Book.

54. The Clerk of the Council shall keep an Order Book in which ho .shall enter and number in succession the subjects intended to be bybugnt under discussion at each meeting.

/ To keep Minutes of proceedings. 55. The Clerk of the Council shall also keep minutes of the

proceedings of the Council and shall send two clear days before each meeting of the Council a copy of the order of the day to each member.

The Clerk of the Council shall attend upon any special Committee of the Council if required to do so.

Strangers may be admitted on orders obtained from Clerk, ^_ f 56. The Clerk of the Council is authorized to issue orders of

admission to any person who may be recommended for such by any member of Council provided that not more orders shall be issued than there is accommodation available for the due comfort of strangers.

Admission of Beporters. Reporter may submit Notes taken to Clerk previous to publication. 57. (1.) The Reporter of any journal may receive a general per¬

mission from the Clerk Council to attend the sittings thereof. (2.) The Proprietor, Editor, Printer or Publisher of any Journal

or Newspaper who shall publish an unfair account of what transpires in Council shall be deemed to have committed a breach of privilege.

(3.) Any Reporter, Proprietor, Editor or other person who takes notes of what is said in Council may before publishing the same submit his notes to the Clerk of the Council in order to ensure a correct report of the proceedings.

Repeal of Rules. • "Ai»r 58. The Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Council Jr-^

Jieretofore in force are hereby repealed.

Printed by Simeon Hehwings John, Government Printer. 50—3-1X-93.



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