The Speaker of the House of Assembly has quashed unanswered questions left over from the last session of Parliament.

Stanley Lowe said any previous questions posed in the form of Parliamentary Questions will not receive a forum on the floor of the House.

According to a Government statement, issues raised in recent sittings include queries relating to Government travel.

Mr. Lowe said: “From a Parliamentary perspective, we have conceded to the fact that this is a new Parliament and as such, all matters, proceedings etc. which were pending prior to the prorogation of Parliament on May 9, are quashed.

“In that vein, Ministers will not be required or obligated to respond to the questions put on Ministerial travel prior to December 20, 2007.”

In response to the Speaker's decision Premier Ewart Brown said: “The floor of the House is where substantive debate is supposed to occur. It is an outright rejection by the Speaker of the Opposition’s time-wasting questions about travel and the like.”

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