Covid 19 coronavirus: Parliament to sit again a month after adjourning

Parliament will sit again on April 28 for the first time since it closed for the Covid-19 lockdown on March 25.

Parliament's cross-party Business Committee met today and agreed Parliament would start again on that date, as was set when it was first adjourned.

That will apply regardless of whether a lockdown is still in place.

However, it will meet in much smaller numbers than the usual 120 MPs.

When it last met on March 25 to pass the laws required to allow the Government to spend on its Covid-19 response, only 30 were allowed to provide for distancing.

It is understood the Government has agreed not to put any non-Covid 19 related legislation forward, and to a Question Time each sitting day but it may not be the usual 12 questions.

Conventions around the sittings of Parliament mean the only way to close down Parliament further would be for the Prime Minister to ask the Governor-General to formally prorogue Parliament.

That process allows for a temporary closure, and is rarely used.

It is likely the first priority for Parliament will be passing more Covid-19 legislation.

After Parliament adjourned, a special committee of MPs from all parties was set up to scrutinise the Covid-19 response instead, chaired by National Party leader Simon Bridges.

That Epidemic Response Committee will continue to meet next week, via meetings held on Zoom and livestreamed.

NeedToKnow3