Order in the House and in Committee

(1) The Speaker or the Chairman, after having called the attention of the House or of the Committee, to the conduct of a Member who persists in irrelevance, or tedious repetition either of his own arguments or of the arguments used by other Members in debate, may direct him to discontinue his speech and to resume his seat. (2) Any Member may, after the Speaker or Chairman, as the case may be, has under paragraph (1) of this Standing Order once called the attention of the House or Committee to the conduct of a member who persists in irrelevance or tedious repetition of his own arguments or of the arguments used by other Members in the debate, move that the Member be no longer heard and such Motion shall be put forthwith without amendment or debate. Belize Constitution 49 (3) The Speaker or the Chairman shall order any Member to withdraw immediately from the House during the remainder of the day’s sitting and may direct such steps to be taken, as are required, to enforce such order– (a) where the conduct of such Member is grossly disorderly; or (b) where such Member has used objectionable, abusive, insulting or offensive words or language or unparliamentary expressions, and, on being called to order, has refused to withdraw such words or language or expressions, and has not offered an apology; for the use thereof to the satisfaction of the (4) If an order under paragraph (2) of this Standing Order be not complied with at once, or if, on any occasion, the Speaker or the Chairman considers that his powers under that paragraph are inadequate, he may name such Member in pursuance of paragraph (5) or paragraph (6) of this Standing Order. (5) If a Member shows disregard for the authority of the Chair, or abuses the rules of the House by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business of the House or otherwise, the Speaker shall direct the attention of the House thereto, mentioning by name the Member concerned. The Speaker shall then call upon a Minister to move “That Mr. ......................be suspended from the service of the House”, and the Speaker shall forthwith put the question, no seconder being required and no amendment, adjournment or debate being allowed. (6) If the offence has been committed in a Committee of the whole House, the Chairman shall forthwith suspend the proceedings of the Committee and, as soon as the House has resumed, shall report the circumstances to the House, 50 Belize Constitution whereupon the procedure provided for in the preceding paragraph shall be followed. (7) If a Member is suspended under any provisions of this Standing Order, his suspension shall continue until it is terminated by resolution of the House or, if no such resolution is come to, until the end of the Session. (8) Not more than one Member shall be named at the same time, unless several Members present together have jointly disregarded the authority of the Chair. (9) A Member who is ordered to withdraw under the provisions of paragraph (3) of this Standing Order, or who is suspended under the provisions of paragraphs (4) to (6) of this Standing Order, shall forthwith leave the House and its precincts. A Member who is suspended shall not be entitled to attend any sitting of the House, or enter the House or its precincts, until the termination of his suspension. (10) If any Member, who is ordered to withdraw or who is suspended under this Standing Order, refuses at any time to obey the direction of the Speaker to withdraw from the House and its precincts, the Speaker shall call the attention of the House to the fact that recourse to force is necessary in order to compel obedience to his direction, and the Member named by him as having so refused to obey his direction shall thereupon, without further question put, be suspended from the service of the House during the remainder of the Session. (11) If resort to force is necessary, the Speaker may suspend the sitting during the removal of the Member and invoke the assistance of any police officer in ejecting the offending Member and such officer shall, for the purposes of this Order, be deemed to be an Officer of the House. (12) In the case of grave disorder arising in the House, the Speaker may, if he thinks it necessary to do so, adjourn the Belize Constitution 51 House without question put, or suspend the sitting for a time to be named by him. (13) Repealed. (14) Nothing in this Order shall be taken to deprive the House of the power of proceedings against any Member according to any resolution of the House. CAP. 4.