On Thursday 10 February 2022, Ms Orr MLA moved—“That Ms Lawder’s motion, relating to the proposed establishment of a Select Committee on Estimates 2022-2023, be referred to the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure and brought back in the March sittings.”, viz:

“That:

  1. a Select Committee on Estimates 2022-2023 be appointed to examine the expenditure proposals contained in the Appropriation Bill 2022‑2023, the Appropriation (Office of the Legislative Assembly) Bill 2022‑2023 and any revenue estimates proposed by the Government in the 2022‑2023 Budget and prepare a report to the Assembly;
  2. the Committee be composed of:

      (a) two Members to be nominated by the Government;

      (b) two Members to be nominated by the Opposition; and

      (c) one Member to be nominated by the Greens; and

      to be notified in writing to the Speaker within two hours of this motion passing;

  3. an Opposition Member shall be elected chair of the Committee by the Committee;
  4. funds be provided by the Assembly to permit the engagement of external expertise to work with the Committee to facilitate the analysis of the Budget and the preparation of the report of the Committee;
  5. the Committee is to report by Friday, 29 July 2022;
  6. if the Assembly is not sitting when the Committee has completed its inquiry, the Committee may send its report to the Speaker or, in the absence of the Speaker, to the Deputy Speaker, who is authorised to give directions for its printing, publishing and circulation; and
  7. the foregoing provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders.”

Subsequently, the Assembly resolved that the proposed establishment of a Select Committee on Estimates 2022-2023 be referred to the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure.

On 22 March 2022, the Chair made a statement in the Assembly, under standing order 246A, informing the Assembly that, in order to fully evaluate whether examination of the 2022-2023 Budget should be undertaken by a select committee or by standing committees, the Standing Committee on Administration and Procedure recommends that a select committee be established so that the Assembly could more easily consider both processes.