Mr. Speaker, the current Orders of the Day include the item "Reports of Standing and Special Committees" as the 11th item of business on a typical day in the House.

Under this item, the Chair or another member of the standing or special committee may report on any issue or subject matter that is before the committee or is under the terms of its mandate.

In discussing this issue during the meetings on June 6, 2000, November 1, 2000, January 12, 2001, March 1, 2001 and June 6, 2001, committee members noted that while the item was indeed on the order paper and committees were not unduly restricted in its use, its position on the orders did not allow it to be used as an effective public information tool as it occurs later in the day and is not televised.

There are practical limitations on the amount of television coverage each day. It generally ceases after oral question period. The majority of NWT residents in communities outside the capital receive their only exposure to the House through an hour and a half of these televised proceedings. Therefore, any House proceedings occurring after oral question period on a normal sitting day are not captured and transmitted to residents in the same fashion as those items on the order paper up to and including oral question period.