Standing Orders

The National Assembly is made up of representatives of elected political parties who sit within the walls of Parliament to represent the interests of the population. To do its work in an efficient, effective and transparent manner, the National Assembly is governed by a set of rules and guidelines known as parliamentary Standing Orders.

Subsidiary Legislation

According to the Interpretation and General Clauses Act subsidiary legislation is defined as any proclamation, rule, regulation, order, by-law, resolution, notice, notification, direction or other instrument , made under or by virtue of any Act, and having legislative effect; and ‘rule’ includes rule of court.

Acts of Parliament

An Act is a bill which has been passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the His Excellency the President and has been proclaimed through publication in the Official Gazette.

Minutes

Minutes of the proceedings of each sitting of the National Assembly is a record of the business of each Sitting. It contains the names of Members who attended the Sitting, the decisions taken and the details of divisions held.

Motions

A motion is a proposal made for the purpose of eliciting a decision of the Assembly on a specific matter.

Parliamentary Reports

These are documents  formally presented to the National Assembly at its Sittings for example the Auditor General’s Reports, Annual Reports of Ministries, Policy Papers, Customs Orders, etc.

Glossary of Parliamentary Procedures

Parliamentary Procedure in the National Assembly of Guyana has been evolving since Guyana attained Independence on May 26, 1966 and more so 2003 to present. The definitions in the Glossary are presented for information purposes only. They do not constitute a procedural authority.

Parliamentary Agendas

This is a document prepared by the Parliament Office outlining all the activities during a week specifically dates of Sittings and meetings of Parliamentary Committees.

Documents Laid

These are all documents presented formally to the National Assembly such as certain Orders, Regulations, Reports etc.

Order Papers

Order Paper is the name given to the Parliamentary document which contains the business for a Sitting of the National Assembly. This is the only notice Members will be given to attend a Sitting of the National Assembly.