PART B
SESSIONS, MEETINGS AND ADJOURNMENTS OF THE COUNCIL

11. Ordinary Sessions

    (1)At least one session of the Council shall be convened in every calendar year, but a session which begins in one calendar year may be continued and concluded in the following year.

    (2)A session shall begin on such date as the Chief Executive may appoint by notice published in the Gazette.

    (3)A session shall end on such date as the Chief Executive may appoint by notice published in the Gazette, or on a dissolution of the Council, whichever is the earlier.

    (4)The consideration of any bill or other business of the Council is not to be affected by the end of a session and may be resumed at any subsequent meeting, but is to lapse at the end of a term of office or on a dissolution of the Council.
12. First Meeting of Term
    (1)At the first meeting of a term, Members shall make or subscribe an oath or affirmation as provided for under Rule 1 (Oath or Affirmation).

    (2)After all Members present have made or subscribed an oath or affirmation, the election of the President shall be conducted in accordance with the procedure as provided for under Rule 4 (Election of President).

    (3)The President shall, after his election, preside at that meeting.
13. The Chief Executive's Policy Address
    (1A)The Chief Executive shall deliver a Policy Address to the Council, if he so wishes, at the first meeting of a session. (L.N. 107 of 1999)

    (1)At a meeting not less than 14 days after the Chief Executive has presented a Policy Address to the Council, a motion may be moved without notice for an address of thanks to the Chief Executive for his address.

    (2)A motion under subrule (1) shall be moved in the following form:

    "That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address."

    (3)Amendments may be moved to the motion described in subrule (2) only by way of adding words at the end of the motion and may be moved without notice.
14. Days and Hours of Meetings
    (1)Meetings of the Council during each session shall be held on such days and shall begin at such hour as the President shall determine but a period of 6 weeks shall not elapse between the date of one meeting and the date appointed for the next meeting in the same session.

    (2)Written notice of every meeting of the Council, other than the first meeting of a new session and meetings held within 14 clear days of the commencement of the first session of a term of the Council, shall be given by the Clerk to Members at least 14 clear days before the day of the meeting but in cases of emergency and meetings held for the purposes of Rule 8 (Attendance of the Chief Executive) and Rule 15 (Meetings for Urgent Business) the President may dispense with such notice and in that event the longest possible notice shall be given.

    (3)The President may, at any time after he has determined the day and hour upon which a meeting is to begin, change the day or hour so determined to a later day or hour, or to an earlier day or hour.

    (4)When in the opinion of the President it is necessary for the proper completion of the business on the Agenda of the Council at a meeting of the Council to continue any unfinished business on another day, the President may order that the meeting shall continue on such other day for that purpose. Where the President so orders at a meeting of the Council, the meeting shall stand suspended and shall resume for the continuation of business on such other day.

    (5)The President may at any time suspend a meeting or adjourn the Council.
15. Meetings for Urgent Business
    (1)The President shall, at the request of the Chief Executive, call emergency meetings of the Council. Where such a meeting is to be held during the period after the end of a term of office or the dissolution of the Council, it shall be convened before the date (if more than one, the first date) specified for the holding of a general election for all the Members of the Legislative Council.

    (2)During any period when the Council is in recess between the end of one session and the beginning of the next session, the President may call a special meeting of the Council on such day and at such hour as he may specify.

    (3)These Rules of Procedure shall apply to a meeting of the Council held under subrules (1) and (2).
16. Motions for the Adjournment of the Council
    (1)When for any sufficient reason it is not desired to formulate a motion in express terms for the purpose of debating an issue or issues, a motion that the Council do now adjourn may be moved for the purpose of such a debate.

    (2)Such a motion shall not require notice and may be moved only between two items of business. It may be moved by a Member or any designated public officer attending the meeting, with the permission of the President, if the President is satisfied that the adjournment is for the purpose of discussing a specific issue of urgent public importance.

    (3)If such a motion shall be agreed to, the Council shall stand adjourned.

    (4)At the conclusion of all the business on the Agenda of the Council a Member may move that this Council do now adjourn, for the purpose of raising any issue concerning public interest, with a view to eliciting a reply from a designated public officer.

    (5)A Member who wishes to move a motion under the provisions of subrule (4) shall give notice of the issue in writing to the Clerk not less than 7 clear days before the meeting at which he wishes to do so:

    Provided that the President may in his discretion dispense with such notice.

    (6)If at the expiration of 45 minutes, or such longer period as the President may at any meeting determine, from the moving of a motion under subrule (4) a designated public officer has not yet been called upon to reply, the President shall direct the Member then speaking to resume his seat and shall call upon a designated public officer to reply.

    (7)If at the expiration of one hour, or such longer period as the President may at any meeting determine, from the moving of the motion under subrule (4) such motion has not been agreed to, the President shall adjourn the Council without putting any question.
17. Quorum
    (1)The quorum of the Council and of a committee of the whole Council shall be not less than one half of all its Members including the President or Chairman.

    (2)If the attention of the President is drawn to the fact that a quorum is not present, he shall direct the Members to be summoned. If after 15 minutes have expired a quorum is not present, he shall adjourn the Council without question put.

    (3)If the attention of the Chairman in committee of the whole Council is drawn to the fact that a quorum is not present, he shall direct the Members to be summoned. If after 15 minutes have expired, a quorum is not then present the Council shall be resumed and the President shall count the Council. If a quorum is then present the Council shall again resolve itself into committee but if a quorum is not present the President shall adjourn the Council without question put.

    (4)If from the number of Members present at a division, including those who abstained from voting, it appears that a quorum is not present, the division shall be invalid, and the procedure prescribed in subrule (2) or (3) shall be followed.

    (5)The question on which the Council is adjourned under subrules (2), (3) and (4) shall stand over until the next meeting.