Page:Cook Islands Constitution Act 1964.pdf/24

Schedule (2) Every Bill introduced into the Legislative Assembly and every Act shall be in the Maori language as spoken in Rarotonga and also in the English language:

Provided that the Assembly may, by resolution, determine that any Bill or Act shall be in the English language only.

(3) The records of proceedings in the Legislative Assembly or in committees thereof shall be in the English language, and such of those records as are specified in the Standing Orders of the Assembly shall also be in the Maori language as spoken in Rarotonga.

(4) Where there is any conflict between the Maori version and the English version of any Bill or Act or of any such record, the English version shall prevail.

36 Privileges of Legislative Assembly and of its members

(1) The validity of any proceedings in the Legislative Assembly or in any committee thereof shall not be questioned in any Court.

(2) No officer or member or Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in whom powers are vested for the regulation of procedure or the conduct of business or the maintenance of order shall in relation to the exercise by him of any of those powers be subject to the jurisdiction of any Court.

(3) No member or Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and no person entitled to speak therein shall be liable to any proceedings in any Court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him in the Assembly or in any committee thereof.

(4) No person shall be liable to any proceedings in any Court in respect of the publication by or under the authority of the Legislative Assembly of any report, paper, vote, or proceeding.

(5) Subject to the provisions of this Article, the privileges of the Legislative Assembly and of the committees thereof, and the privileges of members and the Speaker of the Assembly and of the persons entitled to speak therein, may be determined by Act:

Provided that no such privilege of the Assembly or of any committee thereof may extend to the imposition of a fine or to committal to prison for contempt or otherwise, unless provision is made by enactment for the trial and punishment of the person concerned by the High Court.

37 Prorogation and dissolution of Legislative Assembly

(1) The High Commissioner may at any time, by notice published in the Cook Islands Gazette, prorogue the Legislative Assembly.

(2) If at any time the office of Premier is vacant, the High Commissioner shall, by notice published in the Cook Islands Gazette, dissolve the Legislative Assembly as soon as he is satisfied, acting in his discretion, that a reasonable period has elapsed since that office was last vacated and that there is no member of the Assembly who commands the confidence of a majority of the members. 24