SINGAPORE - Parliament has gone into its customary mid-term break from Friday and will reconvene on April 10 with a fresh agenda. 

The new session of the 14th Parliament will kick off with an address by President Halimah Yacob at 8.30pm on April 10, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Friday. She will outline the Government’s priorities, policies and programmes for the rest of its term ahead of the next election, which has to be held by 2025. 

Additionally, if Madam Halimah does not seek a second term in the upcoming presidential election to be held this year, this will be her third and last President’s Address.

The two-week recess, known as a prorogue, marks the mid-point of the Government’s term.

“This recess allows us to review important issues and set the direction of the Government,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a Facebook post on Friday. “MPs will discuss these further in the debate on the motion of thanks for the President’s Address.”

What is proroguing? Why does it need to happen?

The prorogation of Parliament means that it is in recess, or its activities are temporarily put on hold. This should not be confused with the dissolution of Parliament, which would lead to a general election, said the Office of the Clerk of Parliament.

Each term of Parliament lasts for a maximum of five years, with prorogation typically happening around the mid-point.

The prorogation of Parliament requires a proclamation by the President made in the Government gazette.

When asked about why there is a need for prorogation, the Office of the Clerk of Parliament said the prorogation allows the Government to take stock of what has been achieved and to announce its plans, policies and programmes for the remaining term of Parliament through the President’s Address.

Until Friday, Parliament has been prorogued 12 times since Independence. The last break took place in April 2018.

What happens when Parliament is prorogued?

Once the recess is announced, all proceedings and parliamentary business will stop, and this includes sittings and Select Committee meetings, said the Office of the Clerk of Parliament.

All pending proceedings on a draft law that has already been introduced in Parliament at this point will not lapse but will be carried over to the new session.

Parliamentary appointments – such as Speaker of Parliament or Leader of the Opposition – also remain intact and are carried over to the new session.

However, all pending questions and motions submitted by MPs at the time of prorogation will lapse and have to be refiled in the new session of Parliament.

What happens after Parliament resumes?

After prorogation, Parliament will convene a new session, in this case on April 10. This will be marked by a formal ceremony known as the opening of Parliament, which will witness the President’s Address, a formal speech delivered by the President on behalf of the Government in the House.

The speech will highlight the proposed direction, policies and programme of the Government in the new session, which is during the second half of the Government’s term.

After the opening ceremony, Parliament will be adjourned for a number of days, and the various ministries will unveil more details of their respective plans in public statements known as Addenda to the President’s Address.

At the next Parliament sitting, the House will begin a five-day debate on the address.

Officially, the debate is on a motion of thanks to the President for her speech. In practice, it is an opportunity for MPs to scrutinise and discuss the Government’s plans and for ministers to provide explanations.

At the end of the debate, the motion of thanks will be voted on by MPs.

What is the President’s Address?

Though delivered by the President, the address is typically crafted by the government of the day to set out its broad plans for the priorities, policies and programmes for the rest of its term.

This tradition is a legacy of the Westminster system of government. It is the equivalent of the Queen or King’s Speech that marks the opening of Britain’s Parliament.

Similar speeches were delivered by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (head of state) and the Governor of Singapore to Singapore’s first Parliament and its predecessor, the Legislative Assembly, before the office of the President was established.