Parliament takes mid-term break, will reopen on April 10
A view of the Parliament House.
SINGAPORE — Parliament will take a mid-term break on Friday (March 24), known as a prorogue, and reopen on April 10 with a President’s Address at 8.30pm.
In her address, President Halimah Yacob will announce the priorities, policies and programmes of the Government for the remainder of the current term of office. This will be her final address for her present term of presidency.
The House will then debate these policies and programmes.
A prorogue refers to the termination of a session of Parliament. On prorogation and until the opening of the new session, Parliament is said to be in recess. All business and proceedings pending at the time of prorogation will be carried over to the next session.
In this instance, the prorogue marks a mid-term break for the current Parliament, which was sworn in after the 2020 General Election. The next General Election is due to be held by 2025.
These mid-term breaks typically last a few weeks to about a month, and are meant for members of the House to take stock of what they have done so far.
In a statement, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: "The recess allows us to review important issues and set the direction of the Government."
