Poor attendance brought up as Solomons parliament is dissolved

The Solomon Islands Speaker of Parliament has admonished MPs for their poor attendance as the House was dissolved ahead of elections next year.

The government is now in caretaker mode until the elections, expected to take place in March.

The Solomon Star newspaper reported a wide range of issues being raised by MPs as the 10th parliament concluded last night, having run all weekend.

Speaker Ajilon Nasiu also chastised members for their lacklustre attendance which resulted in several sessions having no quorum and many adjournments.

He said he hoped the next parliament performed better in this regard.

In wrapping up, the prime minister Rick Hou extended his thanks to MPs, development partners and the wider public for their contributions over the past four years.

Despite the Speaker's comments, Mr Hou said the 10th parliament had been very productive with the passing of 42 Bills including several firsts like an anti-corruption act and dual citizenship legislation.