Following last week’s hectic schedule, Parliament has eased up this week, but only just a touch. Committees will continue examining government departments and state entities on their 2013/14 Annual Reports in preparation of their Budgetary Review and Recommendations Reports. These reports may include proposals on the future use of resources and are a critical part of Parliament’s engagement with the budget for the following year.
The National Assembly has scheduled its first plenary sitting for the final term since the legislature’s resumption. All eyes will however be on the Minister of Finance as he presents the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), together with the Adjustments Appropriation Bill on Wednesday. The MTBPS outlines the economic context against which the 2015 budget is being formulated and sets out the spending framework for the next three years. It is an opportunity for government to modify expenditure and revenue patterns so that delivery is accelerated. On the following day, the Minister of Human Settlements will make a statement on the Report of the Ministerial Inquiry into the Eviction of the Informal Settlement Community of Nomzamo (Lwandle).
The Ad hoc Committee on Nkandla and the Powers and Privileges Committee considering charges of contempt against EFF members continue to grab attention. Witnesses have been called to give evidence to the Powers and Privileges Committee about the role they played during the period just before the suspension of the sitting until the adjournment of the House.
There are many parliamentary committee meetings planned for the week. Here are some of the highlights:
On Tuesday, Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry will have a colloquium on beneficiation, with the purpose of identifying blockages in the trade and industry sector and recommend proposals to alleviate them.
On Wednesday, the Public Protector will be in the spotlight when she presents her Office’s Annual Report for 2013/14. This is expected to be an interesting encounter given her previous run-ins with the Justice Committee and recent utterances by ruling party MPs about her.
On Thursday, the National Assembly Rules Committee will discuss guidelines for motions without notice; determine the time and order for party responses to ministerial statements as well as other procedural matters that have been raised during the Fifth Parliament.
On the legislative side, National Treasury will present the 2014 Division of Revenue Amendment Bill and the 2014 Adjustments Appropriation Bill to MPs. Also, the Select Committee on Finance will get a briefing from National Treasury on the Development Bank of Southern Africa Amendment Bill.
You can find a full list of meetings for this week here.
Comments
Keep comments free of racism, sexism, homophobia and abusive language. People's Assembly reserves the right to delete and edit comments
(For newest comments first please choose 'Newest' from the 'Sort by' dropdown below.)