Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President Ntate Kgalema Motlanthe, hon members, we meet today in the context of a nation and a world under severe financial strain. But, despite the obvious negative implications, it is a context that compels us to be more creative and innovative in the way we live as individuals and indeed as a nation, a context that implores us to challenge our individual and collective resolve to exercise greater responsibility in the use of financial and other resources.
As the fourth Parliament, it is a time that presents not only enormous challenges, but also exciting opportunities. As we reflect on the current Budget Vote for Parliament, let us do so critically, but also with innovation and foresight.
As the democratically elected representatives of our people, we have the honourable task to ensure government by the people under the Constitution. In doing so, I call upon all parties represented in this Chamber to heed the call of our President for a robust and engaged Parliament, a Parliament focused on enhancing service delivery for the social and economic upliftment of all South Africans, a Parliament that asserts its rightful role and status as one of the key institutions of democracy - one that not only holds government accountable for more effective and efficient delivery, but that is itself accountable to all South Africans for ensuring that their needs find expression and are addressed.
The President called for an "activist" parliament. Let us accept this as an opportunity to define our role in a new form of social mobilisation towards realising the development goals of our nation, entrenching democracy and contributing towards nation-building.
I think this is an opportune moment, given the context, to reflect critically on the proportional allocation of Parliament's Budget Vote as one of the three arms of government in relation to the other Budget Votes comprising the national budget. Over the financial years of the third term, Parliament's total budget constituted less than 1% of the annual national budget. For the current financial year Parliament's budget constitutes 0,18% of the national budget. By comparison, the allocations to national departments range from 0,3% to 48,4% of the total national budget. For example, the Department of Public Works budget is 0,72% of the national budget, which is substantially larger than that allocated to the entire Parliament. Surely this should be a subject for further consideration and debate to redress the imbalance?
As we begin engaging with our responsibilities as the fourth Parliament, it is useful to reflect on the key developments of the Third Parliament - that is, in a sense, our homework given to us by our predecessors. These are the so-called legacy issues.
I take this opportunity to mention some of the key issues emanating from the Third Parliament with regard to which we must exercise our minds and chart the way forward. As part of its strategic objective of enhancing its oversight role, the Third Parliament adopted an oversight model. We are now charged with developing a framework and processes for its implementation.
One of the outcomes of the involvement of the Third Parliament in our country's self-assessment process, as part of the peer review mechanism, was the establishment of an independent panel for the assessment of Parliament. The panel submitted its report to the Speaker and Chairperson of the Third Parliament on 13 January 2009. The report contains various recommendations that we should debate and consider for possible adoption and implementation. The Third Parliament also received the report of the ad hoc committee on the review of Chapter 9 and associated institutions. The recommendation of the committee on the establishment of a unit to co-ordinate and streamline the interaction between Parliament and such institutions was adopted and plans are under way for its implementation. It would be important for us to consider the report in its entirety as the fourth Parliament and determine how best to address the matters raised in the report.
The Third Parliament also embarked on the ambitious and unenviable task of addressing the growing need for adequate infrastructure in the buildings of Parliament - the so-called space utilisation project. I am sure that Members of Parliament would appreciate that this is a matter which should require our earnest attention. It is a project that goes beyond the provision of office space, parking and other facilities and meeting venues. Indeed, it is a matter which relates directly to Parliament's capacity to increase public participation and involvement in the parliamentary processes by providing adequate venues and facilities to support this responsibility.
The Third Parliament passed the Financial Management of Parliament Act. This Act presents clear responsibilities for the executive authority, accounting officer and all officials who are granted delegation of authority to manage finances in Parliament. In this regard, I would like all officials of Parliament to know that greater fiscal responsibilities and accountabilities will be demanded and enforced without fear or favour in all their operations. Transparent, efficient and effective use of Parliament's budget would also call on Members of Parliament to be responsible and frugal in their request for resources. It goes without saying that this is, of course, without compromising their roles and responsibilities. In addition, I would like to point out, with some humility, that the Act also compels the Minister of Finance to consult with the presiding officers before finalising the allocation to Parliament.
The Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act passed by the third Parliament began to lay the foundation for the kind of activist Parliament we envisage. This Act clearly reflects the level of maturity of our democracy. Parliament is now empowered to make adjustments to the budgets of national departments, thereby providing an opportunity to ensure that public needs and concerns are prioritised in government's financial allocations and programmes. This, of course, will be done in close consultation and interaction with the relevant Ministers and departments.
Clearly, this is a task which carries great responsibility, one that will begin to reframe the nature of the relationship between Parliament as a legislature and the executive as the custodians of service delivery. Parliament would need to develop the capacity amongst its members and staff to exercise this effectively. The Act calls for the establishment of a budget office in Parliament to support this function. Adequate financial and human resources would be required to effectively leverage the benefits of this important Act.
The current budget represents, in a sense, a transitional budget in moving from the third to the Fourth Parliament through our national elections earlier this year. Therefore, apart from the specific responsibilities we take over from the third Parliament, it is moreover our responsibility to develop our own set of priorities and expected outcomes of this Parliament. Indeed, it is only in crafting our strategic plan that we would be adequately able to engage and decide on our budget requirements in the medium term. This would obviously require an inclusive and participatory process.
I would, however, like to express some of the possible strategic questions to hopefully stimulate thinking and debate amongst the members of this House towards developing our strategic plan. Firstly, what would be the contribution of the Fourth Parliament in furthering the areas of focus expressed by the President in his state of the nation address? As part of this, Parliament should embark on measuring the impact of laws passed since 1994. Where changes need to be made to improve service delivery, these would need to be prioritised.
Secondly, beyond the explicit constitutional mandate of legislation and oversight, what would be the role of this Parliament in nation-building? I believe that Parliament represents a unique space to lead national dialogue and create a national consensus on issues of national concern and national interest. As the democratically elected representatives of our people, we bring together the diversity of experiences, cultures and views to be channelled towards formulating a common path to realising a better quality of life for all South Africans.
Thirdly, what would be the impact of the fourth Parliament in building democracy nationally and internationally? This would include reflection on whether Parliament meaningfully represented the will of the people of South Africa, both nationally and internationally, in governance issues affecting their lives. A more active role in the formative stages of international agreements and treaties and the role of Parliament in advancing democracy in Africa would need to be considered here.
Giving effect to this new thinking amongst Members of Parliament on the roles and functions of Parliament would also require a new thinking and approach by the parliamentary administration. The streamlining of support services, in the context of severely limited resources, is imperative. Furthermore, I call for the highest level of work ethics and for the ethical and professional conduct of all staff and management. Staff and indeed Members of Parliament are required to respect, promote and uphold the dignity and reputation of Parliament at all times. [Applause.]
At this point I would like to report that the presiding officers have received a report from the chairperson of the disciplinary hearing regarding the Secretary to Parliament, Mr Zingile Dingani. Mr Zingile Dingani was suspended in March 2009, after Parliament's presiding officers at the time instituted disciplinary proceedings. These related to conduct inconsistent with the functioning of the Secretary to Parliament and dereliction of duty, following an investigation into the activities of the National Council of Provinces Secretary, Adv Lulama Matyolo-Dube. The disciplinary panel has found no conclusive evidence against the Secretary to Parliament. He was cleared on all charges. The Secretary to Parliament will resume his duties from 6 July 2009. Parliament will issue a press statement to this effect before the close of business today.
The matter of the disciplinary hearing of the Secretary to the National Council of Provinces, Adv Lulama Matyolo-Dube, has not been finalised yet. We will make the necessary announcement once the proceedings are concluded. Further disciplinary proceedings are being instituted against other parliamentary officials following recommendations from the KPMG report that action be taken. Parliament will make announcements about the outcome of these proceedings when they have been concluded. One must be mindful of the fact that the current budget is seen as a transitional budget from the third Parliament. The Budget Vote of Parliament for the 2009-10 financial year is divided into two components, namely the direct charge against the National Revenue Fund, which is an allocation for members' remuneration; and the expenditure appropriated in the Appropriation Bill, which, in turn, is subdivided into five strategic programmes.
When the direct charge for members' remuneration is excluded from the total budget, the allocation of the remainder of the allocation, as reflected in the Vote, has grown at an average annual rate of 16% from 2005-06 to the 2008-09 financial year. The 2009-10 appropriation amounts to R974,1 million. This is divided into five programmes. I will just give a synopsis of these, as the comprehensive details about them are available in the Appropriation Bill and in the Estimates of National Expenditure for 2009. Members can look that up themselves.
Programme 1 represents the proposed budget allocation for the administration programme. The purpose of this programme is to provide strategic leadership, institutional policy, overall management, administration and corporate services to Parliament's executive, management and staff. The 2009-10 budget allocation for Programme 1 amounts to R247,8 million.
Programme 2 represents the proposed allocation for legislation and oversight. The purpose of this programme is to provide procedural and administrative services for Parliament to carry out its core functions. In addition, the purpose of the programme is to pass legislation and oversee executive action. The 2009-10 budget allocation for Programme 2 amounts to R187 million.
Programme 3 represents the proposed allocation for the public and international participation programme. The purpose of this programme is to carry out Parliament's role in public and in international participation and to provide support for the underlying activities. The 2009-10 budget allocation for Programme 3 amounts to R67,8 million.
Programme 4 represents the proposed allocation for the members' facilities programme. The purpose of this programme is to provide telephone, travel and other facilities to Members of Parliament in both the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. The 2009-10 budget allocation for this programme amounts to R212 million.
Programme 5 represents the proposed allocation for the associated services programme. The purpose of this programme is to provide financial support to political parties represented in Parliament and to its leaders and constituency offices. The 2009-10 budget allocation for Programme 5 amounts to R258,7 million. In the submission of the budget proposal, Parliament indicated its policy imperatives which had to be funded in the 2009-10 financial year. Amongst other things, some of the policy imperatives included provision of generic training for members in budget oversight. The training requires an amount of R8 million over the 2009-10 period.
There is a need for additional support staff for members. This policy is underfunded for this financial year.
There has been a need to establish a unit on Chapter 9 institutions. This did not receive a budget allocation in the current budget. The establishment of an oversight advisory section has also not been funded. There is also a need for enhanced international participation and the filling of posts in the Language Services Section. Given these priorities expressed by the third Parliament, the current budget is underfunded by approximately R143 million.
In conclusion, I would again like to encourage all members of this House to engage actively with the challenges and opportunities presented to us. How we translate these into adequate budget allocations for future years of our term will be crucial in determining the degree of our success in rising to the challenge of a truly democratic, robust and engaged people's Parliament. I thank you. [Applause.]
Sekela-Somlomo ohloniphekileyo Motlatsa Presidente wa Rephaboliki ya Aforika Borwa, Rre Kgalema Motlanthe malungu ahloniphekile esishayamthetho, ndi masiari. [U vhanda zwanda.] [Hon Speaker, Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa Mr Kgalema Motlanthe, hon members of the legislature, good afternoon.] [Applause.]
If the masses of our people are behind us, what can defeat us?
The IFP! [Laughter.]
We are privileged to be given an opportunity to serve such a nation: a nation of leaders, a nation that does not have the word "problem" in its vocabulary, but a nation that has challenges to overcome.
This is one of the few nations in the world where the descendents of the slaves and the descendents of the slave owners sat down together around the table to shape the history of their country. We are privileged to be their public representatives. We dare not fail them.
Today as South Africans we are respected the world over owing to our ability to overcome adversity and find common ground to beat the odds and achieve more than expected.
Amongst our achievements as a nation are the following. General Jan Christiaan Smuts is credited with crafting the preamble to the United Nations Charter in 1945. The late President of the ANC, Inkosi Albert Luthuli, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1961, becoming the first African ever to receive the prize. The most famous statesman ever, Nelson Mandela, was our first President. The Mandela brand competes with the best in the world. The first heart transplant was done by Dr Christiaan Barnard in Cape Town, South Africa. The South African national rugby team, the Springboks, has won the Rugby World Cup twice already and, a few days ago, won the test series against the British and Irish Lions. Our soccer team won the African Cup of Nations on its second attempt. The supremely talented Patrick "Ace" Ntsoelengoe was inducted into the United States National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003. Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron is known as one of the greatest actresses of our time. Ladysmith Black Mambazo has won more than two Grammy Awards.
There are also many unsung heroes and heroines who are doing volunteer work, assisting people less privileged than themselves. We were the founders of the World Federation of Trade Unions in 1945. We have listed all these individuals and collectives irrespective of their political persuasions to demonstrate the ability of South Africans to defy all odds.
We are a nation of warriors that Hintsa and Sekhukhune led, the patriots that Cetshwayo and Mphephu took to battle, and the soldiers Moshoeshoe and Ngungunyane taught never to dishonour the cause of freedom.
Fellow South Africans, we know that there are challenges, ranging from the economic meltdown to unemployment, but our fighting spirit as a nation will not allow us to despair because we know that freedom or death, victory is certain.
Exactly one week ago our people countrywide celebrated the 54th anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter by the Congress of the People gathered in Kliptown in 1955. The first consultative conference of the ANC held in Morogoro in 1969 stated the following in analysing the Freedom Charter:
The Parliament of South Africa will be wholly transformed into an assembly of the people. Every man and woman in our country shall have the right to vote for and stand as a candidate for all offices and bodies which make laws.
Today our people's aspirations, hopes and desires are anchored in the firm foundation of the Constitution, which is legal expression of the noble ideals contained in the Freedom Charter.
The decisive majority the ANC received in the last poll is an indication of the trust and belief our people have in their movement that it will transform their country into what their forebears envisaged in the Freedom Charter in 1955.
The concept of a People's Parliament has been at the centre of the ANC's political vision. The ANC understands that a strong, democratic Parliament is one of our best instruments in defence of our democratic state and our dynamically evolving society. Parliament, as the primary institution of democracy - the voice of the people - must ensure that the principle of working together with our people is entrenched.
Before the end of the year, the ANC will have developed an assessment tool to measure the performance of its Members of Parliament. This assessment will be done annually. The ANC Members of Parliament will be drivers of an activist Parliament.
To us, Parliament is not the buildings of Parliament but the work done by members of this House to improve the lives of our people. The ANC Members of Parliament will not be servicing constituency offices, but constituencies. This means that we will not be waiting for people to come to our offices, but going to our people. [Applause.] We will not be served by our people but will serve them. We will not find solutions for our people; we will find solutions with them.
Our collective values should guide us and take precedence over our individual interests. As we are called upon to be servants of the people, we will, as such, be judged by the people not on how much we know, but on how much we care about them. We will use information gathered during the election campaign to ask Ministers questions, generate statements, evaluate policies, and even develop new policies. The people of South Africa will see themselves through their public representatives.
Therefore, our view as the ANC is to transform our institutions of democracy and enhance their capacity to deliver basic services in order for us to be able to push back the frontiers of poverty.
We propose that Parliament consider the following urgent matters for implementation. Committee budgets in Parliament are structured around committees. This cannot be correct. Budgets should, in the main, be structured around the programmes of committees and not the institution of a committee.
Executive secretaries to chairpersons of committees should be linked to the term of office of the particular chairperson. Chairpersons of committees should not be required to use secretaries that they are not comfortable with. [Applause.]
As a matter of principle, we agree with the Speaker that Parliament is not a department but an arm of state. In respect of the budget of Parliament, it must reflect the status and role of Parliament as an institution that exercises oversight over government. In this regard, it can only be correct to accommodate Parliament's needs as part of the top-sliced portion of revenue to be agreed upon between the presiding officers and the Treasury committee.
Today we sit with a funding formula that was last adjusted in 2005. It is important that the formula be revisited. Clearly, the criteria which determine how the budget is allocated are administratively driven. The provision for party-political research is a mere R2 200 per annum. The allocation of the budget confuses the political research done by Parliament's information services with party-political research. Nonpartisan research and party-political research are completely different and the appropriation of each budget by Parliament needs to reflect this.
It is the responsibility of party-political research to shape and strengthen the ideological capacity of Parliament in debate, a function that Parliament's information services do not perform. There should be money set aside for the disestablishment and establishment of party- political caucuses.
Whips are fundamental to the functioning of Parliament, yet in the budget allocation to parties there is no serious reflection of this. The political office bearers need to receive adequate and necessary support from Parliament. Support for whips cannot be relegated to a party-political issue. Parliament must recognise that funding the Whippery is a necessary part of the functioning of a constitutional democracy and not see it as an additional expense. The procedure for the appointment of senior officials should be reviewed. Given the fact that presiding officers constitute the executive authority of Parliament, they should be involved in the process of appointment of senior officials. [Applause.]
It has become abundantly clear that the practice of employment until retirement in Parliament is not having the desired impact on performance. If anything, it mitigates against performance. It needs review, and the process of realigning the term of office of staff with Parliament's needs requires discussion. Once agreed, implementation needs to be done in a staggered manner so that we don't have a disruption at the end of each term of Parliament.
The definition of tools of the trade should be revisited. Tools of the trade cannot be limited to cellphones, laptops and desktops. They have to be located within the paradigm of the overall and combined resources that are necessary and needed for a member with constitutional responsibilities. This must lead to our reviewing members' benefits, particularly how members undertake their constituency and oversight work. Rules will have to be revisited in this regard.
Progress has been made with regard to the representation of women, the youth and people living with disabilities. However, Parliament does not have an aftercare facility that members with young families can use when the need arises. We strongly recommend that such facilities be organised by Parliament. We should continue to give support to people living with disabilities. In so doing, we should not decide what they need but work with them to determine their needs.
A lot has been done to transform Parliament into a people's Parliament. However, participation is still dominated by those who have the means. Therefore, this fourth Parliament should devise ways and means of engaging the rural poor and other sectors of our society.
The ANC supports Parliament's Budget Vote, firm in the conviction that the work we continue to do remains consistent with the people's ideals of realising a vision of a united, nonracial and nonsexist South Africa.
Fellow South Africans, we have taken the first step of a long journey to a truly united, democratic and prosperous South Africa, in which the value of all citizens is measured by their humanity without regard to race, gender and social status.
We wish to thank the Whips of all parties for their co-operation to ensure the smooth running of Parliament. We wish to thank the Leader of Government Business for his support and efforts to improve co-ordination between Parliament and the executive. We wish to thank the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, the Deputy Speaker, Deputy Chairperson, and the House Chairpersons of the NA and NCOP for providing support and leadership.
We thank all members for their work and dedication. And we thank the staff of Parliament and the staff of all political parties for their support. We thank the media for reporting on our activities.
Let us intensify the struggle against poverty as we advance in unity towards the realisation of a better life for all. Working together, let us build a people's Parliament. Siyathokoza. [We thank you.] [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, this is the first debate introduced by you, the Deputy Speaker, and by the Speaker as the new Speakers of Parliament, and indeed it would be remiss of me if I did not, in the first place, officially congratulate you from this podium on your elevation to that office, and, secondly, wish you both well in the debate and, more particularly, well in your office in the future.
I would hope that Parliament, being a new Parliament with a new Speaker, will take the opportunity to make itself the centre of debate in this country, where key political, social and economic issues and policies find expression and where lively but reasoned debate takes place.
Let me be frank: Over the past 10 years this Parliament has slowly found itself marginalised in terms of its critical role under the Constitution of exercising oversight, and promoting good governance, accountability and transparency by and of the executive. As a result, many would say Parliament ran the risk of losing its relevance.
Under your stewardship, Mr Speaker, we need to ensure that we once again become an independent, robust and lively institution, an institution in which all oversight mechanisms are freely available to political parties in order to uphold the values of democracy and in which vibrant and meaningful debate takes place on issues pertinent to the everyday lives of all South Africans. My colleague Mr Ellis will deal further with these matters.
Mr Speaker, one of the first challenges you have to face is the budget deficit that this institution is facing, currently estimated at about R143 million. This has arisen, predictably, as a result of the general belt- tightening required by Treasury in the light of the decline of revenue the fiscus is experiencing. Indeed, the deficit may well have been higher but for the required delay in the implementation of certain past policy priorities determined by the third Parliament.
Mr Speaker, this period of austerity is certain to be with us for some time and therefore I believe it is necessary, in the light of the changed circumstances, for us to complete, as a matter of urgency, a thorough reprioritisation of all Parliament's strategies, programmes and accompanying policies.
The second challenge that the Speaker has to face, I believe, is to make Parliament as accountable and transparent as we demand of government - to restore its integrity as an institution. Unfortunately, the Parliamentary Oversight Authority, POA, has become a shadow of the name by which it is described. Indeed, its function seems to have been usurped by the ANC's political committee in Parliament, the committee that champions ANC strategy in this institution.
In this context I would like to focus my attention on the whole matter of the Secretary to Parliament. On 10 March 2009 parliamentarians woke up to find that the Secretary to Parliament had been requested to take special leave and that certain allegations into his conduct were to be investigated. These investigations related to his allegedly failing to act in the best interests of his employer, negligently engaging in certain conduct and failing to exercise the good judgment and diligence expected of an employee in his position.
I need to make the point here that the Secretary and Deputy Secretary to Parliament are both appointed by resolution of Parliament - that is, both the NA and the NCOP. It follows that if there is a suspension, such suspension should at least be reported to both Houses. Indeed, it does raise the point as to who can suspend a person appointed by both Houses of Parliament. Surely it is only both Houses of Parliament by substantive motion?
However, notwithstanding repeated attempts by myself to ascertain the exact nature of the charges against him, I was blocked in the Parliamentary Oversight Authority by the then Speaker. I was advised that an investigation was being done by KPMG, the findings of which would constitute the case against him.
On 20 March 2009, KPMG delivered its report, after which I again requested a full briefing and that the report be made available. I was told that the report was still in its draft form and therefore access was denied.
On Sunday, 21 June, Members of Parliament again woke up to find more news about the Secretary. This time the news was that he had been found not guilty and that he had been exonerated of all allegations against him. Fortunately, that Tuesday a Parliamentary Oversight Authority meeting had been scheduled at which I again requested the presiding officer to brief us fully about the developments surrounding the Secretary. The only briefing we got was to be told that they, the presiding officers, were studying the report of the disciplinary commission.
Well, now I too have been studying the report, but not by courtesy of the presiding officers. What is interesting about the KPMG report is that far from being the founding document in respect of the case against the Secretary; it more pointedly concerned allegations about the Secretary of the National Council of Provinces, Adv Matyolo-Dube. Her alleged behaviour documented in the report is deeply problematic and points to an ongoing culture of jobs for pals and potential contraventions of section 17 of the Corrupt Activities Act. Other officials are implicated as well. Indeed, cronyism and nepotism had provided the perfect breeding ground, as it always does, for malpractice and corruption to take place.
In this regard, I have written to you, Mr Speaker, requesting you to submit a full and proper report to the POA detailing what the latest status is with regard to the disciplinary matters of individuals referred to in that report. I also believe, Mr Speaker, that you should be looking at the same time at all cronyism-type practices that seem to epitomise staff appointments in this Parliament. Indeed, since the disclosure of the KPMG report, my office has been contacted by other parliamentary staff members confirming similar incidents of cronyism and corruption in other departments in this Parliament.
In respect of the Secretary, only the last 10 pages of an 88-page report allude to any potential culpability of the Secretary, and it is these matters and others that form the basis of the case against the Secretary. I have now read the findings of Adv Moroka, the presiding officer of the Secretary's disciplinary hearing. Now, it is not my intention to go into the findings of the case or indeed comment on the merits or demerits of the case against the Secretary. However, I do feel constrained to make the following point. I am not surprised by Adv Moroka's finding. The truth is that Parliament's case was put in such an incompetent manner that I believe she had no option but to make the findings she did.
In each charge that Parliament levelled against the Secretary, Parliament either failed on many occasions to lead evidence to support the charge, or else led evidence that was contradicted by the same witness at a later stage. It at times led hearsay evidence or let evidence stand uncontested. Often it failed to understand where the onus of proof lay or led charges that were misconceived and groundless.
I can only come to three possible conclusions. Either there was no real evidence to lead, or the advocate prosecuting the case was incompetent, or the case had been deliberately sabotaged by officials sympathetic to the Secretary. Perhaps there is a bit of truth in all three. My concern is that if I am correct then Adv Matyolo-Dube, the real subject of KPMG, will likewise escape successful prosecution. Having said that, I welcome the Secretary back.
Mr Speaker, your challenges - our challenges - are important. We dare not fail for all of us need to recognise and respect the role Parliament needs to play in promoting, both in respect of the executive and itself, the democratic values of accountability, responsiveness and openness. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Deputy Speaker, Cope will support this budget. We are all in agreement as the House on the role of Parliament - some of the issues you have already alluded to - both in terms of its role with regard to legislation as well as on issues of oversight.
With regard to legislation, I just want to raise two issues. Firstly, it will be important to ensure that through the Leader of Government Business proper notice and timeframes are given for legislation that is going to come up - by when - so that committees can plan and so that we never have to rush through pieces of legislation which may then later lead to our having to make further amendments.
Secondly, there is also a need, in our view, to discuss the role of the legislature in secondary legislation. Because while it should be the right of the executive to set out regulations to the extent that those regulations become secondary legislation, it is important that we do not give those powers to the executive and then take away our role as legislatures. The other issue concerns oversight. Firstly, with regard to oversight, it is important that we look at how we can get involved in the prioritisation of what the issues are that each of the departments are looking at. Secondly, how do we ensure the efficient use of resources that have been allocated? Thirdly, how do we ensure that service delivery is enhanced and achieved in terms of those resources that would have been given?
Fourthly, there is the issue of how transformation itself takes place. Fifthly, there is the issue of how we look at annual reports of Chapter 9 bodies to the extent that they report to Parliament. It is important that Parliament has enough time to go through these annual reports and is able to decide on whether or not the resources allocated by Parliament have been used properly.
If one looks at the current budget, which we have just tabled, it is based, as you yourself have said, on the priorities of the third Parliament. It will be important for us, while we are using what is here in terms of the coming years, to look at how we realign that to our fourth Parliament, which means the whole issue of reprioritisation would need to be there to deal with, among other things, the issues that have been raised by the ruling party with regard to support for members and support for parties, including party-political research, the caucus, the Whips and general members. We agree with this.
I want to deal also with another matter, which is that of disclosure by members. Disclosure must always be understood not as an attempt to trap or catch members but to ensure that we all avoid conflict, both real and perceived. How do we then ensure that this issue of conflict can be dealt with? I would want to suggest that one of the issues we may want to look at is whether or not the time has come to have an independent body to look at this issue of disclosure.
I think if you look at what has been happening in the UK - I don't want to deal with home-grown situations - having an independent body, whether it's headed by a retired judge or otherwise, may be the best way to ensure that even when there are conflicts, real or otherwise, it's not the legislature which sits in judgment of its own members, in which case most of us simply relate what the party may have agreed to.
Lastly, we agree to debate the reports raised by the Speaker in terms of the various things that you were tabulating, including the various reports of Chapter 9 institutions, and so forth. We will be working with you to ensure that this budget is enhanced, working together to develop a new budget taking us forward over the next five years. Thank you very much. [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, we in the IFP join other speakers who are saying thank you to everybody who has worked hard to make a success of this institution. Yes, we have undergone very important changes. We have a new Speaker, a new Deputy Speaker and even a new Chief Whip. What I specifically remember about the Speaker, when he was still the ANC Chief Whip, was his willingness to listen. He opened doors, and very important is the fact that he never made a distinction between Members of Parliament - whether they were from his party or other parties, he listened to all of them. That, of course, is the main characteristic of a good Speaker, and that applies, hopefully, also to the Deputy Speaker and the Chief Whip.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the former Speaker, Gwen Mahlangu. She sits there - and your hair is very beautiful today, Gwen. [Laughter.] Although she once chased me and my cake out of Parliament ... [Laughter.] ... I have never stopped liking her. We miss her and we wish her very well in her new job. There is also Baleka. We really miss her, and whenever I walk through Parliament and I see her photo, I say: "Hello, Baleka!" [Laughter.]
Deputy Speaker, how did we do? We now come to the point of weighing up Parliament's performance during the past year. How did we do? Speaking about the functioning of Parliament, we did well. We had our challenges, which were many. We had numerous meetings. We assisted one another, and I think we coped - not in the Cope way but in the other way, we coped. [Interjections.] So, as a machine we operated well. There are, however, some points I wish to raise under the heading Moral Leadership. Parliament, as an institution, should set the example to all in our land when it comes to moral leadership. Unfortunately, our image does not always reflect that. People watching TV sometimes see us coming late, see some people sleeping in the House, there is sometimes not a quorum, and we even had an example of booing some weeks ago.
We are still saddled with severe criticism about the so-called Travelgate scandal. That will not go away. Eighteen of our members have been convicted by the High Court on very serious criminal charges, such as fraud, and their careers have been seriously damaged.
But another 12 MPs, who have committed more or less the same offences, have not been prosecuted. The reasons advanced by the National Prosecuting Authority have never convinced me. Parliament itself instituted disciplinary steps against the 12, but those cases are still pending and have never been finalised. Mr Speaker, that stain remains on Parliament's image, and it will not go away.
What should happen is that a judge of the High Court should be appointed to investigate the whole Travelgate matter and give us a report. That is the only way we can demonstrate moral leadership.
In addition to Travelgate, we know now that KPMG has found that we were fleeced of millions of rand by certain companies. It is painful. It will not go away. We need to clean up our image.
In conclusion, Deputy Speaker, I do not want to paint only a negative picture. We are a family as we are here. We have an institution to respect and protect. Our Parliament has weathered many storms. There will be more, and we will also overcome them.
I remain a proud member of this Parliament. I am proud of this Parliament. I have been here for 32 years and I still enjoy every day. [Applause.] We, as Members of this Parliament, are being cared for better than many MPs in many other countries of the world.
My attitude as a Whip - and I have been a Whip for more than 20 years - has always been to fix things. So, my message today is: We are aware of our shortcomings in this Parliament, but we will fix them! [Applause.]
Thank you, hon member. It is only a senior person who can speak like you.
Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President, hon Speaker, forgive me if I have mixed up the salutation - I don't know who to greet first, the Deputy President of the Republic or the Speaker in this debate. Members of Parliament, comrades, staff of Parliament, fellow South Africans, I don't think Mr van der Merwe really prepared himself today. He should have donated a few of his minutes to me.
However, I think we should not gloat and wish that the black stain on Parliament should not go away. I think we should find ways and means of putting that chapter behind us. We cannot wish to carry forward a black stain and further darken it, and wish it to linger on and on. [Interjections.]
I have been requested to speak about rooting Parliament in the aspirations and ideals of our people through a social, economic and national agenda. I will focus mainly on the national agenda.
I first want to ask four questions. What is our national agenda? Who sets it? Who drives it? And what should be the strategic entry points into our national agenda?
I wish to submit that the Constitution sets our national agenda. Amongst other things, this agenda should seek to ensure that our people's human dignity is supported and attained. This agenda should advance the human rights and freedoms of our people, and should pursue nonracialism and nonsexism and the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law.
Furthermore, the national anthem that we sometimes sing so carelessly says, somewhere in its entry section, "Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo", meaning: "May the horn of Africa be raised high." I sometimes wonder whether we listen to ourselves. I think that is part of our agenda: to raise high the horn of the African continent, and, by so doing, also raise high our own national aspirations.
Who should drive the national agenda? I think Parliament should be central to driving the national agenda, but before we even look at Parliament, let us look at the Members of Parliament who comprise Parliament. I want to start with the highest office. Both the President and the Deputy President take an oath. Forgive me, Deputy President, for reminding you of your oath, and the President's oath. I will not quote this oath in its totality, but only certain sections. It says, and I quote: "I promise to be faithful to the Republic of South Africa, and I will obey, respect and uphold the Constitution."
I want to ask whether every day, in what we do as this Parliament, when we hold the head of the executive accountable, we hold them accountable against the oath that they have taken.
But they are not the only ones who take an oath. We ourselves take an oath. Just to remind you of the oath we take: in it we promise to "promote and advance the Republic."
The executive, the Deputy President and the President also promise to do the same. We promise in our oath to discharge our duties with all our strengths and all our talents. If we are to be at the centre our of the national agenda, I think we must ask ourselves every day whether we are discharging our duties in the manner that is described by the oath that we take.
We have also committed ourselves, through the oath or the solemn affirmation that we take, to ensuring the wellbeing of the Republic. If we are really at the centre of driving the national agenda, as stipulated in the Constitution, I think we should live true to the oath that we have taken.
Going back to the national anthem, another aspect that touches me daily when we sing it, is the line: "O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho", meaning that all wars and tribulations must be stopped. Our people are faced with tribulations every day that, I think, this Parliament sometimes fails to recognise. There are wars in the making in our country today, based on poor service delivery.
Madam Deputy Speaker, I received an e-mail two days ago that shook me very much. I belong to the World Democracy Forum. There is an e-mail that their members are circulating, entitled "Brewing a national revolution". When I went into the checklist of things they say you need to brew a national revolution, some of them - I counted 80% of them - are embedded in what is happening in our country today, namely dissatisfaction around basic issues that our people expect from our government and from this Parliament of ensuring that government delivers.
Our people are faced with tribulations, and I want to submit that, unless we act fast as this Parliament, the seed for another national revolution has been planted. The realisation that is sought in our national anthem, that our God should stop wars and tribulations, will not be realised. I think this Parliament should affirm itself and be very assertive in ensuring that this formula for a revolution is not being spread. Mind you, this same e-mail was also sent around Kenya before the eruption after the last election there. I want to submit that we might not be aware of it, but the patience of our people is wearing thin. And I don't know if this Parliament is rising to the occasion - to hold government accountable timeously and qualitatively to make sure that the people's tribulations are addressed.
If you listen carefully to various means of communication - the public discourse - you will note that our people are crying out loud every day. We hear every day how they call upon those that they have elected, which is ourselves and which is this Parliament, to hear their cry about poor - quality service delivery.
I want to cite the example of the Frances Baard municipality of Kimberley, the city I come from. For nine consecutive years that municipality has received disclaimers from the National Treasury. Water is no longer available every day. Every month, for two, three days on end, there is no water. I don't even want to talk about the quality of health care given at the provincial hospital in Kimberley. But the question I want to ask, is to ask myself first, as a person coming from that constituency, whether Parliament, in its mechanisms, is facilitating my ability to do the work that I should do, to ensure that it cannot be correct for any municipality to have nine disclaimers in nine consecutive years. If I am failing in my duty to bring such issues before this Parliament, I think this Parliament must demand from me to do better, assist me to do better.
On many days there is no electricity in that municipality. Last week people did not get their salaries. That was not the first time. And yet we are sitting in this Parliament. I hope that we will do better. I hope that we will listen carefully to the aspirations of our people. They are not only written and contained in the Constitution; they are not only written and contained in the national anthem; we hear them being cried out loud.
The things that they expect us to do are to communicate with them, and to be rooted amongst them, to be present amongst them every day, and to communicate with them when things go right and when things go wrong. Finally, they expect us to be a Parliament second to none in the world, a Parliament that will lift the whole of Africa, that will be involved in lifting our nation and lifting the whole of Africa, and that will lead in terms of shaping the new world order that we have promised them, especially as the ruling party, in many, many policy documents.
Lastly, to the Chief Whip of the DA: The political committee of the ANC in Parliament will and must continue to champion the policies of the ANC. When they fail to do so, I promise you we will remove them and they will be replaced with ones that are even more effective in championing the policies of the ANC. I thank you. [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, hon Deputy President and also Acting President, hon Speaker, hon Ministers and Deputy Ministers, hon members, let me begin by thanking the following for their co- operation and support: representatives of the various political parties who serve on the Quarterly Consultative Forum, the Speaker's Office, the House Chairpersons, the parliamentary services and the Office of the Secretary to Parliament, the Department of Public Works, the Police VIP Protection Service, the fourth Parliament project team and members of the facility section.
A profound view from the hon Speaker is that Parliament, apart from being a marketplace of ideas, should become the forum for minimising social and interparty conflicts, including the eradication of prejudices in any form, in order to build national consensus and therefore establish lasting democracy. In order for Parliament to do this, it is necessary for Members of Parliament to be adequately empowered with the relevant tools of the trade, which the hon Speaker again refered to as non-negotiables or absolute rights for members to have. This can only be possible with the co- operation of all sectors, including Members of Parliament.
The House Chairperson of internal arrangements was appointed in accordance with National Assembly Rule 14, as amended on 26 May 2009. This Rule provides that the Speaker will allocate functions and responsibilities to the House Chairperson and announce them in the ATC's. The functions and responsibilities are as follows: ensuring the wellbeing and interests of members; overseeing and ensuring the alignment of structures dealing with members' interests and facilities; receiving and providing reports on issues of members' interests; ensuring the enhancement of the capacity of members; ensuring the development and implementation of policy in respect of former members; developing and proposing policy on benefits and facilities for former members; liaising in various parliamentary committees, for example the National Assembly programming committee, the Chief Whips' Forum, the National Assembly Forum, the National Assembly Rules Committee, the Joint Rules Committee and the Parliamentary Budget Forum, among others. Some of these responsibilities have been carried over from the third Parliament and are ongoing. With the co-operation of the Office of the Secretary to Parliament, we have agreed to have the heads of parliamentary services in attendance at meetings of the Quarterly Consultative Forum. The Department of Public Works and the Police VIP Protection Service will also attend. We believe this is one way of positioning the interests of members central to their functioning. It is regrettable that the fulfilment of some of the interests of Members of Parliament had to be delayed for this fourth Parliament through no fault of any particular individual. At times, however, the very processes that members of this House adopt come back to create barriers against progress. This is proof that the human mind is not infallible.
Nevertheless, the Speaker has already referred to the status of the procurement of mobile devices and computer equipment, approved on 22 June 2009 by the Acting Secretary to Parliament. Members were requested to choose suitable equipment in accordance with their needs in Room E538 by 30 June 2009. Selection forms for completion by members, pictures and demo equipment were set up there and members were assisted by IT staff. The expected timeline for the delivery of equipment is 20 days. I was requested by one official to say that members ought to continue going to that room to complete these forms. To date, only about 320 members have done so. So, could members go there and complete the forms so that they can get their equipment.
With regard to members' facilities, all changes to the members' facilities handbook, as recommended by the Quarterly Consultative Forum in the third Parliament, were approved by the Parliamentary Oversight Authority and implemented in the fourth Parliament accordingly. All members have been loaded onto the travel solution and are being trained individually on how to authorise their travel. Parking cards for airports have been allocated to members, and members' voyager status has been upgraded to gold.
Newly refurbished offices were allocated to all parties. The increase in the number of opposition parties has put a severe strain on the accommodation of parliamentary officials in offices, a few of which had to be relocated. The Department of Public Works has been requested to allocate more floors in the 90 Plein Street building for this purpose. Parliament could also not meet the request from the Presidency for the exclusive use of offices at the Chamber in the Good Hope building owing to a shortage of space. I think this marks the urgency of the special project which the Speaker noted earlier.
On travel entitlements for former members, the proposals from the Quarterly Consultative Forum went to the Parliamentary Oversight Authority in the third Parliament. The costs associated were exceptionally high, and this was thus put on hold as the Parliamentary Oversight Authority had been looking at costing the Quarterly Consultative Forum amendments to the members' facilities. The original request for entitlements for former members will be looked at again and then be referred back to the Parliamentary Oversight Authority for approval.
On internal services to members, catering food prices had not increased since 2007 and were thus raised as from 15 June 2009. The Marks Building restaurant will be renovated during July 2009. The New Wing, the Old Assembly and Good Hope restaurants have been renovated and supplied with new equipment.
Parties were allocated parking bays in Parliament on a ratio of eight bays for every 10 members. Due to the shortage of bays, parties have assisted with the allocation, and generally the parking needs of all parties have been met.
With regard to accommodation at the parliamentary villages, there have been many challenges - more especially where members and their dependants were not vacating their residences on time, and the Department of Public Works had to initiate eviction processes. There are currently 342 members in total who are taking occupation at the residences, and unfortunately a few had to be accommodated in hotels while their residences were being vacated or renovated.
The Department of Public Works also urges members to adhere to the rules of the parliamentary villages. The following come to mind: When taking occupation, members should complete the lease agreement, occupancy audit sheet indicating family members residing with them, a stop order form to ensure monthly deductions for rental and an inventory report. Members remaining from the third Parliament are also required to complete a new lease agreement; and domestics should be registered at the Department of Labour in order to qualify for accommodation. We are also currently negotiating with the Department of Public Works to set up a bus schedule help desk within Parliament where members can be assisted with the schedule of bus times.
Hon member, as much as this topic is important to members, your time has expired.
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. [Applause.] I would have thought I was the treasury in the household of her majesty.
Madam Deputy Speaker, this parliamentary Budget Vote is being debated at a time in our country's history when our people are faced with immense hardship, including thousands of job losses. Our economy is straining, revenue is dropping and many of our essential services, such as health care and education, are not coping with the huge demands being placed on them. It is important to bear this in mind, because it is simply too easy for us as Members of Parliament to shield ourselves from the harsh realities that so many of our people face.
We, in the ID, believe it is imperative that Parliament asserts its leadership role during these difficult times through both our words and our actions, and that we are focused on dealing with the massive challenges in our society. Our debates need to reflect this. Parliament needs to be a centre of not only ideas, but also actions, in which petty squabbles are put aside in favour of truly grappling with the challenges we face.
Parliament also needs to set an example by being frugal and cutting the fat from its budget. In this regard, all luxuries should be done away with. It is time to restore the standing of this institution in our society, and we need to ensure that all the corruption scandals of the past are dealt with properly and put behind us.
We also need a greater level of transparency in our institution. We should perhaps amend the Act so that MPs can put questions to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker and not just members of the Cabinet.
This fourth democratic Parliament presents us with the opportunity to build a new institutional culture - one which the people of our country can look to for true leadership and guidance during these difficult times. We dare not fail them. I thank you.
Madam Deputy Speaker and hon members, the budget before us is significantly less than what Parliament initially applied for. Particularly in tough economic times, we should expect that such fiscal restraint will be required. One hopes that a tighter budget will not translate into a reduction in the quality of the institution's work output.
Even though the Secretary to Parliament was found not to have committed any misconduct, allegations of this nature further dent the image of the institution, which is still reeling from the negative publicity caused by the Travelgate scandal.
We have commenced this new Parliament with all parties agreeing to the need for greater accountability. There were commitments to debate and meaningful participation, yet already we see a continuation of the old ways of doing things. The times allocated to parties during debates need to reflect the seriousness of the matters we discuss. Times should also show respect for the voters. Even the smallest party here has a mandate from tens of thousands of voters who have the right to be properly heard in this House and in its committees. We need to urgently review how we allocate time and manage debates in Parliament if we are indeed serious about genuine democracy. The UDM supports this Budget. I thank you. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Acting President of the Republic, hon Speaker, fellow compatriots, former combatants of uMkhonto weSizwe who are sitting in the gallery today, I would like to take this opportunity to wish hon member Ting-Ting Masango, a former death-row inmate and a gallant fighter of our people's uMkhonto weSizwe, well as he recovers in hospital.
The mandate for Parliament's oversight role emanates from section 42(3) of the Constitution, which defines the role of the National Assembly as follows:
The National Assembly is elected to represent the people and to ensure government by the people under the Constitution. It does this by choosing the President, by providing a national forum for public consideration of issues, by passing legislation and by scrutinizing and overseeing executive action.
The Assembly is further required in terms of section 55(2) to: ... provide for mechanisms -
a. to ensure that all executive organs of state in the national sphere of government are accountable to it; and b. to maintain oversight of - I. the exercise of national executive authority, including the implementation of legislation; and II. any organ of state.
Historically, the legacy of the apartheid - era parliamentary and post-1994 oversight role of Parliament lacked the credibility, commitment and/or vigour to hold the executive accountable. Thus, the fourth Parliament in this dispensation faces the challenges of reasserting itself, of renewing its institutional systems and of organisational change, and it must seek new ways in which to evaluate its reports and hold the executive accountable. Some studies, though not fully tested, have ranked the South African Parliament as the lowest performer in its oversight role. Hence the call by the President of the Republic to ensure the shift to an activist Parliament that is guided by the mandate of the electorate. Thus, a political debate on the role of oversight provides an excellent opportunity to review our approach to oversight, ensuring that we place caucus at the epicentre of oversight and accountability over our shared ideals and objectives.
At the core of Parliament's oversight role is that its activities should be people-driven and based on the will of the people and guided by their aspirations, with a working-together-to-do-more approach, which necessitates accountability from the executive. The necessary demarcation in the separation of powers has resulted in varied challenges. The duty of Parliament, acting on proxy from the electorate, is to express the aspirations of the various constituencies and must be grounded in the understanding that caucuses are also charged with the responsibility of adding value to the process of oversight.
Drawing on such mandates it is then the duty of the executive to plan, execute and report on its activities. In finality, it is the duty of the caucus to evaluate and scrutinise in order to determine whether or not the needs of the people and the strategic objectives and aspirations of the electorate and the ruling party are fully addressed. The oversight and accountability mechanism should not necessarily yield such tensions as seen between legislatures and executives around the world. These tensions often emanate from misunderstandings and an overarching aura of suspicion amongst structures, and feelings that one wishes to usurp the powers or undermine the authority of the other. The ruling party's approach in the fourth Parliament must seek to strengthen the oversight role in the context of collective ownership and work together to do more to achieve the goals set out in the manifesto of the ANC: My ANC, My Vision, My Future! [Applause.]
The historical, traditional oversight roles of portfolio committees have been inherited from the Westminster system and, perhaps to some extent, from contemporary political philosophies such as those of Plato in which the executive is seen as benevolent dictators that have divine wisdom on the needs of society. Consequently, today it is often touted that parliamentary roles on oversight and accountability should be based simply on checking whether governments perform on their self-determined programmes and are able to provide audited statements for their spending. On the other hand, the dominance of liberal thinking has changed this relationship to an "us and them" approach in which caucuses effectively become the opposition within the party.
The understanding therefore would be that the executive's responsibility is to implement the ruling party's manifesto, derived from the ANC policy, as adopted in the democratic process which is the party's conference.
Largely, when we evaluate, we evaluate on the basis of expenditure and financial prudence, rather than political outcomes that should speak directly to the manifesto and the ruling party's priorities.
The National Assembly Rules that govern the work of committees allow for committees to pursue proactively any concern they may have with the performance of the executive. They may also initiate investigations themselves, hold a hearing or an inquiry, and request, via the House, that particular agencies or institutions conduct a special investigation. For example, during the third Parliament the House called for a debate to investigate Eskom with regard to power outages. Committees may also pursue investigations themselves. Experience has shown that these powers have not been proactively used, and in some cases reporting on these matters is done by the departments themselves. This therefore calls for the activist Parliament to be more inquisitorial in its approach. Arguably, this opens up an opportunity for better political management of underperformance, while portfolio committees should not dictate the operational activities of departments. Where there are challenges, there must be a proactive approach in initiating investigations or recommending changes to ensure collective ownership and that service delivery is maintained.
The relationship between the executive and the portfolio committee thus needs to be handled better. The ANC study groups should begin to establish better collaboration with Ministers and Deputy Ministers to ensure better co-ordination towards the implementation of policy. The ruling party's study groups should be rooted in the ANC traditions of democratic centralism, criticism and self-criticism, and robust debate. This means that the work of the study groups and committees should be complementary and constructively critical where necessary to ensure that the ANC programmes remain rooted in our priorities.
The executive must also play a critical part in bringing the study groups on board as partners. We should no longer have departmental accounting officers accounting for departments, but must rather focus on Ministers or their Deputies playing significant roles in study group debates.
While many have in the past argued that the administrative heads of departments normally sign the departments' accounts and drive the operation of departments in their functions as accounting officers, we need more of a political approach. This has led to the committees and study groups focusing on interrogating the administrative heads instead of the political heads.
The task of study groups is to scrutinise the political direction and leadership of departments. Ministers are responsible for the strategic and political leadership of departments, including the political outcomes of the programmes they implement. They ultimately account on the political outcomes. This then necessitates the inculcation of a culture in which Ministers account before committees and study groups so that they do not relegate performance management and implementation of the ruling party's manifesto to administrators only, but also play an active role in overseeing performance of the departments and holding civil servants accountable.
We look forward to a vibrant, activist Parliament truly representing the aspirations of the wonderful South Africans who continue to have faith in us. Fellow compatriots, thank you very much. [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, hon Speaker, hon Deputy President, the ACDP notes that South Africa has catapulted from seventeenth to third place in the global ranking of women in parliament, following the April election this year. Congratulations go to political parties, I guess, and to the people of South Africa within those parties on recognising the potential of our South African women.
Parliament has committed itself to being an effective people's Parliament that is responsive to the needs of the people and driven by the ideal of realising a better quality of life for all the people of South Africa.
Sadly, this budget allocation could have a negative impact on Parliament's ability to strengthen its oversight function and improve service delivery. For example, 15 additional content specialists for committees and five additional legal advisers for constitutional and legal affairs should be employed by March 2010. Either these appointments have not been considered or Parliament will be cutting back somewhere else. Should we be concerned, hon Speaker?
Things do not look particularly promising for international relations or multilingual communication in Parliament either. Have we taken into consideration the 40 additional language practitioners needed and, if so, what has had to go?
Price hikes on lunches at Parliament are, I guess, a good start. Then there is the financial support for the political parties represented in Parliament and constituency offices around the country. Here we see a significant decrease. Given that the constituency offices constitute the closest level of interaction between members and the public and provide the best platform from which members can get to grips with the issues confronting their constituents, this has to be a blow for the people's Parliament. On this subject: Why are we seeing constituency time disappearing? Parliament must not be allowed to hijack MPs who should be in their constituencies more often.
MPs are hugely constrained when parties receive budgets totally inadequate for paying market-related salaries. The ACDP, for example, has no funds for a researcher and has to look to media personnel with no experience and then lose them if they want to earn a decent salary. Secretaries and admin staff are expected to work for love alone. How fair is that? This certainly is not professional and does not serve the public.
Then there is speaking time. Now, the ANC Chief Whip and Mr Frolick have outdone themselves trying to accommodate opposition parties, but we still have to suffer the agony of listening to the ANC try to fill up their exorbitant amount of time, repeating the same information over and over. [Interjections.] If we are bored silly - and I've been watching you, and you were bored - I can then only imagine how the public feels.
The image of Parliament is at stake here, as always. With indiscretions of officials and MPs to deal with and the erroneous perception that recess means holidays for MPs, we really need plenary sittings to inspire the public.
The ACDP wishes you well, hon Speaker, hon Deputy Speaker, in this very important office and will be supporting this budget. Thank you. [Applause.]
Thank you very much indeed, Madam Deputy Speaker. Madam Deputy Speaker, the Speaker began his speech today by quite rightly emphasising that this is a new Parliament, the fourth democratically elected Parliament, but he also referred to the President's remarks about the need for this Parliament to be a robust and engaging Parliament. And he encouraged us, in turn, to embrace these remarks.
I want to say that we as the DA are extremely keen to embrace these remarks. There is nothing more that we would like than a robust and engaging Parliament. I say this because we believe that Parliament has become anything but robust and engaging. In fact, it has become over the years little more than a rubber stamp - rubber - stamping what comes from the Presidency and what comes from Luthuli House. And MPs have had to sit and watch a gradual but obvious sidelining of the role we as elected representatives of the people are expected to play.
The Deputy Chief Whip of the Majority Party, my good friend Mr Magwanishe, has also made important remarks on the role of Parliament and what is expected of us as members. But the Speaker spoke at some length about the importance of oversight, and indeed it is an extremely important part of our work. We have heard today that there are many different aspects to oversight: what happens in committees, what happens in Parliament, what happens in our constituencies. But here in Parliament we have our own oversight mechanisms which, if used properly, would go a long way towards helping to hold the executive to account, which is very much part of our job. But, quite frankly, these mechanisms have been severely blunted in recent years and have helped in many ways to relegate Parliament to being little more than the rubber-stamp syndrome.
There can be no better example of this than parliamentary questions. Firstly - and let's be frank about it - the whole system was manipulated by the ANC in 2000 to undermine the opposition parties' role in this all- important instrument of oversight. The new structure that we created allowed for ANC members to ask the majority of questions, all of which, again, to be frank, were little more than sweetheart questions, thus giving Ministers more opportunity to talk about their own areas of interest and to pat themselves on the back. This cannot be construed as genuine oversight or the real purpose of Question Time.
This means, in turn, that the opportunity for members to ask good, probing questions on issues of real importance and of proper oversight is all but lost. But that is only part of the problem. The real problem lies now in the fact that remarkably few question sessions even take place in Parliament. In 2008, Cabinet Ministers appeared only once during the whole year in the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces. Even the President's and Deputy President's Question Time has been downplayed, with the President appearing only twice last year and the Deputy President once. And, as we all know, there has not been one single Question Time to any member of the executive to date this year.
There is also a further trend which has crept in, in terms of which some Ministers do not seem to believe it is necessary to turn up to answer questions when it is their turn. A prime example was in October 2007 when 11 Ministers were required to attend a session and only four were present. So few question sessions have taken place since that day that it is difficult to assess, quite frankly, whether this trend continues or not.
There are, of course, written questions. But here the story is equally bleak. The Rules stipulate that Ministers should reply within 10 working days of the question being asked. But in October 2008 there were 280 DA questions alone outstanding. In other words, Ministers had certainly not met the 10-day deadline and some questions had been submitted as far back as February of that year.
By the close of Parliament in December 2008 - despite pressure being applied to the executive - some 55 questions were still unanswered and clearly now will never be answered. Even this year, 26 of the 135 questions submitted by the DA before the 18 March cut - off date before the elections, have not been replied to. In fact, I have to tell the House that since 2006 a staggering 480 questions have never been answered by the executive. It really is a most unfortunate picture.
A further problem with regard to the lack of oversight being performed by Parliament is the greatly reduced number of sitting days in Parliament. In 2007 parliamentary plenaries took place on approximately 70 days. In 2008 this was reduced to approximately 40 days. This, in turn, cuts down on the opportunity for MPs to engage the executive in any important and meaningful way.
Apart from debates on legislation and Budget Votes, hardly any real debates are held on topics other than the celebration of national days and IPU topics. And, my word, we can get very sick of IPU topics. All but gone are debates proposed by parties or members. They are just not scheduled anymore. Yet opposition parties want more debates on issues that they feel are important.
In 2008 the DA proposed 44 topics for discussion; only one was debated. The ANC's 297 members failed to introduce a single motion last year - a clear indication that they do not take this area of work very seriously and, consequently, we are all denied the opportunity to debate matters that we feel are important.
Even members' statements - a good innovation by the ANC - are drifting into oblivion in terms of being an important oversight tool. They take place so seldom. The first one since the election takes place today. But, then again, a trend has developed in which far too many Ministers do not even bother to turn up when there is an opportunity for statements. Ministers' replies are an important part of the whole system of statements and we do hope and expect them to be present to reply.
Now the point of all this is simply this: We have to, we believe, do something about this. Oversight is a critical part of Parliament, as we all know. But the very structure of the business of this House is in urgent need of a revamp. Very little real, stimulating debate takes place in this House. And, quite frankly, debates themselves have become little more than speech-reading sessions rather than real debates.
Let us begin with Question Time, a part of Parliament that used to be regular and vibrant with great interest in it from all concerned, including the public. I would appeal to the Speaker to let us restructure Question Time, hold it more frequently, reintroduce interpellations, and give MPs the proper opportunity to interrogate Ministers. Question Time, as it is structured now, is probably the most boring part of the parliamentary programme. It should never ever be this way.
So, Mr Speaker, please consider setting up a committee to restructure this very important part of Parliament. Let us also introduce rules that make it absolutely compulsory for Ministers to answer questions, both written and oral, and to do so timeously and fully so that proper oversight can take place. Secondly, Mr Speaker, let us make Parliament more relevant by introducing a proper system of debates and discussions in this House on a wide range of subjects and create proper slots for members' topics and motions to be debated. When such debates do take place, they should be responded to by the relevant Minister and this should become the norm.
Thirdly, let us give members' statements the importance they deserve, with proper interaction from the executive. They are a very good innovation and deserve support from all.
Finally, if I may say, Madam Deputy Speaker, through you to the Speaker, I would urge you, Sir, to arrange with the Chief Whips' Forum to set up a task team to look at whether the oversight in Parliament, using the appropriate mechanisms available to MPs, is in fact working to the optimum, but please also address the important job of reassessing the way in which things are done in Parliament with a view to making them more interesting and appropriate in terms of what we are expected to achieve - more interesting and appropriate not only for those of us who have the privilege of serving in this House, but also for the public. Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. [Applause.]
Hon Deputy Speaker, hon Acting President, hon Speaker, hon members and comrades, firstly, I would like to address the hon Mike Ellis on the issue he has just raised in terms of questions, allocation time for questions and the programme of Parliament. The hon Ellis is a member of the programming committee of the National Assembly where the programme of this House is decided, including the time allocated for questions. He is also a member of the Chief Whips' Forum. I don't know how, then, the hon Ellis could come here and complain about those issues because there are forums in which he can raise those issues. [Interjections.] [Applause.]
Secondly, I also want to address the hon Sam Shilowa on the question he raised with the Leader of Government Business. I just want to tell him that the Leader of Government Business is also a member of the programming committee. If he was a member of that committee, he would have witnessed this today, because the Acting President was at the programming committee meeting, but unfortunately he was not.
Thirdly, on the issue of oversight and how the committees should deal with the reports of the departments and Chapter 9 institutions, the committees themselves have to strategise, programme and cost those programmes in terms of the resources the committees have. I would appeal to him to raise those issues at the committee level.
On 26 June 1955, the Congress of the People in Kliptown declared that, I quote:
There shall be peace and friendship!
South Africa shall strive to maintain world peace and the settlement of all international disputes by negotiation - not war. The right of all peoples of Africa to independence and self-government shall be recognised, and shall be the basis of close co-operation.
As the Speaker has already said, international participation is a core function of Parliament. The Joint Rules Committee has agreed that the Parliamentary Group on International Relations, PGIR, should be revived to consider legacy and other issues that relate to international matters. The letters have already been sent to political parties to submit names of their members who will be serving in the PGIR, but unfortunately only one political party has responded.
The PGIR, as a substructure of the Joint Rules Committee, is the vehicle through which strategic and policy impetus to Parliament's international participation can be provided. It is also this body that will assess and make recommendations on how the matters raised in international forums that Parliament is affiliated to and participates in are discussed and relayed to the citizens of South Africa.
We will also set up focus groups as substructures of the PGIR. These focus groups will encompass the following affiliated multilateral bodies: the Inter-Parliamentary Union - Mr Ellis; the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum; the Pan-African Parliament; the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; the African, Caribbean, Pacific-European Union; and the Association for the Educational and Cultural Advancement of African People.
The size of these groups will be influenced by the multilateral body they represent and whether the delegates are appointed by the House for the duration of the parliamentary term or on an ad hoc basis for each activity of the multilateral body. Each focus group will meet at least four times a year in accordance with the programme of the work of its multilateral body.
The purpose of setting up focus groups will be the following. The group will analyse the work of the particular body and guide Parliament's engagement with that body. The group will assess and evaluate reports of delegation meetings of the body as well as identify matters which require further follow-up by Parliament. The group will embark on information- sharing initiatives for members on the work of affiliated multilateral bodies.
We will further establish friendship groups. These groups will be utilised to pursue bilateral relations. The approach will be based on the geographical regions.
Now and again there are agreements and protocols that we have to ratify as Parliament, but as Parliament we don't do oversight and monitoring of them. Members also attend and participate in international forums, and resolutions in the form of communiqus are taken, but Parliament does not monitor the implementation of those resolutions.
The President, in his state of the nation address, said that as Parliament we needed to do oversight. Therefore, as Parliament we need to monitor and oversee all resolutions taken by international forums. Each group needs to discuss and table the report in Parliament for each to be debated and adopted. For example, at the beginning of July there was a Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, the communiqu of which was agreed upon, and I believe that Parliament needs to discus that communiqu. Also, in the middle of July, there will be a CPA conference, and Parliament, I believe, should discuss the agenda of that conference so that the people who attend that conference have a mandate from this Parliament.
As Parliament we can participate in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the CPA, as a branch. Therefore, we need to have a branch meeting in order to elect the executive. I urge all hon members to attend that branch meeting since all Members of Parliament are members of the CPA branch. We also need to elect the executive of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, the CWP, before the CPA conference in July.
Issues on international travelling were raised, namely that members should travel business class when travelling for more than two hours, and subsistence and travel allowances. The matters were discussed in the previous Parliament and discussed further with the House Chairperson on internal arrangements in order to do a follow-up with the Parliamentary Oversight Authority. Members will be kept abreast about developments on these matters.
We are going to develop a policy on public education and public participation in international and national matters. At the present moment, as Parliament, we have the programme of the people's Assembly, of "Taking Parliament to the People" by the NCOP, and of Youth and Women's Parliaments.
We also need to consider allowing committees to hold their meetings outside Parliament and come up with a way in which the public can positively contribute in those committee meetings.
During the third Parliament, three parliamentary democracy offices were established and we need to check how often the public utilises them. Sadly, in this current financial year, we won't be able to allow friendship groups to travel internationally owing to the budgetary constraints, but the Parliamentary Group on International Relations will meet to strategise and prioritise the countries for bilaterals and multilaterals depending on the availability of funds. I want to appeal to hon members, particularly the Chief Whips of political parties, to send through the names of the members who are going to serve in the PGIR as soon as possible.
Finally, I want to thank the management and staff, and believe they will take up all the issues raised here so that we can continue with the work of Parliament. As you have said, together we can do more. Thank you, hon members. [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, the South African Parliament is still like a department and has to follow Public Finance Management Act timeframes, which have resulted in its budget having a deficit of R143,1 million. Of its initial request of R1,627 billion, only R1,223 billion was allocated.
Owing to strict budgetary constraints, the main objective of Parliament to represent the people and provinces of South Africa and ensure government by the people under the Constitution cannot be fully realised.
The UCDP believes that Parliament has to be involved in the budget from an early stage, so as to get the slice that benefits the constitutional mandate.
Political parties would be more productive if they were provided with a researcher per political party - who will serve the interests of such a party - instead of all parties using a common pool of researchers. The amount of R2 400 per party per annum for parties to employ their own researchers is too small. The vacant posts that have been frozen have to be filled. Parliament has to employ an executive secretary instead of using an Acting Secretary.
The UCDP maintains that Treasury should address Parliament's deficit of R143 million in order for there to be an improvement in service delivery. During this fourth Parliament, as rules get reviewed, could the issue of time allocation to smaller parties be reviewed? It is ridiculous to expect a member to debate meaningfully in one minute. The UCDP supports the Budget Vote. Thank you. [Applause.]
Madam Deputy Speaker, firstly, the MF would like to applaud the hon Speaker for his remarkable leadership. We have indeed viewed your participation in the House, and you have carried out your duties with dignity, integrity and credibility - a job well done.
We further want to congratulate you, Madam Deputy Speaker, all the parliamentary office bearers and all the support staff on their commitment, dedication and hard work. Indeed, the National Assembly is a very, very important structure and we are very appreciative of the fact that, to a certain extent, there is respect for multiparty democracy.
Whilst the ANC is very, very accommodative, we, the MF, would also like to see a basic, reasonable amount of time allocated to a political party so that they can effectively participate in debates. We will request the hon Speaker to form a political parties' leadership forum so that matters of general concern can be addressed at the highest level - at the Speakers' Forum.
We, of course, are members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and we also want to suggest that when we have foreign dignitaries coming here, the leadership of all political parties be involved in receiving foreign dignitaries, etc.
Parliament has a very, very important oversight function indeed, and the engine room for our Parliament is our standing and portfolio committees. We must make sure that the independence of the legislature and the separation of the legislature from the executive are not compromised in any manner whatsoever, and especially in respect of protecting the interests of the citizens.
The hon President has repeatedly referred to the performance of parliamentarians and the Cabinet. There is an added, shall I say, responsibility in that the citizens are very much alive and awake. And they are concerned about what is happening in Parliament.
Therefore, we should have more outreach programmes for Parliament. We should go to all provinces to make sure not only that the citizens reach out to Parliament, but that we reach out to Parliament ourselves. That is our main constitutional responsibility - to make sure that we are legislators and that we are dealing with legislation objectively and independently. The MF supports the Budget Vote. [Applause.]