The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Amendment Bill [B72B-2003] has been referred to the Social Services and Health Committee by the Speaker on 7 October 2004.

2. Consultation

The Committee resolved to extend invitations to relevant stakeholders to submit their inputs and invited the MEC for Health and his department to attend the briefing meeting of the Committee.

3. Briefing

(1) On 14 October 2004 Mr T Setona briefed the Committee on the bill.

(2) Advocate J Machaka, Assistant Legal Advisor of the Free State legislature briefed the Committee on the legal substance and effects of the Bill.

(3) Mr. S BeIot MEC: Health department officials was also present to brief the Committee on the background and contents of the Bill.

4 Consideration

The Committee considered amendments proposed by stakeholders and further agreed on the following amendments:

In the Memorandum to the Dental Technicians Amendment Bill [B63-2003] the Department states that the practice within the National Department of Health is to publish any regulation whether an Act requires it or not for comment before publishing if in its final form. The Department further states that this practice allows interested parties to submit comments on a draft regulation and has already been incorporated in certain laws administered by the National Department of Health.

The Department further proposed the inclusion of a provision allowing public comments on draft regulation in the current amendments to the Dental Technicians Amendment Bill. However, the Department in this instance, when proposing amendments to section 9 of the principal Act dealing with regulations did not add a similar provision in clause 5.

5. Resolutions

The Committee recommends that

Authority be conferred to the Free State Delegation to vote for the adoption of the Bill with aforementioned amendments.

Mr G Ramathabane
Chairperson: Social Services and Health Committee
Free State Legislature

15 October 2004