Committee Programme & Candidates for Trip to Australia

MEMBERS’ LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS SELECT COMMITTEE
30 January 2007
COMMITTEE PROGRAMME & CANDIDATES FOR TRIP TO AUSTRALIA

Chairperson: Mr F Adams (ANC, Western Cape)

Documents handed out:
Draft Committee Programme

SUMMARY
The Chairperson expected this to be a tough year for the NCOP. The government was now set on focusing on delivery and implementation programmes. This meant there would be a lot of oversight to see the implementation of what government had promised. The draft committee programme was adopted with possible amendments to come at a later stage.

The guidelines for the delegation of Members for the Australia trip amounted to five members: three ANC, one DA and one from another party. There not being another party on the committee meant four ANC and one DA. The chairperson and secretary would consult with the Chief Whip and get back to members within the course of the day.

MINUTES
Committee programme
The Chairperson welcomed members and the media to the first meeting of the year. This would be a tough year for the NCOP. After the Lekgotlas that had taken place around the country the government was now set on focusing on delivery and implementation programmes. For the committees and the NCOP there would be legislation and a lot of oversight to see the implementation of what government had promised. As the other committees that members served would be busy, he would try to keep the work of this Committee to the essentials. The NCOP Chairperson had instructed that adjustments to the NCOP Rules be made to give Special Petitions to this committee also. Currently the committee was not dealing with special petitions, only legislative proposals.

He suggested that the Committee adopt the draft committee programme as is with possible amendments coming in at a later stage, because the programmes in the institution changed on a daily basis.

Mr A Moseki (ANC, North West) suggested that it be recognised that each member belonged to other committees and should therefore interact with those other committees to avoid clashes from time to time, and people who drafted the programmes should take this into account.

Mr Adams responded that there were only three fixed dates because were waiting on the other two committees being Security and Justice and Constitutional Affairs, and were awaiting their programmes before fixing dates to this committee’s programmes, which was the reason for the proposal to adopt with possible amendments. The programme would then be redrafted with specific dates to it.

The proposal was adopted.

Election of candidates for trip to Australia
Mr Adams explained that research had been done and the previous Parliament went to Germany and Britain and the book was brought out based on those principles.

Three countries had been proposed but Australia was strongly recommended because the Australian system was based similar to that of South Africa and Australia was the only country that had committees dealing with legislative proposals and special petitions.

Unfortunately the proposed dates of 17 – 24 February were the only dates that the Institution could give the committee to do an international study tour to look at the models of Australia and also to see the best practice models in terms of petitions and legislative proposals. Legislative proposals in the NCOP were quite different to the National Assembly. The trip had been approved and extra funding provided based on those dates. However, Foreign Affairs declared that the Australian Parliament would be opening on 6 February and their programme was too full. Another letter would be sent to Foreign Affairs informing them that those were the only dates in the current financial year the committee had. Hopefully the Australian counterparts would be able to accommodate the committee.

It was then necessary to select candidates - 5 members plus a staff member had been approved. There was a need to look at who had attended regular meetings thus far. He expressed concern that it could be a male only delegation.

Mr K Mokoena (ANC, Limpopo) thanked the chairperson for the initiative of the committee going to other countries to get a wider scope on how to do things here, and learn more from other colleagues. He proposed the ruling party plus the DA, and to start by requesting the office to provide names from the ruling party and from the DA within a specific time frame.

Mr D Worth (DA, Free State) proposed that the chairperson select the party from the DA.

Mr Adams thanked Mr Worth for his confidence and, based on regular attendance, he would recommend Mr Worth. A delegation of five would need to be three from the ruling party, one from the official opposition being the DA, and one from another party. There were no other parties on the committee except one alternate who didn’t attend meetings. He suggested the ruling party fill the gap of the ‘other’ party, and Mr Worth from the official opposition.

Mr Moseki felt that the issue of gender balance was very important.

Mr Adams responded that Ms Hollander served on the committee as Deputy Chair, but he would ask the Chief Whip to look at the attendance register in terms of gender, etc. He would follow up with the Chief Whip’s office.

Mr Moseki agreed with Mr Worth’s proposal that the chairperson should sort this out.

Mr Mokoena did not think it would be right for the sake of the trip overseas to take any person but should look at the members who attended meetings even if that meant a male dominated delegation.

Mr A Watson (DA, Mpumalanga) felt very strongly should look at regular representation on the committee by members and then see who should go.

Mr Adams agreed that that was also one of the criteria to be looked at.

It was agreed that the chairperson and secretary would attend to this and get back to members within the course of the day.

Mr Watson didn’t think the committee could allow a member or members of a party to be disadvantaged because of attendance at a very important meeting of another committee.

Mr Adams concluded that he would follow up with the Chief Whip again regarding the membership and the balance of the committee.

The meeting was adjourned.