Parliament, Sunday 21 July 2019 – Deputy President David Mabuza is scheduled to have his first oral questions session on Thursday afternoon with members of the sixth Parliament’s National Assembly.
These regular plenary oral question and answer sessions – with the President, the Deputy President and Cabinet Ministers – are one of the ways in which Parliament scrutinises executive action and holds the executive accountable.
Matters related to the national budget are scheduled for the other plenary sittings of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly plenary sitting starting at 10.00 is scheduled to consider and make decisions on the 2019 Appropriation Bill and the Special Eskom Appropriation Bill.
The Appropriation Bill proposes appropriating money from the National Revenue Fund for requirements of the state and prescribes conditions for the spending of the funds withdrawn.
Minister of Finance Mr Tito Mboweni tabled the 2019/2020 national budget in Parliament on 20 February together with the 2019 Appropriation Bill. The Bill lapsed after the last sitting of the National Assembly before the May general elections. However, the sixth Parliament’s National Assembly revived it in June. The Minister of Finance also tabled proposed amendments on 25 June. These include authorisation of expenditure of R17.652 billion to Eskom on 2 April, in terms of section 16 (1) of the Public Finance Management Act, which deals with use of funds in emergency situations.
If Tuesday’s National Assembly plenary sitting agrees to the Appropriation Bill, the Bill will be sent to the National Council of Provinces for consideration and decision.
The National Council of Provinces is scheduled to hold plenary sittings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday featuring policy debates on nine budget votes. These are Higher Education and Training, Police; the Independent Police Investigative Directorate; Social Development; Economic Development; Small Business Development; Water and Sanitation; Human Settlements; and Rural Development and Land Reform.
Following their recent election, the chairpersons of National Assembly parliamentary committees are scheduled to have induction sessions on Wednesday and on Friday.
There are 11 committee meetings scheduled for the week, including:
TUESDAY
Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation: Consideration and adoption of draft minutes and its second term programme
Joint meeting of Select Committee on Appropriations and Select Committee on Finance: Continuation of Committees induction, with presentations on Committee Rules, sector issues and legacy reports
Select Committee on Land Reform, Environment, Mineral Resources and Energy: Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform briefing on its Annual Performance Plan 2019/2020 and budget of Rural Development and Land Reform (Vote 39) and Agriculture (Vote 24); consideration and adoption of minutes
WEDNESDAY
Select Committee on Appropriations: National Treasury presentation on Appropriation Bill, as referred to the National Council of Provinces; consideration and adoption of draft report on the Appropriation Bill; consideration of draft minutes of previous meetings
THURSDAY
Joint Standing Committee on the Financial Management of Parliament: Briefing by the committee’s content adviser and researcher on Parliament’s draft 2020/21 annual performance plan and budget
Members of the National Assembly, provisionally, are set to go on leave from 29 July to 2 August. They are also scheduled to embark on a constituency period from 5 August to 19 August.
For the latest full schedule of committee meetings (updated regularly), please click:https://www.parliament.gov.za/whatson
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