Sunday, 7 May 2017 – Budget vote debates for government departments start on 16 May and preparations for these continue to dominate the 40 scheduled meetings of committees this week.

Legislation and a range of other subjects are, however, also scheduled for this week:

  • The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, on Tuesday, will further engage the poultry industry
  • The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will receive a briefing on Tuesday from the Department on the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Amendment Bill. The committee will also discuss the report of public hearings on the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill
  • The Portfolio Committee on Environmental Affairs will receive a briefing from the department on initiatives to regulate mining in environmentally sensitive areas, for example, the Minister’s decision to authorise coal mining in the Mabola Protected Environment in Mpumalanga, the source of much of South Africa’s fresh water. The committee will also consider and adopt the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) COP22 (Conference of the Parties 22) Climate Change Conference held in November 2016 in Marrakech
  • The Standing Committee on Appropriations will receive a briefing on Tuesday from the National Treasury’s Office of the Chief Procurement Officer (OCPO) on progress with the implementation of procurement reforms
  • The Standing Committee on Finance will, on Tuesday, follow up on South African Revenue Service issues that came up at a meeting of 28 March
  • The Select Committee on Appropriations will on Tuesday consider final mandates on the Division of Revenue Bill and a draft report on the bill
  • On Wednesday, the Standing Committee on Appropriations will receive a briefing from National Treasury on the new infrastructure budgeting facility
  • The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will, on Wednesday, deliberate on the public hearings report on the Traditional and Khoi-San Leadership Bill
  • The Portfolio Committee on International Relations and Cooperation, on Wednesday, will receive expert analysis on South Africa’s foreign policy focus areas for oversight
  • The Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology will be briefed by the Department of Science and Technology about progress on establishing a task team with the Department of Trade and Industry on the Protection, Development and Management of the Indigenous Knowledge Bill
  • The Portfolio Committee on Labour will, on Wednesday, consider reports on recent oversight visits to the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, felfect o n recent oversight visits and plan for the next oversight visits
  • The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration, on Wddnesday, will consider and adopt the Policy on Incapacity Leave and Ill-health Retirement workshop report
  • The Select Committee on Finance will consider, on Wednesday, the committee’s report on the Financial Sector Regulation Bill
  • The Standing Committee on Finance will be briefed, on Wednesday, by National Treasury and the Financial Services Board on the Insurance Bill – in response to public hearings and deliberations on the bill
  • The Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament will, on Thursday, receive responses from the Secretary to Parliament on matters identified in meetings of the committee between November 2016 and February 2017. Discussion is also scheduled on preparations for the committee’s strategic planning workshop (scheduled for Friday, 12 May)
  • On Friday, the Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry will conduct interviews for appointment of the Chairperson of the National Lotteries Commission

For more details on these committee meetings and others on the schedule for Monday 8 May, please go to: https://www.parliament.gov.za/storage/app/media/Docs/zlist/428ce03a-b639-45dc-ba3f-15154d71f51c.pdf

Plenary sittings of the two Houses of Parliament will include questions to the Deputy President, questions to Cabinet Ministers, recommendations for appointments to statutory bodies and consideration of bills.

In National Assembly plenary sittings this week, questions for oral reply to Economic Cluster Cabinet Ministers come up on Wednesday and to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday.

The Assembly’s Wednesday plenary sitting will also consider recommendations to fill vacancies on the Commission for Gender Equality and an interim report from the Portfolio Committee on Justice and Correctional Services requesting permission to inquire into amending other provisions of the Magistrates’ Courts Act (Act No 32 of 1944). After questions to the Deputy President on Thursday, the Assembly will consider the Border Management Authority Bill.

The National Council of Provinces plenary sittings feature questions for oral reply to Social Security Cluster Cabinet Ministers on Tuesday and consideration of the Division of Revenue Bill on Wednesday.

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