The Week Ahead: Parliament Passes the Budget

The second term concludes for NCOP delegates.

From next week, they will join their NA counterparts who are on recess from this week.

A big chunk of the year has been spent considering the 2023/24 national budget.

What the Minister presents in February is a proposal, that must be scrutinised and approved by Parliament before funds can be allocated and the budget implemented.

The NCOP is scheduled to consider the 2023 Appropriation Bill and the Eskom Debt Relief Bill on Wednesday. The Appropriation Bill appropriates money from the National Revenue Fund for the requirements of the state for the 2022/23 financial year. Once passed, this will conclude Parliament’s processing of the budget and it will be sent to the President for assent. The NA passed the bill on the 8th of May.

The Bill proposes a total Vote allocation of R1.077 trillion for the 2023/24 financial year, excluding direct charges against the National Revenue Fund (NRF), provisional allocation not assigned to votes and the contingency reserves. 74% of the proposed vote allocations go towards transfers and subsidies. These are transfers to provinces, municipalities, public corporations, and other non-profit making entities mainly for the payment of social grants, conditional grants allocations, transfers to public entities, university subsidies, and NSFAS.

Parliament’s responsibility concerning the budget is an ongoing, rolling process throughout the financial year.

As part of their oversight, Committees are advised to ensure that no organ of state accountable to each Portfolio Committee underspend on appropriated funds. Underspending on Parliament’s appropriated funds undermines government policies and has a negative impact on the services that government provides to South Africans, and the impact is worse for the poor majority who are mostly dependent on various government services for their daily needs and survival.

In October, government departments will have an opportunity to apply for adjustments to their budgets, apply for rollovers, and request additional funds for unforeseeable and unavoidable expenditures during the mini-budget process.

On Tuesday, the NCOP sitting will consider the South African Post Bank Limited Amendment bill, and hold policy debates on Budget Vote 5: Home Affairs, and Budget Vote 29: Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development.

Thursday’s plenary agenda is dedicated to an Oral Question session with one of the Economics Cluster Ministers, the Minister of Small Business Development.

In light of the busy parliamentary programme, several committees are expected to meet during the constituency period and in some cases, conduct oversight visits or hold public hearings. The Standing Committee on Public Account will this week visit Tutuka power station and Eskom Megawatt. The Committee will also have engagements with the Eskom Board, National Treasury and Road Accident Fund. In addition, the Ad Hoc Joint Committee on Flood Disaster Relief and Recovery will conduct oversight visits to some areas that were impacted by floods that occurred from December 2022 up to February this year.

There are 4 meetings scheduled in the Committee Corridor: TUESDAY, 20 JUNE 2023

Select Committee on Trade and Industry, Economic Development, Small Business Development, Tourism, Employment and Labour, (National Council of Provinces), [Voting on Negotiating Mandates on Performers Protection and Copyright Amendment Bills], Virtual Meeting Platform, 09:00-13:00

Select Committee on Health and Social Services, (National Council of Provinces), [Briefing by the Department of Health on the National Health Insurance Bill [B11B-2019], Sec 76; Consideration and Adoption of Committee Minutes; Consideration and Adoption of DWYPD Budget Vote report], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-12:30

WEDNESDAY, 21 JUNE 2023 Select Committee on Transport, Public Service and Administration, Public Works and Infrastructure, Consideration of oral and written submissions on Expropriation Bill.

Select Committee on Appropriations, (National Council of Provinces), [Briefing by PBO on Social Development Conditional Grants underspending], Virtual Meeting Platform, 10:00-13:00

The NCOP constituency period will run from 26 June to 5 September. The NA constituency period will run from 19 June until 28 August.

The constituency period is an extended one. During this period, MPs have a duty to: be available to the public, help solve problems and report back to their constituents on what is happening in Parliament.

Committees provide a platform for the public to present views directly to MPs. Share your thoughts, on-the-ground experience, and expert information with the relevant committees. Critically, what questions should MPs pose to the Executive as they conduct their oversight work? Write to a Parliamentary Committee

View the schedule page here.

*This summary is based on the schedule as it is published on Monday morning. The programme is subject to frequent updating so the link above needs to be checked daily to confirm the programme for the day.

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