Committee Programme

Meeting report

Opening remarks
The Chairperson informed Members that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) had requested additional time to complete its reports. The current meeting would only address the Committee Programme and consider two sets of minutes.
 
The Secretary informed the Committee that the dtic had, the previous week, requested more time for preparation of the response to the public hearings because many of the issues raised in the submissions were policy-related and had to undergo a particular process in the Department.
 
Committee Programme
The Chairperson explained that Parliament had adapted its programme for the quarter which had impacted on the Committee’s programme. That was in addition to changes that had to be made to accommodate dtic.
 
The Committee Secretary presented the revised Committee programme:
 
18 August 2021 – Briefing by dtic on its Fourth Quarter Financial and Non-Financial Performance for the 2020/21 financial year. Consideration of the first draft of the report on the oversight visit to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
 
20 August - Formal consideration of the first draft of the report on the oversight visit to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal as there was a scheduled debate in Parliament on the oversight reports on 24 August 2021.
 
24 August - Briefing by the dtic, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) on economic recovery support interventions. Briefing on the mandate, function and operation of the South African Special Risks Insurance Association (SASRIA).
 
25 August – Briefing on the Master Plan for the Steel and Metal Fabrication Sector (to be confirmed) or Status reports from the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) and the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) on progress regarding the implementation of their turnaround strategies. (*see 15 September)
 
27 August – Response from dtic and Adv Charmaine van der Merwe on the submissions received on the Copyright Amendment Bill (CAB) and the Performers’ Protection Amendment Bill (PPAB).
 
31 August – Deliberations on submissions received regarding the CAB and PPAB.
 
1 September - Deliberations on submissions received regarding the CAB and PPAB.
 
7 September - Deliberations on submissions received regarding the CAB and PPAB.
 
8 September - Deliberations on submissions received regarding the CAB and PPAB.
 
10 September - Deliberations on submissions received regarding the CAB and PPAB.
 
14 September – Consideration of the C and D Bills with respect to the CAB and PPAB.
 
15 September - – Briefing on the Master Plan for the Steel and Metal Fabrication Sector or Status Reports from SABS and NRCS on progress regarding the implementation of their turnaround strategies (*see 25 August).
 
17 September – Formal consideration of CAB and PPAB.
 
21 September - Briefing by dtic on its  2020/21 Annual Report for Financial and Non-Financial Performance and  first Quarter Financial and Non-Financial Performance for 2021/22.
 
28 September – Briefing by the National Gambling Board on its Annual Report and First Quarter Financial and Non-Financial Performance for 2021/22. The National Consumer Tribunal on its Annual Report and First Quarter Financial and Non-Financial Performance for 2021/22.
 
29 September  - Consideration of the first draft of the Budget Review and Recommendations Reports (BRRR). Consideration of minutes. Consideration of Committee’s fourth quarter programme.
 
30 September – Formal consideration of the Budget Review and Recommendations Reports (BRRR).
 
Parliamentary Recess – 1 October to 1 November 2021.
 
The Secretary alerted Members to the fact that the parliamentary programme might be subject to further change. The  Budget Review and Recommendations Reports had to be presented before the end of September in preparation for the presentation of the Medium Term Budget by the Minister of Finance.
 
Discussion
Mr W Cuthbert (DA) noted that there had been no feedback from the Speaker of the National Assembly as to why the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) report had not been tabled in Parliament, although the decision had been tabled some four or five months previously. It was not on the upcoming parliamentary programme. It was necessary to know what was happening so that the situation at the NLC could be addressed. He requested the Chairperson to follow up with the Speaker’s Office.
 
The Chairperson replied that he would check on the status of the NLC report and find out what had happened to it. The Committee had completed its processes.
 
The Secretary stated that the matter was out of the hands of the Committee and the Chairperson would have to ask the Programme Committee and the Speaker for guidance on the status of that report.
 
Ms J Hermans (ANC) supported the programme for week 2 as it was dedicated to the public hearings process and processing of the two remitted Bills.
 
Ms Hermans noted the choice of topics on 15 September. Both items were important. Was there any way that the Committee could deal with both the Master Plan for the Steel and Metal Fabrication Sector and the SABS/NRCS?
 
Mr Cuthbert said he would prefer a presentation on the Master Plan as it had been presented to the media three months previously and the Committee had not yet had a briefing. The Trade Policy had also been released to the public three months previously but it had not been presented to the Committee. The Committee had to go begging for such briefings.
 
The Secretary explained that the programme for 15 September reflected an alternative because it was dependent on the programme for 25 August. The dtic would indicate when the Department would be ready to present the Master Plan for the Steel and Metal Fabrication Sector. The Department would brief the Committee on either 25 August 2021 or on 15 September 2021. SABS and the NRCS would brief the Committee on the alternate date.
 
Mr F Mulder (FF+) noted the formal consideration of the first draft of the report on the oversight visit on 20 August 2021 and asked if he could receive a copy of the report as soon as possible.
 
The Secretary informed Members that they would receive copies the following day and then Members had to submit concluding remarks/recommendations on Wednesday evening, 18 August 2021. The final draft would be released at 9:00 on Thursday morning, 19 August 2021, in time for discussion at the caucuses of the various parties.
 
The programme was adopted by the Committee.
 
Minutes
The minutes of 1 June 2021 were read and adopted without amendments or objections.
The minutes of 2 June 2021 were adopted with a change to the date of the subsequent meeting.
 
 The meeting was adjourned.