QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
62. Mr D B Feldman (COPE-Gauteng) to ask the Deputy President:
(1) Whether Cabinet has taken any decision to encourage Members of
the Executive to attend committee meetings to answer questions
as required by the Constitution; if so, what are the relevant
details;
(2) whether Members of the Executive will be encouraged to honour
commitments they make in committee meetings; if not, why not; if
so, what are the relevant details? CW87E
REPLY
Honourable Member, I believe that the Constitution, other relevant
legislation and the Rules of both the National Council of Provinces and the
National Assembly makes the position clear regarding the relationship
between the Members of the Executive and Parliament.
I also covered this matter broadly during the Presidency Budget Vote in the
National Assembly. For ease of reference, I wish to restate what I said
then and continue to emphasise to both Parliament and my colleagues within
the Executive.
In the budget vote I said:
âThe position of Leader of Government Business is provided for in the
Constitution and in the rules of Parliament. Effectively, our purpose is co-
ordination and harmonisation of the interaction between the Executive and
the Legislature. There is, unfortunately, a tendency to use this office
largely as a channel for complaints. I have also received numerous requests
for government business opportunities. Many out there believe I am in
charge of government business. This is a genuine misunderstanding and I
have had to explain very courteously that I am not in charge of any
business.
I wish to reiterate that Parliamentary oversight as provided for in the
Constitution is crucial and should be rigorously observed. I am aware that
as there are new Members of Parliament and new Ministers, challenges have
arisen that are perceived to be affecting the relationship between
Parliament and the Executive. Let me reiterate that these two arms of the
state are enjoined by the Constitution to work co-operatively although they
have different mandates. This Assembly is obligated to oversee
implementation by the Executive, which is responsible for implementing
government programmes and therefore should be accorded time and space to do
so. For that reason, there should be no uncertainty regarding these
distinct yet complementary functions.
One instrument that the Assembly uses to hold the Executive accountable is
Parliamentary Questions. Regrettably, a large number of questions were
unanswered at the end of last year, thus pitting some Ministers against
Parliament. All Ministers who had outstanding questions were asked to
provide written explanations as to why they had failed to reply as provided
for in the Rules of this House. Having considered their explanations and
also engaging Ministers directly, I wish to reassure this House that this
challenge is being overcome.
Measures being implemented include allocating more resources to ensure that
questions are not only answered on time but that they provide the necessary
detail as well. In some instances, capacity in Ministries is being
enhanced. Henceforth, Directors-General will play a more active role in
this process. We will closely monitor progress in this regardâ.