Chairperson, the Select Committee on Economic Development deliberated on the Geoscience Amendment Bill over the past few weeks and has carefully looked at the amendments and the implications thereof. The Geoscience Amendment Bill seeks, most importantly, to protect the citizens of the country with regard to their homes built in areas characterised by potential life-threatening geological conditions of dolomite land, areas of potential slope stability problems and areas prone to potential severe seismicity and flood-line areas.
The Geoscience Amendment Bill seeks also to enable the Geological Science Council to gather geoscience information including, amongst others, with regard to geotechnical information, exploration mining, geohydrology, geochemistry, geophysics, engineering geology, economic geology, geohazards and environmental geology.
This Council will undertake geoscientific research and perform generic geological functions in any country or territory outside the Republic on behalf of any person, institution, government or administration. This is important for the country, considering the risk that most areas suffer and also assists in future property development.
The Select Committee on Economic Development, having considered and examined the Geoscience Amendment Bill, recommends that the Bill be passed without amendments. Thank you. Debate concluded.
Bill agreed to in accordance with section 75 of the Constitution.