Deputy Speaker, the DA endorses this report, but unfortunately it stops short of telling the full story because the truth is that three and a half years after this House had passed the Money Bills Act, there has been no progress on the establishment of the Budget Office. Without the support of the Budget Office, as envisioned in the Act, the finance committees of Parliament will continue to find themselves blundering through impenetrable fiscal thickets each year. We are in the unfortunate position that the Budget Office is established today, but it does not yet exist.
The competent Professor Mohammed Jahed, who has been deployed from the DBSA to help set up the office, had hoped to secure office space in Africa House, just across the way, by July this year. He wanted an advisory panel approved by Parliament by August. It appears that both of these deadlines have been missed because Parliament has simply not come to the party. Based on this, I am not confident that the office and staff will be in place in time to advise us on next year's budget.
Furthermore, the fact that the Bill now requires amending in order for it to function properly is an indictment of the quality of legislating in this Parliament and yet another example of recent legislation that is simply not up to standard.
Lastly, in future matters related to the Money Bills Act should be handled jointly with the Standing Committee on Appropriations. It is not sufficient for our Finance committees simply to confer with Appropriations, as our report reflects. Thank you. [Applause.]