Hon Speaker, I would like to assure the hon members that Ministers are well aware of their obligations to account to Parliament in terms of the Constitution.
Hon Ellis, in his question to me, refers to Ministers who provide incomplete and inadequate answers and/or do not answer questions at all. I am not aware of that happening and he has not given me specific examples.
It is true, however, that Ministers do exceed the period provided for in the Rules of the National Assembly, for answering written questions, but I am sure that the hon Ellis is also quite aware that those same Rules provide for remedies to this problem, namely, the transfer of those questions from written to oral reply. I am not aware of this being done in the recent period, however.
Hon members, as I have already stated, the Rules of the National Assembly do provide mechanisms for ensuring that questions to the executive are answered. As these Rules are adopted by this House and not the executive, I believe it would be up to the National Assembly to decide whether there is a need to tighten these Rules or to strengthen them in any way.
However, as Leader of Government Business, it is my duty and responsibility to ensure that Cabinet Ministers are reminded of their obligation and I do so by regularly reporting, in detail, to each meeting of Cabinet the number of questions each Minister has outstanding. That is the reply to the question. Thank you.