Chairperson, Speaker, and hon members, my input in this debate will focus on the responsibilities of Parliament, which include oversight and accountability, parliamentary committees, and ICT development.
The primary function of Parliament is indeed to make laws and also to see how effective these laws are in improving the lives of our people, whilst also exercising effective oversight over the executive and maintaining the link with citizens in our work.
The Oversight and Accountability Model that the hon Davidson referred to was adopted by the National Assembly in February 2009 and by the National Council of Provinces in March 2009. This marked a key milestone in moving towards a coherent and strategic approach for members to do their work with.
We are pleased to announce that immediately after the sitting of the House we will see the official launch of the Oversight and Accountability Model. I need to acknowledge the valuable contributions made by my predecessors, the hon Nathi Nhleko, the hon Setona from the NCOP, the hon Geoff Doidge, the hon Deputy Minister Andries Nel and the hon Deputy Minister Obed Bapela. There should be special mention and acknowledgement given to the Deputy Secretary to Parliament, Mr Michael Coetzee, who guided the process.
The model seeks to improve existing tools of parliamentary oversight and to enhance the capacity of Parliament to discharge its oversight and accountability functions effectively. It consists of values and principles by which Parliament conducts oversight and the resources required for the task. It is our collective responsibility, as all Members of Parliament, to make the document a living instrument to sharpen oversight so as to give expression to the vision of an activist Parliament.
This will inevitably require an evaluation of existing structures in the administration and a realignment of key functions. Key to this initiative will be the establishment of an oversight and accountability section and the building of capacity to achieve the efficient tracking and monitoring of resolutions of the House. The work on the Oversight and Accountability Model has produced critical work that is already contributing to the enhancement of the functioning of Parliament. The implementation has taken place through a number of different streams within the institution. However, further co-ordination and synergy is necessary to achieve its optimal output.
The following has already been achieved. Today will see the launch of the manual for parliamentary committees, which should be a useful tool for both chairpersons of committees and members, and which seeks to guide members in carrying out activities in committees.
We have also seen the implementation of the Financial Management of Parliament Act, which was signed into law in 2009. It is critical for all chairpersons of committees, as well as Members of Parliament, to be knowledgeable about this Act, as it impacts on how different budgets in Parliament and committee budgets are being managed.
We are also moving towards the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act and the implementation of the budget office, which has been referred to. As the Speaker indicated earlier, we are now at the point where a technical team has delivered the report, and we are busy processing the report to see what type of budget office is required for our purpose here in Parliament. The different experiences we have had on the oversight visits to countries abroad indicate that there is no "one size fits all" situation, and we need to apply our minds to it to see that we achieve the objective that has been set for the establishment of a budget office.
Key to the implementation of the Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act is the fact that all committees, and not only the Standing Committees on Appropriations and on Finance and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Scopa, are tasked with overseeing the financial matters of the different departments. It is the responsibility of all of us. [Applause.]
Today we will also see the audit of statutes, work that has been done over a number of years, so that we can have a consolidated set of statutes that is there for members to reflect on. The report on the legislative process has also been delivered to Parliament, and further training for Members of Parliament will take place.
The legislation-making process is closely linked to the development of the public participation model. Very often during the public participation process we can see that it is those in society that have the financial means to travel to Cape Town, or are located in the vicinity of Parliament, who readily get access to the different committees where laws are being made. This issue needs to be addressed, and we call on the political steering committee, comprised of members from different political parties, which has been tasked with this issue, to take it into cognisance when the final model is being developed.
We are also seeing the establishment of the Office on Institutions Supporting Democracy, which will play a vital role in enhancing the relationship between Chapter 9 and 10 institutions and the portfolio committees of Parliament.
The implementation plan for the outstanding elements of the Oversight and Accountability Model has been developed and will be signed off soon.
In respect of the national projects that have been identified, we have identified the need for Parliament to develop its own approach to overseeing the Millennium Development Goal, MDG, processes and also related processes around climate change. It is important for Parliament not be reliant on the executive to come up with a model first and then respond thereto. Parliament has the responsibility to take the lead to see that these important programmes are implemented, so that we can improve the lives of our people.
Climate change is not only an environmental problem, but also a challenge with clear economic and social consequences, which hinders the path to sustainable human development, justice, equality and combating poverty. Parliament plays a critical role in any national effort to tackle climate change. In this respect, the concept paper for a parliamentary approach to climate change focuses on advocacy and awareness programmes in Parliament, parliamentary villages and also the parliamentary constituency offices of Members of Parliament.
The activities associated with the Climate Change Conference, which will take place in Durban later this year, have been articulated by the Speaker. The political steering committee, of which the hon Greyling is part, has been established to drive the Conference of the Parties, COP 17, processes, and it has the responsibility to report back to that forum first. By no means is it a project that will be successful if we leave it to be claimed by one Member of Parliament only. It is the responsibility of all Members of Parliament to realise the objectives of these programmes. Technical teams from the Parliamentary Services have been tasked with the responsibility of providing logistical and administrative support to ensure the success of the programmes, whilst it is led by the politicians.
In respect of the MGDs, all committees related to MDGs have been requested to develop programmes towards assessing the work done by departments and to report to Parliament by the end of this month. A parallel process will be taking place in all the provinces. This process is being managed by my colleague in the NCOP, the hon Tau.
In addition, we have made the activities of the Multiparty Women's Caucus operational and will work closely with them to assist them to execute their mandate. They will do important work to assess, from a gender perspective, what progress has been made on the MGDs. In conjunction with the United Nations Development Programme, they will have a workshop next week to refine the approach that they intend following. An interlegislature workshop is planned for mid-August to consider the outcomes of this project.
This will be in preparation for a consultative seminar on MDGs, involving all stakeholders, which will take place here in Parliament during September. The objective is to oversee the attainment of these goals set for the country, but more importantly, and critically, to ensure that the quality of life of our people is improved across the country. This objective is further to create more awareness and to enhance co-operative governance and accountability across the legislative sphere, so as to ensure that Members of Parliament are adequately equipped to deal with MDGs at international forums.
I want to turn my attention now to the functionality of the portfolio committees. The budget for portfolio committees has seen a 12% increase, from R44 million to R51 million, for this financial year. The budget allocation takes into consideration priority committees, or apex committees, as well as the Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs, which is busy processing the Green Paper on Climate Change.
Currently we have 51 parliamentary committees. This includes 30 portfolio committees, two standing committees and two ad hoc committees in the National Assembly, as well as four joint committees between the NA and NCOP and 13 select committees in the NCOP. Furthermore, we also see the possible establishment of another committee on the Minister in the Presidency, the hon Chabane, who deals with performance monitoring and evaluation, as well as a joint committee on HIV/Aids that will be considered soon.
In total, there are only 39 venues in which committees can meet in Parliament. A total of 33 of them are committee rooms, whilst 6 are ordinary boardrooms. The size differs from committee room to committee room, and there is no set standard in respect of the numbers that can be accommodated. Of these, three venues are fully equipped for video conferencing. It is thus possible for committees to interact with any stakeholder, including members of the executive, anywhere in the country or the world. This facility potentially has massive cost-saving benefits for Parliament, and persons, or entities, and officials who must attend committee meetings in Cape Town can be interacted with through this medium.
Committees face a number of challenges. Apart from the very limited time set aside for committees to meet, we have seen an increase in the number of portfolio committees that meet on Fridays. However, we encourage more portfolio committees to do so. Also, resources are made available for the different portfolio committees, if they wish to meet after plenary sittings.
In discussion with the Programming Whips, an expanded parliamentary programme framework up to the end of March 2012 has been developed. This will be submitted to the Joint Programming Committee later this week. Once adopted, a full calendar will be available, giving Members of Parliament, committees and the executive the ability to plan ahead. We will then start the process of developing a full parliamentary programme for the 2012-13 financial year.
The limited number of venues within Parliament poses a big challenge. As indicated, there are not enough venues to accommodate all the committees. Often committees seek permission to meet in venues outside Parliament. Such meetings can cost up to R50 000 per day, using resources that could have been put to better use. Meetings in venues outside have also had a negative impact on the operations of committees, as these venues tend not to be equipped adequately to meet the needs of committees.
With regard to the size of portfolio and standing committees, we are aware that a proposal has been placed before the NA Rules Committee to reduce the size of committees from 14 to 12 members. This will ensure that we have a greater number of Members of Parliament who are able to dedicate their time to specific focus areas.
While some committees are doing a sterling job in regard to record-keeping and the adoption of minutes and reports, others still take too long to adopt such reports. This practice can expose Parliament, in that credible information will not be available when challenges arise. We are developing an approach with ICT to put mechanisms in place to address this matter.
The restructuring of the committee section is essential to ensure that quality support and output is provided to committees. The role of the administration of Parliament is to support Members of Parliament in the carrying out of their mandates and political responsibilities. It is anticipated that the appointment of researchers and content advisers will be finalised by the end of this financial year. The legal support capacity in Parliament is also inadequate, and we need to expand this capability if we want to provide quality support to the different committees. [Applause.]
Parliament has developed very good relations with the Office of the Auditor- General, and our continued interaction with his office contributes to enhancing oversight functions. A general report on the implementation of the Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act and service delivery audits by the Auditor-General is due to be released at the end of this month. We will work together on the outcomes of the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Co-ordinated Oversight of Service Delivery, based on its oversight work which was done during 2009 and 2010. In collaboration with the Office of the Auditor-General and the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Parliament will hold a workshop for chairpersons of committees and members of the committees on local government, co-operative governance and traditional affairs, both in the NA and NCOP, as well as in the provinces, with the aim of further developing a co-ordinated approach towards improving service delivery in local government.
Recently, and over the past few years, Parliament has faced a number of challenges - both in court and in the media - when parliamentary portfolio committees are closed to the public. In order to ensure transparency and accountability in committee meetings, the current rules on the closure of meetings need to be reviewed. In the interim, the practice has been developed that committees seek permission from the Office of the Speaker in advance before they have closed meetings, explaining specific reasons why these meetings must be closed.
In respect of the approval of study tours, which that was also mentioned by the hon Greyling, I can confidently say that the turnaround time for assessing applications from portfolio committees to conduct local and international study tours takes approximately 48 hours. In instances where information is lacking, it is returned to the relevant chairpersons and the committee section to provide the necessary information.
In regard to ICT, Parliament is a key role-player in collaborative ICT- related and knowledge-management initiatives such as the Africa Parliamentary Knowledge Network and the Global Centre for ICT in Parliaments. The Global Centre for ICT in Parliaments is an initiative of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, with the Inter-Parliamentary Union, IPU. The Parliamentary ICT Strategy for 2009 to 2014 identifies a transition from e-Parliament to e-democracy. It advocates the increased use of the broadcast media and Internet services to extend the reach of Parliament to its citizens. It also emphasises Bill-tracking mechanisms, monitoring and tracking of House resolutions, improvement of budget performance and improvement of document management systems.
The strategic objective of the ICT strategy is aligned with that of Parliament, and will focus on strengthening oversight, increasing public participation, improving and widening international co-operation and participation, strengthening co-operative government, and continuing to build an effective and efficient institution.
The ICT focus group politically oversees the implementation of the ICT strategy. Earlier this year, the membership of the focus group was reviewed to give more members an opportunity to understand and be involved in the benefits of ICT development in Parliament.
A workshop of the focus group was held on 6 June 2011 and highlighted the following. The focus group indicated the need for a critical role to be played by Members of Parliament in driving the ICT strategy and seeing to it that it is integrated into the strategic business of Parliament. Members of Parliament also need to be more receptive to the innovations that are brought about by the strategy. It is important for contributions that are made to the reviewing of the strategy to see to it that it speaks to the needs of the Members of Parliament. The current ICT policy must be aligned to the need of the members to carry out their constitutional obligations and oversight responsibilities.
Another welcome development is that an increasing number of Members of Parliament - in fact, the majority of Members of Parliament - can be followed on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. However, members themselves are responsible to see to it that they handle this media in a very professional way, because unintended consequences are possible, if you don't deal with it correctly in this electronic age! [Laughter.] With the click of a button, all information is spread throughout the world!
Key developments in the implementation of this strategy include the following: As part of the ICT strategy, an upgrade was undertaken and Parliament now boasts a secure high availability and high performance network; the infrastructure backbone has been completed for an ICT multicentre which will host a media asset management system to support a dedicated 24-hour parliamentary channel; and the implementation of the enhanced video-broadcast infrastructure will ensure that democratic processes are accessible, well known and reach all citizens of the country.
In conclusion, Members of Parliament occupy a pivotal position in ensuring that the laws and budgets that we pass in this House impact positively on the lives of all our people. Working together with our people, we can do more to ensure that the fruit of our democracy and liberation is enjoyed by all our people. I thank you. [Applause.]