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Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s Questions for Oral Reply session is the only formal parliamentary sitting scheduled for this opening week of the second parliamentary term as Members of Parliament return from the constituency period.

The Deputy President will appear before the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Thursday at 2 pm to answer oral questions from the delegates to the NCOP. The scheduling of ‘Questions for Oral Reply’ is, but, one of the strategic methods which Parliament utilises to hold the Executive accountable as stipulated in Section 92(2) of the Constitution that Cabinet Members are accountable collectively and individually to Parliament for the exercise of powers and performance of their functions.

For the full list of questions, please click: https://www.parliament.gov.za/storage/app/media/Docs/quest_pap/10b45f7d-39aa-4cc4-9e94-43cee54b46fa.pdf

On Thursday at 08:30 am, both Houses of Parliament, the National Assembly and the NCOP, will convene their respective programming committee meetings to plan for their businesses which will include consideration of reports on Bills before them, and consideration of their programmes for the new parliamentary term.

The Portfolio Committees on Human Settlements, Communications and Digital Technologies, Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, as well as the Portfolio Committee on Tourism, will from 17 to 21 April conduct oversight visits to different provinces to, among other things, assess progress on the work of government departments and their entities that the committees have an oversight role over them.

Meanwhile, three parliamentary committees will from 17 to 21 April conduct public hearings on Bills before them. The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy will conduct public hearings on the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill in the Free State, the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment will conduct public hearings in the Eastern Cape on the Climate Change Bill, and the Portfolio Committee on Transport will hold public hearings on the Railway Safety Bill in the Western Cape.

There are about 34 parliamentary committee meetings scheduled for this week. Parliamentary Communication Services’ Multimedia Productions Unit posts a coverage plan on whatsapp group daily indicating committee meetings to be streamed live on social media platforms and on Parliament TV channel 408.

TUESDAY, 18 APRIL 2023

Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, Consideration of budget vote report of the home affairs portfolio and committee annual business plan; briefing by the Department of the Home Affairs on general electoral laws amendment policy and decision on the Executive or Committee Bill

Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Briefings by Entities on the 2023/24 Annual Performance Plans (APPs) and Budget allocation, namely: Agricultural Research Council (ARC); Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP); National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC)

Portfolio Committee on Basic Education, Consideration and adoption of Draft Report on Budget Vote 16: Basic Education; Briefing by the Department of Basic Education on Learner Drop-Outs in the System (Statistics, trends, tracking and tracing); engagement on Public Participation hearings on the BELA Bill; proposals for Improved Public Participation hearings on the BELA Bill (Hon M Sukers MP) - engagement with Parliamentary Support Units on preparations for hearings]

Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Update by the Minister of Higher Education regarding National Skills Fund and NSFAS investigations.

Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Briefing by Mr J Rodemeyer on the trade and killing of animals and organized crimes at Kruger National Park; briefing by the Office of the Auditor General on the Review of Annual Performance Plans; consideration and adoption on the report on Knoffloskraal, Grabouw invasion; consideration and adoption of the Second Term Committee Programme, 2023; briefing on the annual performance plan and strategic plans for 2023/24 financial year: Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment including the Marine Living Resources Fund; South African National Parks; and Isimangaliso Wetland Park Authority.

Select Committee on Finance, Briefing by the Land Bank on outstanding issues from their previous engagement with the committee.

Portfolio Committee on Health, Briefing by the Financial and Fiscal Commission (FFC) on the analysis of the Health Sector Budget; briefing by the Auditor-General of South Africa on annual performance plan (APP) reviews, Accountability Ecosystem and MI refresher; briefing by the Compensation Commissioner for Occupational Diseases (CCOD) on the annual performance plan and budget for 2023/24 financial year; and briefing by the Office of Health Standards Compliance on the annual performance blan and Budget for 2023/24 financial year.

WEDNESDAY, 19 APRIL 2023

Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Briefings by entities on the 2023/24 Annual Performance Plans and budget allocation, namely: Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB); Office of the Valuer-General (OVG); Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB).

Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture, Briefing by Boxing South Africa (BSA) and the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport (SAIDS) on their annual performance plan for the 2023/24 financial year].

Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy, Briefing by the SA Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), National Nuclear Regulator (NNR), National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute (NRWDI) and the Central Energy Fund (CEF) on their respective annual performance plans and budgets for the 2023/24 financial year.

Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Briefing by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) on the audit outcomes of the DSI Portfolio 2023/24 annual performance plans (APPs); Briefings by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI), National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI), National Research Foundation (NRF), Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on the annual performance plan (APP) and Budget for the 2023/24 financial year.

Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration (Sub-Committee), Consideration and adoption of the previous minutes; deliberations and adoption of the report on the recommendation for a candidate selected to serve as a Commissioner for the Public Service Commission.

Standing Committee on Public Accounts, Hearing: Road Accident Fund on the annual report and financial statements for the financial year 2020/21 and deviating from the known standards of accounting.

Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises, Briefing by the Parliamentary Legal Advisor on the legal opinion regarding the protected disclosure complaint referred by the Speaker of the National Assembly; consideration and adoption of the draft oversight report; consideration and adoption of the committee’s second term programme.

Select Committee on Security and Justice, Briefing by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development on the Prevention and Combating of Hate Crimes and Hate Speech Bill [B9B-2018] (National Assembly – sec 75); committee consideration and possible adoption of the Repeal of the Transkeian Penal Code Bill [B34-2022] (National Assembly – S75)].

Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans, Consideration and adoption of the PCDMV 2023 second term programme; briefing by the Department of Defence on the level of UN and SADC reimbursement and reimbursement from other government departments for services rendered; update by the department on the Umzimvubu Regiment matter.

THURSDAY, 20 APRIL 2023

Portfolio Committee on Health, Briefing by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) on the Annual Performance Plan and budget for the 2023/24 financial year; briefing by the Medical Research Council (MRC) on the annual performance plan and budget for the 2023/24 financial year.

Joint Standing Committee on Defence, Briefing by the Department of Defence on contracts managed by Armscor on behalf of the department and the level of satisfaction with these contracts, including services rendered by the Armscor Dockyard; Feedback by the department on the outcome of the workshop with Armscor on Spares and Maintenance contracting; consideration of the committee’s second term programme; and consideration of outstanding minutes.

FRIDAY, 21 APRIL 2023

Joint Standing Committee on Financial Management of Parliament, Consideration of the committee’s 2023 annual plan; consideration of the committee’s 2023 2nd term programme; consideration and adoption of minutes and reports: 2 December 2022, 24 February 2023,10 March 2023; report on Parliament’s 2022/23 MY report; Report on Parliament’s draft on 2023/24 annual performance plan; report of the JSCFMP on Parliament’s performance in the third quarter of 2022/23.

Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry, Briefing by the Minister and the DTIC on its strategic and annual performance plans for the 2023/24 financial year (Budget Vote).

Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture, Briefing by the Market Theatre on their 2023/24 annual performance plan; briefing by the AGSA on the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture’s 2023/24 annual performance plan.

Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Briefings by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), South African National Space Agency (SANSA), Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), and the SACNASP on their annual performance plans and budgets for the 2023/24 financial year.

Issued by Parliament