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Coming up in Parliament this week - Bill Watch 11/2012
Veritas
March 20, 2012
Both
Houses of Parliament will sit today, 20th March
Coming
up in the Senate this week
The Order Paper
has several new motions listed:
- Drought relief
in agricultural region 5
Senator Mohadi
and Senator Chief Ngungumbane will present a motion urging Government
to increase the level of relief assistance beyond the current
four months cover, extend loan facilities to farmers for livestock
production and develop irrigation schemes and rehabilitate existing
ones.
Take-note motions
on Thematic Committee reports: Two reports [not yet available] are
listed for presentation by the committee chairpersons and discussion
by Senators:
- Millennium
development goals in education – a report on the provision
of education in resettlement areas by the Thematic Committee on
MDGs.
- A.R.T. rollout
programmes – a report by the Thematic Committee on HIV/AIDS
on Antiretroviral Therapy rollout programmes.
Coming
up in the House of Assembly this Week
Bills
Older
Persons Bill - First Reading
The Bill will
be presented by the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare for its
First Reading. This is a complete formality. There is no vote. The
Minister hands in the Bill, the Clerk reads out its title, and that
constitutes the First Reading of the Bill. The Bill then stands
automatically referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee for
the PLC ’s report on its compatibility with the Constitution,
in particular the Declaration of Rights. Only after a non-adverse
report from the PLC can the Bill proceed to the Second Reading stage.
[The Bill is designed to provide for the well-being of older persons,
who are defined as Zimbabwean citizens 65 or older who are ordinarily
resident in Zimbabwe. There will be a Director for Older Persons
Affairs, an Older Persons Board and an Older Persons Fund to be
used primarily for providing social welfare assistance to destitute
or indigent older persons.]
National
Incomes and Pricing Commission Amendment Bill
The House is
waiting for the Minister of Industry and Commerce to start this
Bill’s long-delayed Second Reading stage by presenting his
speech justifying the Bill, i.e., explaining its purpose and principles.
The Bill provides for the downgrading of the National Incomes and
Pricing Commission to a board with much reduced powers and functions.
Powers to fix prices and pricing standards and control rentals,
incomes and service charges are to be repealed. The new board will
be an advisory body tasked with research and monitoring functions.
Price control will be implemented by regulations and orders under
the Control of Goods Act, as it was before 2007.
Motions
Take note motions
on Portfolio Committee reports Debate is due to start, or continue,
on three reports:
- Management
of Government vehicles by CMED
This
is a report of the Public Accounts Committee, not yet discussed
in the House.
- National
Railways
This
motion will need to be reinstated after lapsing for want of a
quorum on 15th March.
- Willowvale
Flats housing project mismanagement
Further
debate is expected, following last week’s contributions.
- Ministry
of Local Government budget performance
Further debate
is expected.
Restoration
of lapsed Bills to the Order Paper The Order Paper for Tuesday lists
motions to restore three lapsed Bills [for background please refer
to Bill
Watch 9/2012 of 12th March]:
Proposed Private
Member’s Bill to repeal section 121(3) of Criminal
Procedure and Evidence Act Mr Gonese is expected to seek the
leave of the House to introduce his Bill. ZANU-PF may oppose the
motion [see above].
Questions
for Ministers
New items listed
include questions on:
Chiadzwa
diamond field - MPs have asked for: Details of all entities
mining at Chiadzwa including the Police, the Prison Service and
the Prison Service; an explanation of different production figures
given by the Ministry and the Minerals Marketing Corporation; and
monthly remittances to the State in the form of taxes, royalties
and dividends; information on measures being taken to stop diamonds
pilfered from Chiadzwa reaching the black market.
Local Government
issues - Questions for the Minister cover: What communities can
do about traditional leaders using their positions to compel villagers
to take part in ZANU-PF rallies; district administrators who summon
village heads to political meetings addressed by Jabulani Sibanda;
special interest councillors, and whether it is Government policy
that only ZANU-PF members be appointed as such.
Update
on Bills
[Copies of all
these Bills available from veritas@mango.zw]
Bill awaiting
Second Reading in the House of Assembly
- National
Incomes and Pricing Commission Amendment Bill
Bill awaiting
Report from Parliamentary Legal Committee
New Bill for
Parliament gazetted and awaiting presentation
- Older Persons
Bill [gazetted 9th September 2011]
Lapsed Bills
awaiting restoration to Senate Order Paper
Lapsed Bills
awaiting restoration to House of Assembly Order Paper
- Electoral
Amendment Bill
- Zimbabwe
Human Rights Commission Bill.
Government
Gazette
Statutory Instruments
gazetted on 16th March
Collective bargaining
agreements: SIs 32/2012 [new wages for kapenta sector of agricultural
industry] and 33/2012 [allowances for all sectors of agricultural
industry]
Local authority
by-laws: SI 31/2012 [new rents and service charges for the incorporated
area of Redcliff Municipality].
General
Notice of 13th March
Audit Office
Commission GN 121A/2012 announces the appointment in terms of the
Audit Office Act of members of the Commission for a 3-year term
until 12th March 2015: retired High Court judge Justice M.A. Adam;
Public Service Commissioner Mrs D. Guti; Comptroller and Auditor-General
Mrs M. Chiri and her two deputies, Mr S.T. Mutsau and Ms R. Kujinga.
General Notice
of 16th March
Publication
of two Acts of Parliament GN 128/2012 records the gazetting of the
Small Enterprises Development Corporation Amendment Act and the
Deposit Protection Corporation Act [see next Bill Watch for details].
Veritas
makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take
legal responsibility for information supplied
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