SC Social Services: First Term Committee Programme

Meeting report

The Chairperson said that the purpose of the meeting was to consider the Committee’s first term programme and adopt outstanding minutes. 

The First Term Committee Programme for 2014
The Chairperson tabled the document for consideration. the Committee’s planned activities for the first term included:

4 February: Department of Social Development to brief the Committee on its 2012/13 Annual Report
4 February: South African Social Service Agency (SASSA) to brief the Committee on its 2012/13 Annual Report
18 February: Department of Home Affairs (DHA) to brief the Committee on its 2012/13 Annual Report
25 February: Department of Health to brief the Committee on District Health Facilities
4 March: Department of Health to brief the Committee on the Women’s Health Initiative and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Mr S Plaatjie (COPE, North West) moved for adoption and Mr M De Villiers (DA, Western Cape) seconded the motion and the Committee programme was adopted with no amendments.

Ms D Rantho (ANC, Eastern Cape) asked whether the Department of Health would be accompanied by the district health managers when it appeared before the Committee to report on District Health Facilities. She would be dissatisfied if the Department of Health appeared without the district health managers as only the latter could give assurance that the facilities were in proper condition. Lastly, she felt the Committee needed to have questions that it would direct to the district health managers.

The Chairperson agreed and said that a request would be made to the Department of Health to be accompanied by the district health managers.

Ms M Boroto (ANC, Mpumalanga) asked if the Committee was scheduled to go on a study tour or oversight visit in the last quarter of the term.

The Chairperson replied that they could make a recommendation.

Ms B Mncube (ANC, Gauteng) proposed that the Committee should identify one or two countries for a study tour and meet about it before the end of the term.

Mr Plaatjie was confused because the Committee had just adopted its programme but was now discussing the activities of the programme when it had already been adopted. Instead, the Committee should delay adoption so that Members could give their input before it was adopted.

The Chairperson noted that Mr Plaatjie was correct. He would rather open up the programme for input and look for a suitable time during the constituency period for its adoption.

Ms Boroto proposed that the Committee re-open the programme so that whatever had been suggested in terms of the oversight visit could still be included in the programme before the term ended. She proposed that the Committee conduct an oversight visit that might last two days within the Western Cape because the Committee had areas that it needed to visit within the province. The Committee should also request assistance from the researchers with their previous deliberations as to where it could be placed in the programme. The Committee should then accept the programme pending amendments, but before it went to the officers for endorsement, the Committee should steal five minutes from the scheduled Select Committee on Education and Recreation meeting the next day to finalise and adopt the programme. She reminded the Committee that three Members of this Committee had been assigned as fulltime Committee Members in new Committees because of the restructuring in Parliament. These three Members were needed to assist with the passing of urgent Bills before the end of the current term. There was a document that had been adopted by the Chief Whip’s Office which clarified the new Committees. For instance, Ms Rantho and Ms Mncube would be fulltime Members of the Committee on Economic Development where they would be assisting in the passing of legislation. Ms Rantho and Ms Mncube would be serving on Trade and International Relations. She and Ms Makgate they would be serving on the Select Committee on Security and Constitutional Development. She advised the Committee not to adopt the programme until these issues were resolved

The Chairperson noted the proposal to reopen the programme so that the Committee could fit in an oversight visit if it was possible. She thought the programming officers should improve the way they did things for the Committees because Members were now under pressure to include an oversight visit which was something that should have been done a long time ago.

Ms M Makgate (ANC, North West) felt the Committee should prioritise departmental annual reports while the undertaking of whatever oversight visit should come after consideration of the annual reports.   

Ms Boroto already proposed the Committee steal 5 to 10 minutes of the next day’s Committee on Education meeting to consider and adopt the programme because the support staff would have to finalise the draft.

The Chairperson said that the support staff would work on the draft programme after the meeting and agreed they would steal 10 minutes from the Committee on Education’s meeting to adopt the programme.

Committee Minutes dated 8 October 2013
Mr Plaatjie moved for the adoption of the minutes, and Mr De Villiers seconded the motion. The minutes for 8 October 2013 were adopted without amendments.

Committee Minutes dated 22 October 2013
Mr De Villiers moved for the adoption of the minutes and Ms M Moshodi (ANC, Free State) seconded the motion. The minutes for 22 October 2013 were adopted without amendments.

The meeting was adjourned.