Subcommittee on Review of National Assembly Rules

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Meeting report

SUBCOMMITTEE ON REVIEW OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY RULES
9 June 2000
REVIEW OF ASSEMBLY RULES

Documents handed out:
None

SUMMARY
The Committee will not be meeting during the next five weeks and will therefore only resume their work at the start of the next Parliamentary session. Their chief task will be examining the rules of Plenary. A drafts person is to be appointed as soon as possible.

MINUTES
The Chair, Adv De Lange (ANC) identified a number of priorities for this committee:
-The examination of plenary sessions. He pointed out that interpellations and questions and answers are also being looked at by the Chief Whips Forum.
-How is speaking time to be dealt with? With 13 parties represented, will there have to be a minimum threshold?
-Attacking the integrity of members in the House, usually dealt with by means of a resolution.
-Harmonising the Joint Rules. Rules are often amended by one House without the other's knowledge or Joint Rules may have been amended and the National Assembly Rules have not yet been brought in line. An audit will need to be done.
The Chair suggested that a consultant should be appointed from the outset and Gerhard Grove, who had acted as a consultant to the state before, was a suitable candidate.

The issue of the Speaker's time was raised and it was suggested that issues of national importance and topical issues such as the Stockholm holocaust be prioritised. Time is usually up long before the crux of the matter has been dealt with. The Chair said that this matter will be put on a roster of issues to be looked at.

Mr Gibson (DP) expressed concern that there should be no party fighting in the Rules Committee and that a draftsperson should be appointed right at the beginning of the process.

An ANC member asked what the relationship was between this subcommittee and the Whippery.

Adv De Lange responded to both sets of concerns. He explained that whatever is discussed in the committee he discusses with his Whip. Each party also has a study group where discussion might take place-it all depends on how the party operates. An advantage is that it is the rules committee that decides policy. He also pointed out that nothing is mandated in the meeting and whatever the member says can later be thrown out by the party. He felt that there is a need to find a balance between the majority and the minority parties' views or if a balance cannot be found both views should be reflected.

The Committee will only resume its work at the start of the next Parliamentary session. They will be tackling the rules of Plenary and each member will be permitted to raise any problems with these rules.

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