Assessment and 1998 Planning Session

The meeting began with a critique of the role of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and the Select Committee On Labour And Public Enterprises. A report is to be compiled by all NCOP committees based on a set of prescribed questions.

The questions included the following:

What has the NCOP achieved in the past year and how did this committee contribute towards this achievement?

Last year the committee mainly passed legislation and they were also visited to the International Labour Organisation, which served to empower members.

What obstacles did the committee encounter in 1997?

The members felt that provinces did not contact relevant people to deal with the issues discussed in the meetings.

What are the objectives of the committee?

The committee felt that their objectives were set out in section 42 of the Constitution.

What are the priorities of the committee for 1998?

It includes providing better services for the provinces, as well as to pass the Telecommunications Amendment and the Post Office Amendment Bills

In the evaluation session, there was much discussion around the issue of public hearings, which the NCOP were unable to attend on most occasions because their cycle was different to that of the National Assembly. The committee members felt that the National Assembly should invite the NCOP to departmental briefing meetings where section 75 bills were introduced. The opposite should occur when section 76 bills were dealt with. This would assist the NCOP in knowing the content of the bills before they discussed it. Presently, a department has to give a briefing to the National Assembly and another one to the NCOP.

An ANC committee member suggested that the various departments connected to the Select Committee On Labour And Public Enterprises be invited so that they could inform them about their priorities for 1998. Also, committee researchers should keep the committee informed about the different events that occur.

These minutes are an incomplete record of the meeting.