Question NW1955 to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
19 June 2023 - NW1955
Madokwe, Ms P to ask the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy
In light of the fact that after lengthy and expensive public hearings that were held across the Republic, his department withdrew the Gas Amendment Bill, citing changes in the industry that had an impact on the Bill’s finalisation, (a) what exactly are the developments and (b) how do they affect the Bill; (2) whether the goal of creating and/or revising legislation should not be to precisely govern the sector and any advancements within it as opposed to just adjusting legislation to cater for how the industry is evolving; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
1. (a) Since the withdrawal of the Gas Amendment Bill, the Department has been working on finalizing the revision of the Bill with the incorporation of all these factors and inputs. We are currently finalising inter-departmental consultations to solicit further inputs. At the conclusion of this process, we will follow the prescribed broader stakeholder consultation which will lead to the re-submission of the Bill in Parliament.
(b) The development of the Upstream Petroleum Resources Development Bill and gas discoveries which came after the Gas Amendment Bill was drafted necessitated that we align the legislative frameworks for regulating the gas sector and ensure that there are no contradictions and overlaps.
2. Yes, the goal of drafting or amending legislation is to precisely govern the sector. However it is also important to amend such that the country has legislation that is keeping with the latest developments which sometimes include technological advancements.