[Bill-Watch] Bill Watch 45/2014 of 30th November [2015 Budget Documents Available]

[Veritas Bill Watch]

BILL WATCH 45/2014
[30th November 2014]
Both Houses of Parliament Have Adjourned until Tuesday 16th December
2015 Budget Statement Presented
On Thursday 27th November the Minister of Finance and Economic Development presented his Budget Statement for next year in the National Assembly.  At the conclusion of his speech he tabled the 2015 Budget Estimates [the “Blue Book”] and his Ministry’s departmental draft of the Finance (No. 3) Bill giving effect to the taxation proposals he had mentioned in his speech.  A separate bulletin will go into greater detail about the Budget.  
Both Houses then adjourned until Tuesday 16th December, when the debate on the Budget Statement will take place, the National Assembly will consider the Budget Estimates and the Minister will ask Parliament to pass the Finance (No. 3) Bill and the Appropriation (2015) Bill.  
Budget documents available
The following documents are available from the addresses given at the end of this bulletin:
·        full text of the 2015 National Budget Statement
·        2015 Budget Estimates 
·        Departmental draft of the Finance (No. 3) Bill, 2014. 
Retirement of Clerk of Parliament
On 27th November before the Budget Statement, the Speaker and the President of Senate announced, in the National Assembly and the Senate respectively, that Mr Austin Zvoma would be retiring effective 30th November on reaching the retirement age of 65 years laid down by the conditions of service applicable to officers of Parliament.  They thanked Mr Zvoma for his “distinguished stewardship in the service of Parliament” and described his 35 years of service, 26 of them as Clerk, as “no mean feat”.  
Note:  Under section 154 of the Constitution, Mr Zvoma’s successors as Clerk will be limited to a maximum of 12 years in office, as they will be appointed for one fixed six-year term, renewable for one further term only.  
Parliamentary Legal Committee Reports
On 25th November the Speaker announced the receipt of non-adverse Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] reports on the following Bills and statutory instruments:
·        Zimbabwe Gender Commission Bill [this means that the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development can now deliver her Second Reading speech explaining the Bill to members of the National Assembly and opening debate on the principles of the Bill].  
Note: The PLC has made this report conditional on the Minister introducing amendments that the PLC considers necessary to bring the Bill into line with the Constitution.  These amendments will be made public in due course.  
·        Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Debt Assumption) Bill 
·        Statutory instruments for August and September 2014.
Note:  Still to be announced is the PLC report on the Public Accountants and Auditors Amendment Bill.
Other Business in Parliament Last Week
Both Houses also sat on Tuesday 25th [Senate 79 minutes, National Assembly 139 minutes] and Wednesday 27th November [Senate 84 minutes, National Assembly 150 minutes].  
National Assembly
Bills
Zimbabwe Gender Commission Bill  On 27th November the National Assembly approved a resolution restoring this Bill to the Order Paper.  As it has received a conditional non-adverse report from the PLC [see above], it can now proceed to the Second Reading stage as soon as Parliamentary time permits.  The responsible Minister is expected to propose amendments agreed with the PLC to bring the Bill into line with the Constitution [text of proposed amendments not yet available].  
It is expected that last session’s other uncompleted Bills will also be restored to the Order Paper in due course:  
·        Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Debt Assumption) Bill 
·        Public Accountants and Auditors Amendment Bill 
Motions
Debate started on the customary motion of thanks to the President for his speech opening the current Parliamentary session on 28th October.  
Question Time [Wednesday]
Questions without notice were taken on 26th November, and lasted for half an hour longer than usual.
Senate
Bills  
None.  The Senate will have to wait for Bills to reach it from the National Assembly.
Motions
In the Senate, too, debate started on a motion of thanks to the President for his speech opening the current session on 28th October.  
Question Time [Thursday]
Questions were not taken, because the Senate adjourned for Senators to listen to the presentation of the Budget Statement.  
December Parliamentary Programme
The outline of the programme for Parliamentary budget activities after the two-week adjournment is: 
Week 8th to 13th December: Seminar and Committees 
Post-Budget Seminar for Parliamentarians
Monday 8th December
Stakeholder consultations
During the period Tuesday 9th to Friday 12th December portfolio committees will meet.  First, they will hold open meetings at which stakeholders and members of the public will be permitted to make representations about the Budget proposals.  The committees will then meet in closed session to prepare reports to be presented to the National Assembly the following week when the Budget and the Estimates of Expenditure for 2015 are expected to be approved and the Appropriation and Finance (No. 3) Bills to put them into effect passed by both Houses.  
The detailed programme for these consultative meetings will be circulated as soon as it becomes available.
16th to 18th December:  Sittings of both Houses
Both Houses are scheduled to sit from Tuesday 16th to Thursday 18th December to deal with the various aspects of passing the 2015 Budget.  
National Assembly
In the National Assembly there will be: 
·        debate on the Budget presentation, involving the presentation of the reports from the portfolio committees, contributions from individual backbenchers and the Minister of Finance and Economic Development’s closing remarks replying to points raised during the debate.  This stage will be concluded by the approval of the Minister’s motion for leave to bring in a Bill to make provision for the revenues and public funds of Zimbabwe and related matters.
·        consideration and passage of the Finance (No. 3) Bill
·        consideration of the Estimates of Expenditure and, if they are approved, passage of the Appropriation (2015) Bill giving effect to them.  
Senate 
The Senate’s role in Budget business is a limited one, because the Finance(No. 3) Bill and the Appropriation (2015) Bill are both “money Bills”.  The Bills will come to the Senate after they have been passed by the National Assembly, but under the Constitution the Senate cannot amend either of them.  Its powers are limited by the Constitution to recommending amendments for consideration by the National Assembly or refusing to pass the Bills at all.  If the Senate recommends amendments, the recommendations must be considered by the National Assembly but do not have to be accepted.  If the Senate refuses to pass either Bill, it may nevertheless be signed by the President and gazetted as law in the form in which it was passed by the National Assembly.    
Government Gazette: 25th and 28th November
Customs duty suspension  SI 167/2014 provides for customs duty suspensions until 25th November 2015 on capital equipment, spare parts and components imported for the Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (Private) Ltd
Kariba Dam Wall toll fees   SI 168/2014 provides for an exemption from the toll fee for vehicles using the wall for construction or work purposes of the Zambezi River Authority or the Contracting States Electricity Generation Utilities.  
 
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