[Bill-Watch] Bill Watch 8/2015 of 2nd March [Update on Bills and Resumption of Parliament on 3rd March]

[Veritas Bill Watch]

BILL WATCH 8/2015

[2nd March 2015]

Both Houses of Parliament Will Resume on Tuesday 3rd March

Both the Senate and the National Assembly took a break last week, after
sitting from 27th January to 19th February.  Committee business was also
suspended for the week, resuming today 2nd March.   

Parliamentary Sitting Calendar for 2015: March Sittings

Parliament has released the proposed sitting calendar for this year [soft
copy available from addresses given at the end of this bulletin].  Sittings
envisaged for March for both Houses will run for four weeks, from Tuesday
3rd to Thursday 26th March [three sittings per week, on Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday afternoons].  No sittings are scheduled for April - which has
four public holidays and coincides with the month-long school holidays.  

Coming up in the National Assembly This Week

Membership questions

The Speaker is expected to make a pronouncement on whether, as a result of
their expulsions from ZANU-PF, Mr Didymus Mutasa and Mr Temba Mliswa, have
forfeited their seats in terms of section 129(1)(k) of the Constitution;
and perhaps on the position of Mr Jonathan Samukange following his
readmission to ZANU-PF [see Bill Watch 7/2015 of 28th February for more on
both issues].

Bills

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Debt Assumption) Bill  This Bill was given its
Second Reading on Tuesday 17th February after the Minister of Finance and
Economic Development's reply to the Second Reading debate, but the
Opposition succeeded in stalling progress at the beginning of the Committee
Stage on 19th February by raising points of order about the validity of the
Parliamentary Legal Committee's non-adverse report on the Bill the same
morning at a meeting chaired by Hon Samukange - who status as an MP has been
challenged by MDC-T in terms of section 129(1)(l) of the Constitution on the
basis of his recent "readmission" to ZANU-PF [see Bill Watch 7/2015 of 28th
February].  Also raised by MDC-T Chief Whip on a point of order was Standing
Order 103 which states that an MP shall not in or before the House or any
Committee vote upon or take part in the discussion of any matter in which he
or she has a direct pecuniary interest, which he argued would exclude MPs
who benefited from the Reserve Bank's quasi-fiscal activities from debating
or voting on the Bill; he accordingly that the House be provided with a list
of those beneficiaries.  Before any ruling was given, the Minister proposed
an adjournment which was approved.  

If, as the Minister apparently intends, the Committee Stage goes ahead on
3rd March - it is item 1 on the Order Paper -  the Minister has given notice
that he will propose two amendments to the Bill:

.        to insert words in clause 4 in order to extend to "any other
banking institution" the immunity the clause already proposes for the
Reserve Bank itself.  Clause 4, as amended, would read as follows [new words
underlined]: 

     "(4) No action or proceeding shall be commenced or continued against
the Reserve Bank or any other banking institution in respect of a prior debt
assumed by the Minister on behalf of the State, or any other obligation or
claim in connection therewith or arising therefrom."

This amendment is designed to give effect to a recommendation in the joint
report of the two portfolio committees that considered the Bill, namely, 

.        to replace the Schedule to the Bill listing the Reserve Bank's
liabilities proposed to be taken over by the Government under the Bill [the
list names the creditors, and this new version includes many pages listing
all the small creditors whose names were not individually listed in the
original Bill].  

Both amendments are reflected verbatim on the Order Paper for 3rd March [and
are available on the Veritas website  <http://www.veritaszim.net>
www.veritaszim.net].

Note: The Public Debt Management Bill, to which reference was made during
the Second Reading debate on this Bill, is already being printed for
presentation in Parliament.  It proposes a Public Debt Management Office,
whose functions would include managing the liabilities due to be taken over
by Government from the Reserve Bank.

Zimbabwe Gender Commission Bill  The position remains unchanged - the Second
Reading debate will not progress until the relevant committees have
completed their consideration of the Bill, including possible public
hearings, and finalised their reports.

Motions

Take note motions  Seven new portfolio committee reports are listed for
presentation by committee chairpersons.  

New motions  New motions that may be presented this week, depending on
progress on other business, include

.        a motion for International Women's Day [8th March] to be declared a
public holiday

.        the replacement of the existing Vagrancy Act with something more
suitable to current needs and social problems

.        a call for various Government measures to reduce "road carnage".

Question Time [Wednesday 4th March]

49 written questions are already listed for Ministerial attention.

Coming up in the Senate This Week

Bills

Public Accountants and Auditors Amendment Bill  This Bill was passed by the
National Assembly on Thursday 19th February and transmitted to the Senate
for its consideration.    It is the first Bill to reach the Senate this
year.  The Second Reading debate is listed for 3rd March.  

Motions

In addition to on-going debates [on the vote of thanks to the President;
economic challenges faced by indebted individuals and companies;
congratulations to President Mugabe on becoming AU chairperson; the thematic
committee report on Gender-Based Violence; incentivisation of production of
small grains] there are new motions to be presented:

.        Thematic Committee report on the Operations of the Community Share
Ownership Trusts and Employee Share Ownership Schemes

.        Report of the delegation to the 65th Session of the African
Parliamentary Union [APU] Executive Committee and 37th APU Conference in
Morocco from 29th October to 2nd November 2014

.        Action needed to combat the ever-increasing culture of lawlessness
on Zimbabwe's roads.

Question Time [Thursday 5th March]

There are seven written questions on the Order Paper, all carried forward
unanswered from either 12th or 19th February; they include three questions
for the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing on:
the pre-July 2013 election Government-dictated write-off of debts owed to
local authorities, with specific details requested for Harare, Bulawayo,
Mutare, Gweru, Masvingo and Kwekwe; the use of Chinese loan funds for
purchasing vehicles for Harare City Council staff; invtricacies of the road
construction deals involving Harare City Council, Augur Investments and
ZINARA.

 

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