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Introduction |
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One of the
sub-directorates of the Directorate: Executive Services, is
the Parliamentary Office (PO). Although
staff serving in the PO are based at the National Office in Pretoria
they spend up to 10 months of a year in Cape Town.
The officials in the PO perform what is commonly referred to as "sessional
duty". This means they work in Cape Town for the duration of a Parliamentary
Session and return to
Pretoria
once Parliament adjourns. |
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Functions of the
Parliamentary Office |
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The PO's
main function is to monitor events in Parliament, as well as
represent the Department at Parliament. This includes acting as a
link between Parliament and the Department as well as between
the Ministry (Cape Town) and the Department (Pretoria). This
includes facilitating an active communication network between DLA,
Parliament and other Ministries. |
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Parliamentary
Questions |
One of the most important
Parliamentary responsibilities of the PO is to monitor
Parliamentary Question papers. This has to be done in order to
identify questions addressed to the Minister for Agriculture and
Land Affairs, especially those relating to Land Affairs.
These questions are registered on the Magic control system and
referred to the relevant functionary for the preparation of a
response. The PO is also responsible for editing and
formatting responses
in accordance with the prescripts of Parliament.
Once the response to such a question has been approved by the
Minister, it is tabled in Parliament by the
Parliamentary Officer in the Ministery. |
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Portfolio and
Select Committees |
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The South African
Parliament consists of two Houses of Parliament, namely the National
Assembly (NA) and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
Each of these Houses have
different committees which are based on the
various Cabinet portfolios. The committees in the NA are called
Portfolio Committees and those of the NCOP are called Select
Committees.
All Parties in
Parliament nominate specific members from within their parties to
serve on the Portfolio Committees. The main function of the
committees is to consider draft legislation and to oversee certain
policy and budgetary functions of the Departments.
The Select Committees
of the NCOP are constituted of permanent delegates and special
delegates nominated by the Provincial Parliaments. The role of these
committees is similar to that of the Portfolio Committees. However,
a Select Committee places more emphasis on the effect that
legislation could have on the provinces.
It is the
responsibility of the PO to monitor the meetings of these committees
and when necessary, to arrange that the relevant functionaries of
the Department attend meetings of the committees. |
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Act as a link |
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As the National Office of
the Department is situated in
Pretoria,
it is important to have a link with Parliament. The PO provides this
link and facilitates the movement of information between Parliament
and the Department, and visa versa. The PO is thus a link through
which Members of Parliament can interact with the Department, as
well as obtain relevant Departmental information.
The PO also scrutinises
debates in Parliament and all other Parliamentary documentation, so
as to identify any interest or bearing it may have on the
Department. Such information is regularly communicated to the
Department. |
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Who can you contact
for further information? |
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Mrs J Chetty
Tel: (021) 465 6320
Fax: (021) 465 3282
Jchetty@dla.gov.za
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