/ 7 July 1995

Work crunch for MPs

Gaye Davis

IN terms of workload and resources, South Africa’s=20 members of Parliament have to be among the most over- stretched and under-funded in the world.

Management consultants hired by National Assembly=20 Speaker Frene Ginwala and Senate President Kobie=20 Coetsee, to recommend ways of re-organising support=20 services for Parliament, will be consulting MPs,=20 management staff and unions before submitting a report=20 on September 25.

They (joint-bidders Deloitte and Touche and K Mgqamqo=20 and Associates) would do well to start by reading the=20 transcript of a little-publicised parliamentary debate=20 last month.

Members from all parties rose, during an extended=20 public committee meeting, to discuss parliament’s=20 budget, to voice their concerns about their ability to=20 properly serve the people who put them there — the=20

Over the 14 months since the new ANC-led government=20 ushered in radical changes in terms of Parliament’s=20 make-up and functioning, members’ workloads have grown=20 steadily heavier — partly as a result of the demands=20 of the bright new ethos of transparency and greater=20 involvement of legislators in policy matters.

Under the old regime, there were 33 standing=20 committees. Working behind closed doors, they were=20 basically rubber-stamps for legislation.

At the last count, there were 60 committees — 36 in=20 the national assembly, 20 in the senate and four joint=20 committees. Leader of the House, Trevor Manuel (ANC),=20 said that between January and May this year, there were=20 about 320 committee meetings, averaging 20 each=20 Tuesday, and 18 on a Wednesday.

With their powers widened and open to the public, the=20 committees can now examine departments’ budgets, and=20 monitor, investigate and make recommendations.

Manuel said this had put an enormous burden on=20 parliamentary staff, MPs and senators — who found=20 themselves “extremely stretched”. Members did not have=20 the resources to manage law-making, transforming=20 Parliament, re-writing the constitution and serving=20 their constituencies.

“Even the most cursory examination of trends in=20 parliaments across the world reveals that our members=20 are expected to achieve a near-impossible task.”=20

During the debate it emerged that:

* There are only 12 committee clerks, responsible for=20 serving all 60 committees;

* One secretary serves 37 ANC MPs;

* National Assembly MPs get R280 a month for research=20 assistance and R488 for administration. Senators get=20 more — R428 and R650 respectively. “Why the difference=20 … and how were such minimal figures arrived at, given=20 the needs?” asked ANC MP Gill Marcus. Another MP=20 pointed out that in Britain, MPs get R241 000 each a=20 year for secretaries and researchers.

* Constituency allowances of R3 000 a month per member=20 (MPs claim their allowances through their parties) were=20 not enough to cover office rental, secretarial=20 services, equipment hire and phone bills.

NP chief whip Hennie Smit said he’d established 13=20 committees which were in session when the National=20 Assembly was also sitting. “The business of the=20 committees very often results in the impression …=20 that members are not present in the chamber,” he said.

ANC MP Gill Marcus noted that the total allocated for=20 MPs’ support was R3,7-million, while R4-million had=20 been allocated for Parliament’s democratisation. “This=20 raises the question of whether democratisation is a=20 public relations exercise or real engagement,” she=20