The Road Accident Fund Amendment Bill of 2003 and its successor were deliberated in the parliamentary committee on transport from November 19 to October 3.
According to the Department of Transport the aim of the Bill is to accommodate the concerns raised in the various submissions and presentations. The committee resolved to take a decision on whether to continue with the amendments, taking into account the overwhelming rejection of certain clauses, or to withdraw the Bill.
Director General of Transport Wrenelle Stander announced on Tuesday that the department would revisit those amendments that raised little or no contention and introduce these clauses in the Road Accident Fund Third Amendment Bill.
Minister of Transport Dullah Omar indicated that the deliberations in the portfolio committee were useful and that it should proceed with aspects of the Bill that are not contentious.
Omar added that the objective of the Bill remains to limit the Road Accident Fund’s exposure to liability risks to ensure savings to the fund on claims expenditure.
He said the continued participation of all relevant stakeholders would be appreciated to ensure that the Amendment Bill achieves its objectives while satisfying the concerns raised by interested and affected parties.
Turning to the future, Stander also announced that the interdepartmental committee would be reconvened to consider the recommendations of the Road Accident Fund Commission.
She said the recommendations of the Road Accident Fund Commission involve broader socio-political considerations relating to social development and public health policy and raises questions much broader than compensation for accident victims.
The interdepartmental committee will ensure that the consultative process gives due diligence to the considerations of the recommendations of the commission.
The committee, chaired by Stander, will comprise all relevant departments.
The committee is expected to inquire into and make recommendations regarding a reasonable, equitable, affordable and sustainable benefit system for road accident victims. The department said this process would be a consultative process aimed at developing a shared understanding of such a future benefit scheme.
Furthermore, the department added that a group of experts would be put in place to advise on all aspects relating to the implementation and related implications of decision taken and recommendations made.
This group is expected to ensure that policy recommendations made by the interdepartmental committee are translated and evaluated in terms of the practicability to implement.
The department said it would continue to interact with the portfolio committee and other stakeholders to find solutions to current challenges that are faced by the Road Accident Fund.
However, it is critical to separate the process to address the immediate financial challenges of the Road Accident Fund from the longer-term consultative process on the recommendations by the Road Accident Fund Commission, the department added. — I-Net Bridge