Parliament is planning to spend more than R2-billion on a revamp of facilities and the parliamentary precinct, but lacks an independent watchdog to oversee its finances — despite making a provision for such a body in 2009.
This emerged during last week’s parliamentary budget vote in the National Assembly when the Democratic Alliance refused to support the vote put to the house by speaker Max Sisulu.
The DA questioned the lack of independent financial oversight in the light of plans for extensive and costly upgrades. These include extending the National Assembly chamber to accommodate relatively rare joint sittings of both houses of Parliament, upgrading members’ facilities and building houses for MPs closer to Parliament.
DA chief whip Ian Davidson asked whether the legislature had sufficient mechanisms to oversee the development project. “Parliament’s own systems and oversight mechanisms are desperately in need of review and strengthening,” he said.
Much is at stake: the treasury allocated Parliament a R1.6-billion budget this year, roughly the same as the communications department. About R784-million is spent on the salaries of MPs and administrative staff, and about R200-million on travel and subsistence allowances.
The Financial Management of Parliament Act, designed to ensure the “transparency, accountability and sound management of the revenue, expenditure, assets and liabilities of Parliament”, provides for an oversight mechanism. But this had not been established since 2009, Davidson noted.
The parliamentary oversight authority that was set up in 2006 oversees Parliament’s finances and policy and administrative functions. It comprises the speaker and deputy speaker of the National Assembly, the chair and deputy chair of the National Council of Provinces, the ANC’s chief whips in the National Assembly and the NCOP, the chief whips of the two largest opposition parties in the National Assembly, two representatives chosen by smaller opposition parties, and the secretary of Parliament as an ex-officio member.
The secretary is Parliament’s accounting officer, equivalent to a director general in a government department.
The oversight mechanism envisaged by the legislation would specifically exclude presiding officers, notably the speaker, his deputy and the NCOP chair. It would also have the powers of a parliamentary committee over relevant state departments, in line with the Constitution, including the power to summon people to appear and provide documentation.
During the debate Sisulu defended the oversight authority, saying that it met at least four times a year, but more often when “pressing matters arose”. Parliamentary spokesperson Luzuko Jacobs added that Parliament’s books were also subject to scrutiny by an audit committee, chaired by an external member, as well as the auditor general.
DA deputy chief whip Mike Ellis insisted this was inadequate. “There is insufficient oversight of the speaker’s office. How can we point a finger at government departments when we are not [similarly scrutinised]?”