Parliamentary Committee Focuses on Presidency Oversight and Question Procedure Reform

The Subcommittee on the Rules of the National Assembly met to consider draft rules for the establishment of a Committee on the Presidency and to discuss significant adjustments to the existing question procedure in the House, aiming to integrate elements of interpellations.

Rules for the Committee on the Presidency

The NA Table staff presented draft rules outlining the structure and core functions of the proposed Committee on the Presidency.

The key proposed functions of the committee include:

• Oversight and Accountability: Maintaining oversight over the budget and work of the Presidency and calling upon a designated member of the Executive to account for its administration.

• Annual Engagements: Requiring the President or Deputy President to appear once per year to discuss policy matters of national or international importance. This was agreed upon by the majority of members, although the EFF preferred more frequent appearances.

• Referral: Considering any other function or matter referred to it by the Speaker, the Assembly, or legislation.

Procedural Consensus and Deliberation:

Consensus was reached on requiring 15–16 working days’ notice for engagements with the President or Deputy President to ensure quality preparation. This decision was informed by the current notice periods used for oral questions to the President.

Members discussed the application of Rule 185, which allows non-committee members to attend and speak. Broad agreement was reached not to exclude this rule. However, to prevent disruptions and ensure meaningful engagement, measures were agreed upon to manage participation, including Chairperson discretion, proportional time allocations to parties, and general committee guidelines. Some members, notably the DA, cautioned that allowing all 400 Members to potentially participate could hinder detailed oversight.

The committee considered options for its size: 11, 15, or 17 members, with a preference for a smaller committee to facilitate more meaningful interaction.

The matter is now considered ready for reporting to the Rules Committee, which will make the final decisions.

Questions and Interpellations Procedure Reform

The second item involved reforming the question procedure to integrate elements of interpellations without formally renaming the session. The primary discussion centered on adjusting the number of supplementary questions.

The current system was proposed to be modified to allow the original questioner to have a second opportunity to ask a supplementary question (by taking the first and the last opportunity). Two options for the total number of supplementary questions were discussed:

1. Four supplementary questions: The original questioner takes the first and the fourth.

2. Five supplementary questions: The original questioner takes the first and the fifth. This option was noted as being better for preserving opportunities for smaller parties.

Procedural Agreements and Next Steps:

• Question Day and Time: Broad agreement was reached to keep question sessions on Wednesdays to align with Cabinet schedules and to potentially extend question time by 30 minutes to accommodate the changes.

• Analysis Required: Members requested the NA Table staff to provide a detailed analysis of question allocation formulas and time impacts for both the four and five supplementary question options before a final decision is made.

The Table staff will draft a subcommittee report, including majority and minority views, to present to the main Rules Committee for final decision-making.