On 12 August the Speaker received a letter from the Deputy Chief Whip of the Democratic Alliance (DA) requesting and urgent debate, as a matter of public importance, on the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC). The request was to have the debate within two weeks of the upcoming plenary session.
The Secretary to the National Assembly in response advised the DA that the matter would not qualify as a matter of public importance.
The Speaker only considers requests for debates on matters of public importance when he must override the agreed programme of the Assembly, as approved by the programme committee at its weekly meetings on Thursdays.
As the request was to have the debate within two weeks there was no need for the Speaker to consider overriding the programme.
The DA was advised to submit a notice of motion on the subject and then programme the motion in the normal manner through the programme committee.
The DA indeed submitted such a notice at today’s (Tuesday, 18 August 2009) sitting. It is now for the DA to motivate to the programme committee the scheduling of the debate.
The DA also raised the issue in the Assembly today (Tuesday, 18 August 2009) in the form of a members’ statement. In addition a question on the subject is scheduled for tomorrow’s sitting.
The Speaker did not interact with the DA on the matter nor did he reject the DA’s request for such a debate.
Issued by: Parliament of South Africa
19 August 2009
Source: Parliament of South Africa (http://www.parliament.gov.za)
