Parly adjourns

PARLIAMENT has adjourned for more than a month, but portfolio committees will be sitting, while plenary sessions are on recess.

The National Assembly adjourned last week on Thursday, while Senate adjourned yesterday after its question and answer session.

Clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda said the adjournment was in line with Parliament's sitting calendar. Both the National Assembly and the Senate will resume sitting on May 7.

"We have a way that we do business in Parliament, we have periods of recess where members break because they also have to have time in their constituencies," said Mr Chokuda.

Committees that will conduct business include the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development which will conduct public hearings on the Micro-Finance Amendment Bill and the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education's presentation on the Education Amendment Bill.

The Ninth Parliament has 27 Bills on its legislative agenda which are proposed to give urgency to the achievement of Government's economic turnaround drive.

Some of the Bills that deal directly with economic issues that President presented at the opening of the Ninth Parliament include the Companies and Other Entities Bill, which will overhaul the Companies Act; the Regional Town and Country Planning Amendment Bill, which seeks to reduce the time and procedures for processing construction permits and the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA) Bill, which seeks to consolidate various pieces of legislation on investment, which are presently spread under various Acts.

The ZIDA Bill will also provide for the establishment of a one-stop investment centre — the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency.

As part of Government's promise to fully implement devolution, the Rural District Councils Bill designed to give rural councils greater autonomy as enshrined in the Constitution, will be brought before the House, while the Traditional Leaders Act will be amended to align it with the Constitution and more particularly, to provide for the establishment of Provincial Assemblies.

The Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act and the Immigration Act will also be amended as will  be the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) and the Public Order and Security Act (POSA).

The other Bills that will be tabled include the Gold Trade Bill and the Precious Stones Trade Bill, which seek to curb leakage of precious minerals and the Consumer Protection Bill, which aims to protect consumers from unfair trade practices and abuse by suppliers of sub-standard goods.

The Cooperative Societies Amendment Bill and the Tripartite Negotiating Forum Bill, which seek to facilitate participatory development by fostering greater collaboration between all social partners, will also be brought for consideration by the House.

So far, the Companies and Other Entities Bill, Tripartite Negotiating Forum Bill, Education Amendment Bill, Finance Bill and Micro-Finance Amendment Bill have been tabled in the House and are at different stages.

The National Assembly has also ratified the Africa Continental Free Trade Area and the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance Agreements.