Staff Reporter
THE fifth Session of the Seventh Parliament, which went on recess on 28 April, will resume on Tuesday, 7 June.
This will be a continuation of the last session of the Seventh National Assembly and several Bills are on the Order Paper for discussion. These include the Combating of Rape Amendment Bill, the Combating of Domestic Violence Amendment Bill and the Access to Information Bill.
According to the National Assembly, oversight activities were also undertaken by various Parliamentary Standing Committees during the recess period, specifically from 31 May to 2 June.
One of these includes the oversight visit by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Economics and Public Administration to Inland Revenue Regional Offices and Customs Entry Points in the Oshana, Ohangwena and Erongo regions. This visit aimed to assess the efficiency, effectiveness, appropriateness, fairness, impact and applicability of taxation, revenue and customs duties collection, achievements and challenges at regional offices and customs entry points.
The Committee was also briefed on infrastructure, accommodation and capital projects, legislative programme and policy formulation on taxation, revenue and customs duties collection and performance of the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) and the Ministry of Finance at regional level.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs also undertook its oversight visit to Community Courts in the Kunene Region, which was a continuation of a series of oversight visits to Community Courts that started in 2019 to assess the implementation of the Community Courts Act 10 of 2003, the achievements and progress and the challenges faced by traditional authorities with regards to the act.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Social Development and Family Affairs also extended public hearings to the Zambezi and Kavango East regions on the three petitions received by the National Assembly regarding the legalisation and non-legalisation of Abortion in Namibia as well as the call to reform the current Abortion and Sterilisation Act 2 of 1975.
This comes after petitions were received from various interest groups in 2020 and referred to the Committee for further consideration. So far, the committee has conducted public hearings with the petitioners, line ministries and other stakeholders in Windhoek. Public hearings have also been conducted in the Erongo, Omaheke, Hardap, Otjozondjupa, Omusati and //Kharas regions.
Bills and motions can be accessed at www.parliament.na and parliamentary debates and activities can be followed on Facebook.
File photo for illustrative purposes only.
