Standing Standing Committee on Remuneration

1. Mister Speaker, I have the honour to present before this Honourable House, for second reading the Standing Committee on Remuneration (Members of The National Assembly, Councillors, Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and Specified Offices), 2022, Bill No. 5 of 2022.

2. Mister Speaker, the responsibility to determine salaries and allowance for Members of Parliament, the Executive, Members of the Ntlo ya Dikgosi and Specified Officers rests with the National Assembly in terms of several pieces of legislation. These are the National Assembly (Salaries and Allowances) Act, Ntlo ya Dikgosi (Salaries and Allowances) Act and the Specified Offices Act, respectively.

3. The determination of remuneration for the above offices is based on Bills that would have prepared by the Executive. The Bills would then be tabled before the National Assembly for approval. However, some, including Members of Parliament themselves, have questioned the wisdom of Members of Parliament deciding on their salaries. They view this as amounting to conflict of interest.

4. In 2018 a Presidential Commission, to review the salaries, conditions of service and other entitlements for the political leadership, justices of the Court of Appeal and the High Court, Members of Ntlo ya Dikgosi and Councillors was appointed to review the salaries, conditions of services and other entitlements for the aforementioned offices.

5. One of the recommendations from this Commission was that a Standing Committee be set up to advise His Excellency the President periodically on remuneration and conditions of service for the Political Leadership and Members of Ntlo ya Dikgosi. The Commission recommended that there be an independent structure to carry out the periodic reviews of the conditions of service which would relatively be free from any suspicions of bias and conflict of interest.

6. In response, Government accepted the recommendation to establish a Standing Committee on Remuneration for Members of Parliament, Ntlo ya Dikgosi and Councillors. Mister Speaker, it is worth noting that the remuneration for Specified Officers is similarly regulated by statute that is why the recommendation was extend to them.
7. Mister Speaker, the object of the Bill is to establ ish a Standing Commi ttee on Remunerations for Members of the National Assembly, Councillors, Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and Specified Offices whose function will be to assess the conditions of service for the aforementioned.

8. The Bill contains seventeen (17) clauses covering a wide range of matters. However, the key ones are summarized below: –

a. Clause 3 establishes the Standing Committee on Remuneration for the Members of the National Assembly, Councillors, Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and Specified Offices as well as providing for the composition of the Committee;
b. Clause 4 makes provision for the function of the Committee, which is to recommend to the Minister and the Minister responsible for finance remuneration and conditions of service for the affected offices from time to time;
c. Clause 5 provides for meetings of the Committee;

d. In terms of Clause 6 the Committee shall be guided by directions issued by the Minister from time to time;
e. Clause 7 provides for the tenure of office for members of the Committee, which is stated as three (3) years renewable for another term; f. Clauses 8 and 9 provide for disqualification and removal as a member of the Committee;
g. C l a u se 11 makes provision f o r remuneration of the members of the Committee;
h. Clauses 12, 13 and 14 deal with issues of conflict of interest, confidentiality as well as the requirement to take oath before assuming their duties as members of the Committee;

i. Clause 15 provides for immunity from liability in respect of acts done in good faith in the performance of functions of the Committee;

J. Clause 16 makes allowance for the Committee to establish sub-committees 7 consisting of Permanent Secretary level officers to assist it in the performance of its functions;

k. Clause 17 gives the Minister the power to make regulations for carrying out of the provisions of the Act.
9. Mister Speaker, this concludes my presentation. I now move that the Standing Committee on Remuneration (Members of The National Assembly, Councillors, Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and Specified Offices), 2022, Bill No. 5 Of 2022 be read a second time.