There will be 24 Budget Votes scheduled for debate this week at National Assembly mini-plenary sittings. There will also be Policy Debates on Budget Votes at plenary sittings of the National Council of Provinces. 
 
The National Council of Provinces is scheduled also to consider matters other than Budget Votes at its plenary sittings.
 
Tomorrow, the National Council of Provinces plenary siting is scheduled to consider reports from six committees – the Select Committee on Education and Recreation (five reports), the annual report of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence for the financial year ending 31 March 2017, the report of the Select Committee on Land and Mineral Resources on its study tour to Australia in October 2017, the Select Committee on Appropriations on oversight visits to Gauteng municipalities to assess spatial development through the use of conditional grants, the Select Committee on Petitions and Executive Undertakings and the Joint Committee on Ethics and Members’ Interests.
 
On Wednesday and Thursday, plenary sittings of the National Council of Provinces are scheduled to hold debates on the outcomes of the report-back session: Taking Parliament to the People in Eastern Cape and on the report of the 2017 Provincial Week.
 
Budget Votes provide another opportunity for Parliament to interact with the budget.
 
Parliament can make amendments to the budget and makes the final budget decisions. Our Constitution and law allows Parliament to do this so that the people, through their democratically elected representatives, can have a say about budget choices, which have a major impact on our society. The Budget Vote Debates follow parliamentary committees’ examination of the Budget Votes of each state department and entity. National Assembly and National Council of Provinces sittings debate and make decisions on the individual Budget Votes. Then, these Houses of Parliament approve the whole budget, by making decisions on the Division of Revenue Bill and the Appropriation Bill. Ministers can then spend the money, as budgeted.
 
The following mini plenaries in the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces have been scheduled this week for the Budget Votes debates:
 
 
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
Wednesday, 16 May
14.00
Policy debate on Public Enterprises Budget Vote – National Council of Provinces Chamber)
 
Thursday, 17 May
14.00
Policy debate on Energy Budget Vote – National Council of Provinces Chamber)
 
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Tuesday, 15 May
10 to 12.15
Labour (National Assembly Chamber)
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Old Assembly Chamber)
Mineral Resources (E 249 National Assembly building)
 
14.00 to 16.00
Trade and Industry (National Assembly Chamber)
Public Works (Old Assembly Chamber)
International Relations and Co-operation (E 249 National Assembly building)
 
16.15 to 18.15
Health (National Assembly Chamber)
Police and Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Old Assembly Chamber)
Public Enterprises (E 249 National Assembly building)
 
Wednesday, 16 May
14.00 to 16.00
Energy (National Assembly Chamber)
Home Affairs (Old Assembly Chamber)
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (E 249 National Assembly building)
 
16.15 to 18.15
Office of the Chief Justice and Judicial Administration (National Assembly Chamber)
Public Service and Administration (Old Assembly Chamber)
Environmental Affairs (E 249 National Assembly building)
 
Thursday, 17 May
14.00 to 16.00
Higher Education and Training (National Assembly Chamber)
Correctional Services (Old Assembly Chamber)
Telecommunications and Postal Services (E 249 National Assembly building)
 
16.15 to 18.15
Small Business Development (National Assembly Chamber)
Tourism (Old Assembly Chamber)
Women (E 249 National Assembly building)
 
Friday, 18 May
10.00 to 12.00
Defence and Military Veterans (National Assembly Chamber)
Transport (Old Assembly Chamber)
National Treasury – State Security (E 249 National Assembly building)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.