Coming up for MPs this week:
- Monday 29th November – Post-Budget Seminar.
- Tuesday 30th November onwards – Post-Budget Consultations by Parliamentary Committees.
Presentation of the 2022 National Budget
On 25th November, as notified in our previous bulletin, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development delivered his Budget speech in the National Assembly. The Budget theme is Building Resilience and Sustainable Economic Recovery. The speech was in essence a summary of the detailed longer, 2022 National Budget Statement tabled by the Minister after his speech. After the Minister’s speech the National Assembly adjourned until Tuesday 7th December, when the Budget debate on the Minister’s speech will resume in the afternoon. The Senate also adjourned and will resume sitting the following week, on Tuesday 14th December. This programme is designed to allow MPs time to digest and analyse the Budget before the resumption of the Budget debate on 7th December. If, by the end of next week, the National Assembly completes the debate and passes the two Budget Bills – Finance Bill and Appropriation (2022) Bill – then the Senate will be able to play its limited role in the Budget process from 14th December onwards.
Monday 29th November to Tuesday 7th December:
Preparations for Resumption of Budget Debate
Before the Budget debate in the National Assembly is resumed on Tuesday 7th December MPs will have had the benefit of the preparatory activities that are scheduled to occupy their time this week and on next Monday and Tuesday morning, 6th and 7th December, as follows:
- Post-Budget Seminar [Monday 29th November] Various experts will unpack the Budget for MPs.
- Post-Budget Consultations [Tuesday 30th November to Tuesday 7th December] Each Portfolio Committee will conduct two meetings. The first meeting [on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday this week – see programme below] will be to receive reactions to the Budget received from the Ministries and other entities they supervise and from stakeholders and from members of the public. [These first meetings will be open to public attendance, as specified below under “Open Committee Meetings”]. Each committee will then use the remaining three days for a second meeting, the purpose of which will be to approve a report on reactions to the Budget; this report will be presented on its behalf by the committee chairperson during the Budget debate. [These second meetings will be closed meetings].
The schedule provided by Parliament for all these committee meetings is available on the Veritas website.
Written submissions on the Budget from Members of the Public
Organisations and members of the public are encouraged to submit their views on the Budget for consideration by the appropriate Portfolio Committees, using the email address clerk@parlzim.gov.zw. This presents an opportunity to for organisations and members of the public to have their views included in the reports that will be made to the National Assembly by the committees during the Budget debate next week.
Open Committee Meetings 30th November to Thursday 2nd December
- “Virtual session” – only virtual attendance by public allowed. “Hybrid open session” – both virtual and physical attendance allowed.
- “Open session” means physical attendance allowed.
Public Accounts Committee
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with the Office of the Auditor-General. Tuesday 30th November at 10 am. Hybrid open session in Committee Room No. 4.
Wednesday 1st December at 10 am
Portfolio Committee on Information, Media and Broadcasting Services at 10 am
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, its parastatals, Zimbabwe Media Commission and stakeholders.Open session in National Assembly Chamber.
Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, its parastatals and stakeholders. Open session in Senate Chamber.
Thursday 2nd December [morning]
[all meetings start at 10 am unless otherwise specified]
Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services
Post-Budget consultative meetings with:
- [9 am] Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, its parastatals and stakeholders.
- [11 am] Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and its parastatals and stakeholders. Hybrid open session in Committee Room No. 1.
Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, its parastatals and stakeholders. Hybrid open session in Committee Room No. 3.
Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, its parastatals and stakeholders. Open session in National Assembly Chamber.
Portfolio Committee on ICT and Courier Services
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of ICT and Courier Services, its parastatals and stakeholders. Open session in Committee Room No. 413
Portfolio Committee on Local Government and Public Works
Post-Budget consultative meetings with:
- [9 am] Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, its parastatals and stakeholders.
- [10.30 am] Ministry of National Housing, its parastatals and stakeholders. Virtual session.
Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, its parastatals and stakeholders. Open session in Committee Room No. 4.
Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Independent Constitutional Commissions and stakeholders. Open session in Senate Chamber.
Portfolio Committee on Energy and Power Development
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Energy and Power Development, its parastatals and stakeholders. Virtual session.
Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Open session in Committee Room No. 2.
Portfolio Committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Public Service Commission. Virtual session.
Portfolio Committee Environment and Tourism
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, its parastatals and stakeholders. Open session in Coffee Room, 2nd Floor, Harare Club.
Portfolio Committee on Women Affairs and SMEs
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Women Affairs and SMEs, its parastatals, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and stakeholders. Hybrid open session in Flame Lily Room, 2nd Floor, Harare Club.
Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, its parastatals and stakeholders. Open session in Card Room, 1st Floor, Harare Club.
Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, its parastatals and stakeholders. Hybrid open session in Cocktail Lounge, 1st Floor, Harare Club.
Thursday 2nd December [afternoon]
[all meetings start at 2 pm]
Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, its parastatals and stakeholders. Hybrid open session in Committee Room No. 4.
Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, its parastatals and stakeholders. Open session in Coffee Room, 2nd Floor, Harare Club.
Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care
- Post-Budget consultative meeting with Ministry of Health and Child Care and its stakeholders. Open session National Assembly.
How to Attend Open Virtual Meetings
For assistance in following the proceedings in open meetings on the ZOOM platform as observers, interested persons should contact the following for the meeting ID and passcode: Parliament’s Public Relations Office, Tel: +263 242 700181-6 or +263 242 252936 – 55.
2022 budget–related documents on the Veritas website
- Budget speech by Minister of Finance and Economic Development, 25th November 2021
- “The People’s Budget” , a simplified version of the Budget, with graphics and tables.
- Statement of Public Debt tabled by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, 25th November 2021.
- 2021 Pre-Budget Strategy Paper .
- National Development Strategy 1 [NDS1] (2021-2025). As the Minister explained in his Budget Speech, the 2022 Budget continues the implementation of and is guided by the NDS1.
Documents still to be posted on website
The Minister also tabled the following documents on 25th November:
- The full 2022 National Budget Statement
- The Estimates of Expenditure for 2022 [the “Blue Book”];
- The provisional draft of the Finance Bill, to give effect to the taxation changes that require incorporation in an Act of Parliament;
- The provisional draft of the Appropriation (2021) Bill [but please note that the proposed allocations of funds between Ministries and other entities can be found in the People’s Budget .
Source: Veritas
