Legislative Accountability Program

The objective of this CIDA funded Program is to contribute to systems of accountability in South Africa and SADC through more effective committees and parliamentary organizations. This three-year (2002 - 2005) Program is comprised of 2 main projects - the South Africa Project and the SADC Parliamentary Forum (PF) Project. Both projects share the same objective, albeit at their respective national and regional levels.

I. The South Africa Project:

Legislatures within South Africa have the constitutional and political infrastructure to play their oversight function. Since 1997 there has been a shift in the orientation of committees from reviewing legislation toward more effectively overseeing the Executive. This change has been occurring both at the national and provincial levels. Parliamentary committees, whether at the national or provincial level in South Africa, are viewed as both the "engine rooms" of democracy and also the last link in the accountability chain. This has been reinforced through the passing of legislation aimed at ensuring greater public accountability in South Africa. In 1999 the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) was enacted to provide a legislative framework for performance budgeting in South Africa. In doing so, it increased the importance of committees as oversight bodies.

While the PFMA created an enabling environment for more effective oversight, the capacity levels of governance actors, including the Executive, Parliament and the provincial legislatures were not at a level that could, or can, take advantage of these changes. Additionally, while the PFMA outlined specific roles for the legislatures, limited staff and member capacity has meant that these roles are not effectively being played. Examples of this include such points as questioning Ministry officials effectively, Members, committee and research staff to understanding their roles and the issues they oversee, and capacity of research and committee staff to draft reports report and track recommendations made by the committee to the Ministry.

The rationale for this project has developed out of consultations with our South African partners. Specifically, the Centre"s partners have approached it for assistance in improving the capacity of committees (both MPs and staff) to better hold government accountable. The proposed Program will build upon the results achieved and institutional partnerships that the Centre has cultivated, and lessons learned through its CIDA funded Parliamentary Capacity Development Program (PCDP) that ended in April 2002. It will also assist our partners in adapting to the requirements of the PMFA.

These objectives will be addressed by:

• Improving the capacity of Members of selected committees, principally through our partnership with the Association of Public Accounts Committees (APAC)

• Improving the capacity of committee and research staff serving committees, principally via the accredited "Committee Staff Training Program" that has been developed in partnership with the HRD Committee of the Speakers" Forum, the Committees Forum and the School of Government at the University of Western Cape
• Improving the capacity of local partners to support parliamentary oversight

II. The SADC Parliamentary Forum Project:

In this new program the Centre proposes to contribute to the development and consolidation of good governance in the SADC region, thereby contributing to sustainable development. Strengthening accountability systems, and specifically the capacity for effective parliamentary oversight, is perhaps the most important of all of these efforts. This is due to Parliament"s inter-linkages with other governance actors in the accountability system, and its ability to contribute to improved governance and an enabling environment for sustainable development.

This project is being developed in response to a request from the SADC PF Secretariat to the Centre for assistance in developing and implementing a SADC Leadership Centre for SADC Parliaments. This partnership arose out of discussions between the SADC PF and the Parliamentary Centre at the 2002 Bi-Annual Plenary Assembly in Luanda, Angola. The objective of Leadership Centre will be to provide a coordinated approach to parliamentary capacity building within the SADC sub-region. More specifically, the Feasibility Study notes that the Centre will:

• Provide a sustainable and relevant institutional framework at which leaders and staff of Parliaments can learn in a familiar environment
• Provide the SADC region with a centre for conducting orientation for MPs, leadership skills, and other programs oriented to meet the needs of the regions Parliaments
• Provide for a core group of resource person as well as materials
• Impart skills for the efficient delivery of support services, such as legislative drafting, to Parliaments
• Promote the application of modern information technology
• Enhance leadership and communication skills for parliamentarians
• Equip parliamentary staff with modern techniques of managing parliamentary work
• Facilitate networking among parliamentary staff for exchange of information on good practices
• Provide a relevant indigenous regional centre for training MPs on regional issues and practices

The Parliamentary Centre will work with the SADC PF Secretariat over the course of this program to build the Secretariat"s capacity to provide training for Members and staff of the member parliaments. In doing so, the Program will also be contributing to regional inter-parliamentary cooperation.

These objectives will be addressed by:

• Strengthening regional parliamentary networks - such as the SADC PF - that can contribute to improved legislative accountability at the national and regional levels.
• Assisting the SADC PF in the development and implementation of training programs for MPs and parliamentary staff in policy areas of regional importance (e.g. Poverty Reduction)
• Improving the capacity of local partners to support parliamentary oversight

For additional information, please contact YipP@parl.gc.ca