Page:Constitution of the Western Cape 1997 from Government Gazette.djvu/41

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Constitution of the Western Cape, 1997

Act No. 1, 1998

(2)

Subject to subsection (4), the Provincial Parliament must provide for mechanisms—

(a)

to ensure that all provincial organs of state are accountable to it; and

(b)

to oversee—

(i)

the exercise of provincial executive authority, including the implementation of legislation; and

(ii)

any provincial organ of state.

(3)

The Provincial Parliament may—

(a)

determine and control its own internal arrangements, proceedings and procedures; and

(b)

make rules and orders concerning its business, with due regard to representative and participatory democracy, accountability, transparency and public participation.

(4)

The Provincial Parliament must in its rules and orders provide for—

(a)

the establishment, composition, powers, functions, procedures and duration of its committees;

(b)

the participation in the proceedings of the Provincial Parliament and its committees of minority parties represented in the Provincial Parliament in a manner consistent with democracy;

(c)

the conferral on its committees of such powers as are necessary for them to—

(i)

oversee the activities of the provincial organs of state;

(ii)

hold the provincial executive accountable; and

(iii)

promote transparency, accountability and the effective management of the provincial economy, provincial budget, provincial debt and the provincial public sector;

(d)

a standing committee of the Provincial Parliament to monitor the socio-economic conditions of the residents of the Western Cape, and to make recommendations to the Provincial Parliament concerning the improvements of these conditions;

(e)

co-ordination between the Provincial Parliament and its committees, and the National Council of Provinces;

(f)

the receipt of petitions, representations or submissions from any interested person or institution;

(g)

the participation of representatives of the different categories of local government in the Western Cape in the deliberations of standing committees on Bills that affect the interests of municipalities in the Western Cape; and

(h)

financial and administrative assistance to each party represented in the Provincial Parliament, in proportion to its representation, to enable the party and its leader to perform their functions in the Provincial Parliament effectively.

Leader of the Opposition

24.

The rules and orders of the Provincial Parliament must provide for the recognition of the Leader of the Opposition in the Provincial Parliament.