BOTSWANA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

ORDER PAPER (WEDNESDAY 31ST MARCH, 2021)

NOTICE OF MOTIONS AND ORDERS OF THE DAY 1400 – 1800 HRS/MINS

COMMITTEE STAGE

Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Bill No. 3 of 2021)

An Act to amend the Value Added Tax Act.

(Published on 5th February, 2021)

(Minister of Finance and Economic Development)

RESOLUTIONS

EXTENSION OF THE STATE OF PUBLIC EMERGENCY AS DECLARED BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT

1. “That this Honourable House resolves to extend its approval of the period of the declaration of Public Emergency by a further six (6) months.”

   (Leader of the House)

   AFFIRMATION OF EMERGENCY POWERS (COVID-19) REGULATIONS CONTAINED IN STATUTORY INSTRUMENT NO. 61 OF 2020 AS AMENDED BY STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS NO. 62, 63, 72, 73 AND 74 OF 2020

2. “That this Honourable House affirms that the Emergency Powers (COVID-19) Regulations contained in Statutory Instrument No. 61 of 2020 as amended by Statutory Instruments No. 62, 63, 72, 73 and 74 of 2020 shall have effect during the period of extension of the declaration of Public Emergency.”

(Leader of the House)

QUESTIONS

1. MR. C. GREEFF, MP. (GABORONE BONNINGTON SOUTH): To ask the Minister of Health and Wellness:

(i) if he does not consider it strategic and of absolute necessity to speed up the construction of Lerala Hospital as a way of decongesting the Palapye Primary Hospital and to some extent Selebi Phikwe Hospital, as the situation is further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic;

2. (ii)  if he is aware that almost all clinics and health posts in the Lerala/Maunatlala Constituency are operating without ambulances or any kind of vehicle, if so how many and what he intends to do to remedy the situation; and

3. (iii)  to apprise this Honourable House on his plans and vision for the Constituency, given the desperate health situation in the Constituency compounded by COVID-19 pandemic as residents now desperately feel left out in the Health development loop. (414)

4. 2. MR. O. REGOENG, MP. (MOLEPOLOLE NORTH): To ask the Minister of Transport and Communications to apprise this Honourable House on:

5. (i)  the number and value of bitumen road construction tenders floated and awarded in the last two (2) years;

6. (ii)  how many were awarded to Batswana owned companies and at what value;

7. (iii)  the number of tender award decisions challenged through the courts of law, and the reasons thereto; and

8. (iv)  how many were ruled in favour of, and against Government and what were the associated monetary cost implications. (415)

9. 3. MR. D. TSHERE, MP. (MAHALAPYE WEST): To ask the Minister of Employment, Labour Productivity and skills Development to state:

10. (i)  the number of courses currently offered at Madiba Brigade in Mahalapye;

11. (ii)  how many students graduated from Madiba Brigade in the last ten (10) years;

12. (iii)  if he is aware that Madiba Brigade is currently housed at Madiba Senior Secondary School and therefore there is no space for expansion or further development; and

13. (iv)  if he is aware that Madiba Brigade has been allocated a new plot in Mahalapye; if so when is he planning to construct the Madiba Brigade at the allocated plot. (416)

14. 4. MR. S. N. MOABI, MP. (TATI WEST): To ask the Minister of Basic Education if he is aware that there are some children who have to travel more than seven (7) kilometres to access learning facilities such as those in Maenjani and Pelaelo. (417)

15. 5. MR. M. M. PULE, MP. (MOCHUDI EAST): To ask the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development if he is aware that there is high unemployment rates amongst young persons in Mochudi East Constituency with the highest being in Sikwane village; and If so:
    

(i)  what is he doing to address this situation;

1. (ii)  how many young persons have applied for projects through the Youth Development Fund (YDF);

2. (iii)  how many are operating; and

3. (iv)  how many are not operational and why. (418)

4. 6. MR. J. L. THIITE, MP. (GHANZI NORTH): To ask the Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation to state:

(iv) the procedure followed for foreign envoys to engage with Members of Parliament. (419)

7. MR. A. LESASO, MP. (SHOSHONG): To ask the Minister of Health and Wellness:

(i)  why the development of the Shoshong Primary Hospital was removed from the National Development Plan 11;

(ii)  when he is planning to construct the Shoshong Primary Hospital;

(iii)  why did he find it necessary to build two hospitals at Mahalapye, Serowe and Sefhare; and he could not consider Shoshong for the development of the hospital; and

(iv)  if he is aware that the only clinic in the Shoshong Constituency has one room and one bed. (420)

8. DR. U. DOW, MP. (SPECIALLY ELECTED): To ask the Minister of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services:

(i)  whether he considers the securing for legal services by Land Boards to be “procurement” within the meaning of that term in Government;

(ii)  whether he holds the view that procurement of goods and services by Government and local authorities should always be done in a manner that promotes fairness, competition and transparency;

(iii)  whether he is of the view that the procurement of legal services by Land Boards is executed in a fair and transparent manner;

(iv)  to set out in detail how such procurement has been done and to state the number of firms that have benefited from the current procurement system during the years 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20; and

(v)  what policy changes he will initiate to ensure greater competition, fairness and transparency in the award of contracts for legal service provision to Land Boards. (421)

9. MR. P. MAJAGA, MP. (NATA-GWETA): To ask the Minister of Basic Education whether there are plans to make Kutlwano Junior Secondary School in Gweta a unified secondary school to cater for students from Boteti, Nata-Gweta and North West District. (422)

10. DR. K. GOBOTSWANG, MP. (SEFHARE-RAMOKGONAMI): To ask the Minister of Agricultural Development and Food Security to state the rationale for promoting the export of goat meat when the country is experiencing a 64 percent deficit in the domestic supply of the commodity. (423)

11. MR. M. G. J. MOTSAMAI, MP. (GHANZI SOUTH): To ask the Minister of Finance and Economic Development if he is aware that commercial banks are levying customers heavily on monthly service charges that consume on their savings significantly and to further state:

1. (i)  if the charges are regulated; if not why not; and

2. (ii)  whether it is not time to regulate because customers lose their hard earned income due to unsustainable bank charges. (424)