ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Thursday unanimously approved a number of amendments to its rules to make the business of the house more effective and making it mandatory for the ministers to appear before the house after every three months.

The amendments were moved by Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq.

Through insertion of a new rule, the ministers have been bound to appear before the house after every three months to inform the members about the progress made by their ministries on the recommendations of the house or the committees.

Senate unanimously approves amendments to its rules to make business of house more effective

The new Rule 265A under the caption “Periodical reports by ministers on matters referred by the House” reads: “Ministers concerned shall, after every three months, appear before the House and make reports on all matters referred by the House and recommendations made by committees.

“The Senate Secretariat shall, on monthly basis, issue a consolidated list of matters referred by the House and recommendations made by committees,” it says.

An amendment to Rule 58 has allowed the members to receive the replies of their questions through emails two hours before the commencement of the session.

The amended rule reads: “Answers to questions which ministers propose to give in the Senate shall be placed on the members’ desk as well as shall be electronically sent to the members two hours before the commencement of question hour and shall not be released for publication until the answers have actually been given on the floor of the Senate or laid on the table.”

Earlier, the members were not able to receive the answers electronically and used to get the replies one hour prior to the start of the Question Hour.

The rules have been amended on the initiative of new Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani.

Presiding over the maiden session earlier this month, the Senate chairman had directed the secretaries of the ministries to ensure their presence in the officials’ gallery when the business related to their ministries was being taken up by the house.

Mr Rabbani already has directed the secretariat staff to place an attendance register at the gallery and the secretaries had been asked to sign it upon their arrival. He had announced that he would personally check the attendance register on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, the house also approved a rule that will allow conversion of the whole house into a committee.

It says: “The House may constitute itself into a committee of the whole on a motion by the leader of the house or leader of the opposition. When the House constitutes itself into a committee of the whole, it functions as one committee acting upon any matters(s) referred by the House and conducts its proceedings like a regular committee with its membership composed of all the members of the House.”

“Resource persons and/or technical assistants may be invited to attend the proceedings, and upon permission of the chairman, may directly answer questions and inquiries asked by the members.

“The committee shall have power to require the attendance of any person or summon production of papers, records from any division, department, autonomous body, semi-autonomous body or organisation, or examine such persons on oath or invite or summon any person to give evidence in relation to any matter under its consideration.”

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2015

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