ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: The Senate passed 14 bills during its nine sessions in the second parliamentary year, said Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Sher Afgan here on Friday.

Giving an overview of Senate's performance during the second parliamentary year, the minister said out of the 14 bills passed, only two originated in the Upper House, while the rest originated in the National Assembly.

The Senate will formally complete its second parliamentary year on March 11 after having met the Constitutional condition of meeting for 90 mandatory working days on February 15.

The minister said President Gen Pervez Musharraf would address the joint sitting of the parliament after both the upper and the lower houses completed their parliamentary year. However, he did not give a specific date in this regard.

Sources in the National Assembly secretariat said different dates for the presidential address were under consideration and it might take place on or around March 20 but not before that.

Dr Afgan said as far as legislation was concerned, Senate's performance during the second year was 100 per cent more than its first year's. It could not do much legislation due to persistent protests by the opposition during the first parliamentary year, he said.

Responding to a question, Dr Afgan said four ordinances were laid in the Senate under Article 89(2)(a)(ii) of the Constitution. These were The Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2004, The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Ordinance 2004, The Pakistan Engineering Council (Amendment Ordinance 2004 and The Police Order (Amendment) Ordinance 2004.

The minister said the Senate also referred three bills to the relevant standing committees. These were The Contempt of Court Bill 2005, The Banks (Nationalisation) (Amendment) Bill 2004 and The Legal Practitioners and Bar Councils (Amendment) Bill, 2004.

Dr Afgan said the Senate, during its second parliamentary year, was empowered to give recommendations on the money bill, which was traditionally a prerogative of lower houses all over the world.