THE House Business Committee of Parliament is scheduled to hold a meeting on May 28 to direct management on the measures which will be implemented to ensure the safety of parliamentarians when sittings resume next month.

According to the Clerk of the National Assembly Cecilia Mbewe, the recommendations by the health experts from the Ministry of Health would only be adopted after consideration and approval by the Committee.

“So, a team of health experts, led by Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) Professor Victor Mukonka, have had several meetings with the Office of the Clerk and have made necessary recommendations on measures to be undertaken by National Assembly management to ensure the health and safety of parliamentarians when the House resumes the sittings on June 9. However, the recommendations by the health experts from the Ministry of Health will only be adopted after consideration and approval by the House Business Committee chaired by the Speaker Patrick Matibini, which is scheduled to meet on Thursday 28th May, 2020. The Committee will, among other matters, direct management on the measures to be put in place in order to ensure the safety of the parliamentarians and staff against COVID-19. These measures will then be shared to the members of the press,” said Mbewe in an interview.

“In line with the constitutional requirement and the parliamentary calendar, the third meeting ought to be held before September 2020, when a new parliamentary year will start running. I wish to advise that the National Assembly of Zambia is mandated by Article 75 (2) of the Constitution to hold a minimum of three sittings in a parliamentary year. The three mandatory meetings are: the Budget Meeting, the Legislative meeting and the Committee Reports Adoption meeting. The legislative meeting was adjourned sine die on Wednesday March 18, 2020, as a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19.”