DAILY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES FOR THE SECOND SESSION OF THE ELEVENTH ASSEMBLY

Thursday, 20th June, 2013

The House met at 1430 hours

[MR DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair]

NATIONAL ANTHEM

 PRAYER                                                                                                                                                                                                               
__________ 

ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR DEPUTY SPEAKER

SPORTS TOURNAMENT

Mr Deputy Speaker: I wish to inform the House that as a follow up to the return matches that took place in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 2nd March, 2013, the first one having taken place in Chipata in June, 2012, the National Assembly of Zambia will host another tournament involving football, netball and chess in Lusaka on Sunday, 30th June, 2013, at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC). The Malawian delegation, led by the Right Honourable Speaker of the Parliament of Malawi, Mr Chimunthu Banda, is scheduled to arrive on Friday, 28th June, 2013, in readiness for the games on Sunday.

Members of the teams are, therefore, requested to start training immediately in preparation for this important event. The programme for the games will be circulated to all hon. Members of Parliament in due course. 

I am aware that the football team is already in place. However, we have challenges with the netball and chess teams. In order to come up with formidable teams, I have appointed Hon. B. Kawandami, MP, Deputy Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs, co-ordinator of the netball team. Therefore, all prospective netball players are requested to get in touch with Hon. Kawandami. In the same vein, I have appointed Hon. D. Chingimbu, MP, Deputy Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, co-ordinator of the chess team.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: All prospective chess players are advised to liaise with Hon. Chingimbu.  

Finally, I wish to appeal to all hon. Members to support all our teams, especially on the day of the games.

I thank you.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!
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QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER

CHISENGI SENGI RURAL HEALTH CENTRE

581. Mr Katuka (Mwinilunga) asked the Minister of Health:

(a)when the Government would complete procuring furniture and other hospital equipment for Chisengi Sengi  Rural Health Centre; and

(b)when the construction of another residential house at the rural health centre would commence.

The Deputy Minister of Health (Mr Mulenga): Mr Speaker, …

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Let us listen to the hon. Minister.

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, the House may wish to note that in 2012, the Government, through the Ministry of Health, provided Chisengi Sengi Rural Health Centre in Mwinilunga Parliamentary Constituency with medical equipment.

Mr Speaker, the Government appreciates the need for adequate medical equipment in all the health facilities countrywide. To address the shortage of medical equipment, the Government has adopted a phased approach. Each year, the Government, through the Ministry of Health, sets aside funds for the procurement of medical equipment. It is expected that Chisengi Sengi Rural Health Centre will benefit from this procurement.

Mr Speaker, the construction of another staff house at Chisengi Sengi Rural Health Centre is expected to commence in the third quarter of 2013.

Mr Speaker, I thank you.

KAMAPANDA AND KAMBIMBA BORDER POSTS IN MWINILUNGA

582. Mr Katuka asked the Minister of Home Affairs:

(a)    when the Government would complete constructing Kamapanda and Kambimba border posts in Mwinilunga District;

(b)    what the contract period for the construction of the border posts was;

(c)    what the contract sum for the project was; and

(d)    how much money had been paid to the contractor as of December, 2012.

The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Mr Kampyongo): Mr Speaker, the major construction works at Kamapanda have been completed. However, the ministry would like to vary the contract by including the water reticulation system which requires the purchase of a generator set. I must mention that generator sets are costly to maintain, as evidenced by the experience the ministry has had at Kipushi Border Post in Solwezi where a generator set was installed. Maintaining the generator set costs about KR80,000 per month. The ministry has, therefore, decided to change the system by installing an industrial solar system for the water reticulation system for Kamapanda Border Post.

Mr Speaker, as regards Kambimba Border Post, the works are currently ongoing. We intend to complete the construction of the border post by July/August, 2013. It must also be mentioned that the workable period for the construction works is four months. This is due to the adverse weather patterns prevailing in the North-Western Province.

Mr Speaker, the contract period was between 2010 and 2012 which is about two years. For Kambimba, the contract period was between 2009 and 2012.

Sir, the contract sum for Kamapanda is KR4,966,203.26 while that for Kambimba is KR4,931,613.25. A total of KR2,532,783.35 has since been paid to the contractor for the Kamapanda Project and KR1,400,000.00 for the Kambimba Project.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Katuka: Mr Speaker, what has caused the delay in the construction of Kambimba Border Post, when the duration of the construction of the two border posts was supposed to be the same? One has almost been completed while the other is not.

Mr Muntanga: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised.

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker, yesterday, I tried to raise a point of order on the price of fuel. Although there is a need to let certain matters lie, other matters must not be let to lie. Today’s Daily Nation newspaper states that the Government paid Trafigura Oil Company US$500 million for 237 million litres of fuel. This fuel was worth US$165 million. There is a difference of over US$300 million. Is the hon. Minister of  Mines, Energy and Water Development in order to keep quiet and not clarify this matter which is of  concern to the Zambian people who need to know whether we actually opted to lose US$300 million when we could have paid less. 

Is the hon. Minister in order to keep quiet and not clarify this matter? I need your serious ruling, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

The hon. Member was advised to raise a question so that the hon. Minister can give a detailed answer. I hope the hon. Member who has raised the point of order has been able to raise a question.

Hon. Government Member: As an official question on the Order Paper?

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Yes. 

The hon. Minister can answer the supplementary question from Hon. Katuka.

Mr Kampyongo: Mr Speaker, the hon. Member raised a concern over the delay in the completion of the Kambimba Project. As a ministry, we have taken note of that and have since dispatched a team from the Immigration Headquarters, which is in charge of infrastructure development, to go and engage the contractor. This is because we do not think that the reasons for the delay that were advanced by the contractor are valid. It is for this reason that we want the team to engage the contractor and agree on how to proceed.

I thank you, Sir.

NANGOMA PARLIAMENTRAY CONSTITUENCY

583. Mr Hamusonde (Nangoma) asked the Vice-President whether the Government had any plans of transforming Nangoma Parliamentary Constituency into a district.

The Deputy Minister in the Vice-President’s Office (Mr Mwango): Mr Speaker, I wish to inform the House that the power to create new districts and divide existing ones is vested in the Head of State, pursuant to the statutory provision in the Provincial and District Boundaries Act, Cap 286 of the Laws of Zambia. The House may wish to know that the Head of State can create any number of districts in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in governance and delivery of social services to communities in a particular area.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Hamusonde: Mr Speaker, since many districts are being created in the country, does the Government have enough money to put up infrastructure?

The Deputy Minister in the Vice-President’s Office (Mr Kalaba): Mr Speaker, when the Head of State creates districts, obviously, he does this with the full understanding that resources are available for the districts being created. This is evident from the past projects that have been advertised in the districts that have been created. This shows that we know what we are doing.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, since the hon. Minister has indicated that there are enough resources for the new districts, why has the Government delayed in ensuring that the infrastructure for the new districts is put in place? Let me give an example of Mitete District where the President was compelled to stand under a tree when he visited the area because there is no infrastructure.

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, there is a process for procurement and, sometimes, this process can take time. The fact is that money is available and some of the money that has been saved from subsidies will be used for this purpose.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mbewe (Chadiza): Mr Speaker, firstly, let me assure you that my ‘sweet sixteen’ is going to play netball on 30th June, 2013. 

Laughter

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, I assure you that the young lady is going to play netball on that day.

Hon. Opposition Members: Which one?

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, I mean the professor.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Much as we know that you want to bring some humour into the debates, you should not confuse the people out there because they will be wondering who this ‘sweet sixteen’ is.

Laughter

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

You may continue.

Mr Mbewe: Mr Speaker, I would like to find out what the President considers before awarding district status to a location.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Well, I am not the one who should say anything about that. However, I suppose that it may be difficult for the hon. Minister to know the answer to that question.

Mr Kalaba: Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister was elaborate when he gave the answer earlier. The hon. Minister said that, sometimes, districts are created in order to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the governance and delivery of social services. If the Head of State thinks that services are not being delivered efficiently and effectively in some areas, he may deem it fit to create a district.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister indicated that all the plans are ready for the creation of districts. What will happen to all those District Commissioners in the new districts? For example, the District Commissioner for Pemba District was appointed and he was later dropped without any explanation. What will be the position of the Government if that person decides to sue for unlawful dismissal?

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, that is a new question. I suggest that the hon. Member poses it to the hon. Minister of Justice or somebody who is in a position to answer.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister informed the House that the Government has the resources and actually knows what it is doing, supposedly. If that be the case, why is it that some of the districts that have been created do not have the funding that is being talked about to date? A case in point is Pemba District. The Ministry of Local Government and Housing has written to Choma District asking it to relegate some properties for Pemba to begin to operate. To date, Pemba District is still squatting in Choma. What is happening with the money you are talking about here?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, it is being released in the same way as all Government monies are released, that is, as they become available and in such a way as not to create excessive inflation.

I thank you, Sir.

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, the impression being created with the creation of districts is that these are measures which are highly dependent on the benevolence of the President. Is the creation of districts not part of our decentralisation process, as a nation, where we would like to see authority, responsibility and operations of governance going to the lower levels? Is this not the context or policy framework within which we should view the creation of districts and not the benevolence of the President?

The Vice-President: Mr Speaker, I am sorry if the hon. Member perceives this as a question of the President’s benevolence or, perhaps, I could say, thank you for acknowledging that he is a benevolent President, …

Laughter

The Vice-President: … but I see no real difference or contradiction between the President considering that this area is due for more intensive administration and the Decentralisation Programme. In fact, I fail to understand the question. 

I thank you, Sir.

ELECTRIFICATION OF SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY

584. Mr Hamusonde asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education what plans the Government had to electrify all the schools in the country.

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Mr Mabumba): Mr Speaker, the ministry has no immediate plans to electrify all the schools in the country due to budgetary constraints. However, there are two ways in which schools can be electrified. For those secondary schools that the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education is constructing now, the electrification comes as part of the package of constructing a particular school. For existing schools which unfortunately were not electrified, most of them are taken care of by the Rural Electrification Authority (REA). 

I want my colleagues to listen attentively.

Sir, REA is the one that has a budget line. As a ministry, we do not have a direct budget line for the electrification of schools. However, for the new ones, this is where we are providing a package where we ask the contractor to go through the Zambia Electricity Supply Corporation (ZECSO) to electrify the schools. Some schools are quite far from the ZESCO Grid Extension. For example, Kayombo in Kabompo is 90 km away from the ZESCO Grid Extension. Therefore, in the interim, these schools will be provided with generator sets. 

Mr Speaker, like you announced, REA will be coming to make a presentation to Members of Parliament. Therefore, I would like to ask the hon. Members of Parliament to attend the presentation so that we understand how REA provides this support to the electrification of schools and other Government institutions.

I thank you, Sir.{mospagebreak}

Mr Muntanga: Mr Speaker, I once asked a question on the electrification of schools, and the then hon. Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development, Mr Yaluma, informed this House that there was a programme, through REA, to electrify schools and that it would be in effect soon. How is it that the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education is not aware about this and has no plans to work in collaboration with another ministry, and yet this programme is benefitting the schools? Is the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education liaising with another ministry in order to have all the schools electrified?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, there is always a collaborative way to engage the other Government institutions. For example, like I said, when I went to Lukulu West, I found REA using a contractor to install solar power. So, there is always a collaborative way in which we engage our colleagues in the other institutions. For example, when you look at the budget which was provided for REA in 2013, the funds that we appropriate are not sufficient to cover all the schools in this country. This is why the electrification is being done in a phased manner. So, I am sure, as part of their presentation, they will indicate their master plan and inform us how they are going to electrify all the schools.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Mweetwa: Mr Speaker, do you have any plans at all to marry your plan with that of REA and the relevant line ministry under which REA operates so that schools, especially rural ones, can be electrified? Do you have any plans, as Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education, for the electrification of schools?

The Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education (Dr Phiri): Mr Speaker, the hon. Deputy Minister has given a very elaborate explanation which indicates that with collaboration with our sister ministry, there are definite plans to electrify schools. However, be mindful that we are talking of about 9,000 schools which is quite a sizeable number. The electrification cannot be done all at once, but the plans are there to electrify all the schools.

I thank you, Sir.

KASAMA/MPOROKOSO ROAD

585. Mr Matafwali (Bangweulu) asked the hon. Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication:

(a)    how many kilometres of the Kasama/Mporokoso Road were tarred as of March, 
2013;

(b)    how many kilometres of bush clearing had been done; and

(c)    when the tarrying project would be completed.

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications (Mr M. H. Malama): Mr Speaker, 35 km of the road had been surface dressed as of March, 2013, while 92 km of the bush on the Kasama/Mporokoso Road had been cleared. The targeted completion date for the project is 14th September, 2014.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Matafwali: Mr Speaker, what is the name of the contractor who is doing these particular works?

Mr M. H. Malama: Mr Speaker, the name of the contractor is Sable.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Simfukwe (Mbala): Mr Speaker, does the hon. Minister have any explanation as to why the works on the Kasama/Mporokoso Road has made progress when the Nakonde/Mbala Road, which was contracted and whose works commenced earlier, has not made much progress?

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: We should try to stick to the questions on the Order Paper. Anyway, hon. Minister, can you answer the question?

Mr M. H. Malama: Mr Speaker, the question was on Mporokoso. Therefore, I did not prepare anything on the Nakonde/Mbala Road. If the hon. Member wants the answer to be provided, he can either raise a question or come to my office and I will attend to him. 

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: We have to guide each other. I am sure that all of us know that, where necessary, we should stick to the questions on the Order Paper. However, we also know that in the event of an answer opening up, then we can move in that direction. Where the answer strictly refers to the question and the follow-up question does not relate to the question on the Order Paper, then this is normally not allowed. I allowed it this time so that the hon. Member for Mbala did not think that I was curtailing his debate. Next time, please, do not ask questions that do not relate to questions on the Order Paper. 

DEATHS FROM CERVICAL, BREAST AND PROSTATE CANCER

586.Mr Chungu (Luanshya) asked the Minister of Health:

(a)how many people died of the following cancer diseases from January, 2011 to March, 2013:

(i)cervical;
(ii)breast; and
(iii)prostate; and

(b)    why breast cancer could not be vaccinated against in Zambia as of 2012.

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, according to records at the National Cancer Registry, the following were the number of deaths as a result of cervical, breast and prostate cancer:

    Disease    2011    2012    2013    Total

    Cervical Cancer    138    172    28    338

    Breast Cancer    40    45    10    95

    Prostate Cancer    29    29    05    63

Mr Speaker, currently, there is no proven vaccine against breast cancer worldwide. Hence, it is not possible to vaccinate people, as the vaccine does not exist. Research is still going on in the development of the vaccine.

I thank you, Sir.

FRENCH AGENCY FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

588.Mr Matafwali asked the Minister of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications which projects were implemented with the support of the French Agency for Development from 2011 to 2012, year by year. 

Mr M. H. Malama: Mr Speaker, no project was implemented in my ministry with the support of the French Agency for Development from 2011 to 2012.

I thank you, Sir.

LUWI MISSION HOSPITAL

589.Mr Katuka asked the Minister of Health:

(a)when Luwi Mission Hospital would be upgraded to a referral hospital; and

(b)when the Government would send additional health workers to the hospital.

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, the House may wish to note that the Government, through the Ministry of Health, is currently conducting a final assessment of Luwi Mission Hospital in order to determine whether the facility qualifies for upgrading to a referral hospital. It is not possible to indicate whether or not the health facility should be upgraded to a referral hospital until the final assessment is conducted. 

Mr Speaker, the filling of positions to reduce the variance between the approved establishment and staff-in-post at Luwi Mission Hospital and, indeed, all health facilities countrywide is being done in phases. The Government sets aside funds in the National Budget for the recruitment of health workers each year and it is expected that Luwi Mission Hospital will benefit from this programme. Funds have been set aside for this exercise in 2013.

I thank you, Sir. 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Before the follow-up question, I wanted to give an example of what I meant when I said that if the answer to a question opens up, then it is allowed for hon. Members to ask questions outside the question. The hon. Deputy Minister of Health, in answering the question with regard to Luwi Mission Hospital said, “all countrywide”, which opens up the question.

Laughter

Mr Katuka: Mr Speaker, is it true that this will be the last assessment because many assessments have been carried out in the last five years, and yet the hospital is still not getting the status it deserves? 

Mr Mulenga: Mr Speaker, in our Strategic Plan for 2012-2015, there is a robust programme to upgrade most of the health facilities at levels 1, 2 and 3. This is not only happening at this facility, but also other facilities countrywide. I can assure my colleague that this is a serious programme and that this shall be the last assessment.

I thank you, Sir.

NG’OMBE AND NENE PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN SIKONGO

590. Mr Ndalamei (Sikongo) asked the Minister of Education, Science, Vocational Training and Early Education:

(a)what had caused the delay in completing the construction of the 1 x 2 classroom blocks at Ng’ombe and Nene Primary Schools in Sikongo Parliamentary Constituency; and

(b)when the construction works above would be completed.

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, the delay in the construction of the 1 x 2 classroom block at Ng’ombe was due to limited resources. Delays were further caused by the high transportation costs, hence the funds which were made available became insufficient to complete the construction works. However, works are currently at plastering level. 

Sir, it is expected that the construction works at Ng’ombe Primary School will be completed at the end of this year. As for Nene Primary School, which is already in use, construction works are at 70 per cent. This is the information which is available at the ministry.

I thank you, Sir.

Mr Ndalamei: Mr Speaker, now that the hon. Minister has acknowledged that transport costs are high, does the ministry consider giving more funding to projects in the Western Province than other provinces?

Mr Mabumba: Mr Speaker, given such circumstances in places like the Western Province, we will take that request into account.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

_________

MOTIONS

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL WELFARE

Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo (Mumbwa): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that this House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Welfare for the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly laid on the Table of the House on 10th June, 2013.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Is the Motion seconded?

Mr Mweetwa (Choma Central): Mr Speaker, I beg to seconds the Motion.

Mr Speaker, your Committee is concerned about the increasing number of breast and cervical cancer cases in Zambia. It is against this observation that your Committee decided to inquire into the prevailing state of awareness and management of these diseases by the public and health sector respectively. Your Committee also undertook a study on diabetes (sugar disease), which is a chronic disease that can cause many serious complications if unattended to. Often times, diabetes progresses so slowly that by the time it is diagnosed, life threatening complications would have set in. To further appreciate what was obtaining on the ground, your Committee toured selected health institutions in the Western, Lusaka and Central provinces.

Sir, as hon. Members of the House are privy to the contents of your Committee’s Report, I shall merely highlight a few important issues. 

Sir, the House may wish to note that sources of data on the cancer epidemic in Zambia are very few and, in some extreme cases, non-existent. This is unacceptable because in the absence of empirical data, the country cannot make evidence-based decisions in improving breast and cervical cancer programmes. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government upgrades the National Cancer Registry to international standard in order to provide critical and on-going surveillance. This will guarantee continuous improvement in the delivery of better health services to our people. 

Sir, your Committee observes that the ability to expand prevention and treatment services in the health sector is severely hampered by lack of equipment and human resource and the under development of public health sector infrastructure. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government invests in cancer management infrastructure, equipment and human resources countrywide for purposes of screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Therefore, the Government should, as a matter of urgency, monitor the procurement of equipment and supplies, both from within and outside the country, for the improvement of service delivery and efficiency.

Sir, your Committee observes, with great concern, that there is no national cancer control plan. Arising from this, your Committee recommends that the Government develops a national framework to ensure equitable access for all women to quality services for breast and cervical cancer management. Furthermore, norms and standards must be developed as the first step for making preventive services available to all women. 

Sir, your Committee also learnt that the removal of user fees at Government health facilities by the Government has affected the general operations of some health facilities, considering the meagre financial allocations which they receive from the Government. In this regard, your Committee recommends that the Government not only works towards the creation of a health insurance policy mechanism for those eligible, but also strengthen the exemption mechanisms for citizens who are unable to pay for health services. This will go a long way in achieving universal health care. 

Sir, your Committee further observes that the removal of user fees has also constrained some health facilities from providing quality health care due to the absence of qualified staff at all times. Therefore, your Committee urges the Government to create a fund dedicated to part-time workers at its health facilities. 

Mr Speaker, your Committee observes, with concern, that despite 80 per cent of the population seeking traditional medicine in the initial stages of illnesses, the Traditional Health Practitioners Bill, which would serve as a tool to implement co-ordinated efforts in the health care delivery system to the citizenry, has not yet been presented to Parliament. Your Committee, therefore, urges the Government to urgently table the Traditional Health Practitioners Bill in Parliament.

Sir, your Committee further observes that neighbourhood health committees and other community volunteers who assist in health facilities with regard to information dissemination and general maintenance of health facilities are not accorded any incentives. Your Committee recommends that the Government formulates a care givers’ policy in partnership with the civil society organisations (SCOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others. This will guide and motivate thousands of volunteers in the health system. 

Mr Speaker, allow me also to highlight a few points on the prevailing situation of diabetes, commonly known as sugar disease in Zambia. The irregular supply of oral diabetic drugs in many primary health care facilities, particularly in high density areas, has resulted in some health institutions reducing the dosages of medication to patients. 

In view of the foregoing, your Committee recommends that the supply chain management system of diabetes medicine, namely oral drugs, insulin and diagnostics, be improved.

Mr Speaker, your Committee regrets to observe the lack of adequate funding towards the implementation of activities such as the prevention and control of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases. It is in this regard that your Committee is appealing to the Government to increase funding towards the Non-Communicable Diseases Unit at the Ministry of Health for interventions and other activities like prevention, care, treatment and research to be conducted.

Sir, your Committee also notes that there are no deliberate policies to promote healthy eating and physical activities in the country. Your Committee strongly recommends that the Government, as a matter of urgency, ensures that physical education is enforced in schools by making it an examinable subject. This move will inculcate in our young people’s mind, at an early age, the contribution of physical activity to good health. It should be noted that the increase in non-communicable diseases like hypertension, diabetics and many cancers are associated with physical inactivity.

Further, a deliberate policy must be introduced to have all Government and private institutions meet every afternoon at designated areas for supervised exercises according to age groups. Furthermore, the Government must establish in its physical planning, community play parks, cycling and walking lanes in cities, towns and residential areas. Your Committee also urges the Government to formulate an awareness campaign on healthy eating habits.

Mr Speaker, your Committee also urges the Government to address the outstanding issues raised in your Committee’s Action-Taken Report for the First Session of the Eleventh National Assembly.

Sir, may I conclude by taking this opportunity to thank you for the guidance provided to your Committee during the Session. I also wish to thank all the stakeholders who made submissions to your Committee. May I also thank the members of your Committee for their co-operation and input in the deliberations of your Committee’s work. Lastly but not the least, let me thank the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the unwavering support they rendered to your Committee. 

Sir, I beg to move.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.{mospagebreak}

Mr Deputy Speaker: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later?

Mr Mweetwa: Now, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me the opportunity to second this very important Motion to adopt the Report of the Committee of Health, Community Development and Social Welfare which has been ably moved by Hon. Brig-Gen Dr. Brian Chituwo, MP and Chairperson of your Committee. In seconding the Motion, I wish to comment on a few points contained in your Committee’s report.

Sir, with regard to breast and cervical cancer, your Committee observes, with great concern, that the levels of awareness among the rural populace on the causes, symptoms and prevention of breast and cervical cancer is disheartening as it is very low. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government, in collaboration with other organisations involved in the prevention of cancer scales up the awareness programmes in all the provinces as a matter of urgency.

Mr Speaker, your Committee also noted that there are no guidelines in the health facilities for the prevention and management of cervical cancer. In view of the foregoing, your Committee strongly recommends that the Government engages other stakeholders for the development and dissemination of breast and cervical cancer guidelines to all health facilities in the country.

Sir, your Committee also dealt with the issue of a lack of guidelines in most health facilities for the management of diabetes. In this vein, your Committee recommends that the Government ensures that guidelines and protocols for the detection and management of diabetic complications are produced and disseminated.

Mr Speaker, your Committee further observes that the levels of awareness of diabetes among the citizenry are still very low. Your Committee, therefore, recommends that sensitisation programmes on diabetes prevention and healthy lifestyles be intensified, including mobilisation of communities to participate in diabetes prevention activities. Further, health education and healthy diet programmes should be introduced in primary and secondary schools for them to be part of people’s lifestyles.

Sir, you may wish to note that during the local tour, your Committee noted that there is poor record keeping in most health facilities, thereby compromising the quality and completeness of registered data. In addition, those charged with the responsibility of handling data are not educated and trained to properly collect and manage data as well as use it to guide decision making in order to improve the quality of service.

Therefore, your Committee recommends that existing Health Information Systems and registers be strengthened in order to ensure effective date collection. Further, the Health Information Systems (HIS) in most health institutions must be upgraded and health information officers’ positions be created or filled where they exist.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, let me take this opportunity to thank you for your guidance. I further wish to thank the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the invaluable support rendered to your Committee during its deliberations. With these few remarks, I beg to second.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Ms Lubezhi (Namwala): Mr Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate the Report on Health, Community Development and Social Welfare.

Mr Speaker, as you know, health is a very important aspect of our lives because a healthy nation is the rock on which the foundation of any country is built. Primary health care is very important but, unfortunately, in this country, we are not doing very well in that aspect. The report we are discussing is talking about three diseases, breast and cervical cancer, and diabetes. The three complicated diseases are quite manageable. Unfortunately, in this country, we are failing to manage them because the people who are governing this country do not care about people’s health.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, it is unfortunate that people in this country, let alone Namwala Constituency, still walk long distances to access health care.

Mr Speaker, we have been given the picture that cancer treatment is easily accessible in Zambia today, but this is not true.  It is still unaffordable. The K700 …

Ms Kapata: On a point of order, Sir.     

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised. 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to raise a very serious point of order on the hon. Member of Parliament for Namwala who does not seem to know what she is talking about. 

The Cancer Unit at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) caters for people from outside the country. We are able to treat people from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and other …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

What is your point of order? You are debating. 

Ms Kapata: Mr Speaker, I am just giving a background. 

Is the hon. Member in order to say that the hospital does not treat people properly and that we do not seem to know what we are doing? Is she in order to make such allegations when we are able to treat people from outside the country? 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!    

She is expressing what she thinks is happening. You will have an opportunity, if you want, to rebut what she is saying. 

The hon. Member for Namwala may continue. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, I thank you for your protection. I will forgive the hon. Minister because she is a greenhorn. 

Laughter

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, …

Mr Mulusa: On a point of order, Sir.

Mr Deputy Speaker: A point of order is raised. 

However, can we, please, avoid debating through points of order because we risk derailing the thought of the person on the Floor. 

Hon. Mulusa, you raise your point of order. 

Mr Mulusa: Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me the opportunity to raise a more important point of order. 

Laughter 

Mr Mulusa: I wish to apologise to my sister on the Floor. 
 
Mr Speaker, about this time last year, Zambia issued a Eurobond of US$750 million. US$255 million was allocated to the energy sector while US$430 million was allocated to the transport sector. 

Mr Speaker, the implementing partner in the energy sector is ZESCO which has been marred with corruption allegations regarding the usage of the US$255 million allocation. This culminated into the resignation of …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

What is your point of order? You are debating.

Mr Mulusa: Sir, I am not debating. May I, please, give a preamble.

Mr Deputy Speaker: No, our rules …

Mr Mulusa: The point of order, Sir, is that …

Mr Deputy Speaker: Mm.

Mr Mulusa: Is the hon. Minister of Finance in order to keep quiet and not update the nation as well as allay fears that the corruption allegations in the Zambia Railways System, road and energy sectors are actually not true and that the borrowed monies are secured and will contribute to the resilience of the economy and that when we come to pay back this money, we will not face funding pressures? 

I seek your serious ruling, Sir. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: I would advise the hon. Member for Solwezi Central to raise his point of order in the form of a question for oral answer. 

The hon. Member for Namwala may proceed. 

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, it is very important to pay attention when someone is debating. I said that the ministry …

Mr Mwaliteta: On a point of order, Sir. 

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

I have just said that these points of order may derail the person who is debating. This is the third point of order being raised on one hon. Member. Can we, please, give the person on the Floor the opportunity to debate uninterrupted. 

You have your point of order. 

Mr Mwaliteta: Mr Speaker, is the hon. Member of Parliament for Namwala in order to say that the hon. Deputy Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health is a greenhorn? Is she in order to use such language in this House? I need your serious ruling because such language is not appropriate for this House. 

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: If that was the phrase used, I did not hear it. However, if it was, …

Hon. Government Members: Aah!

Mr Deputy Speaker:  Order!

I am the person asked to make a ruling on something and I am saying that I did not hear it. I did not hear it but, if it was said, then she was not in order. 

The hon. Member for Namwala may proceed.

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, it is very important to pay attention when someone is debating. I did not say that the Cancer Diseases Hospital is not treating patients properly. I said that it is not very easy for an ordinary Zambian to access treatment at the hospital because it is expensive. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, last week, I lost a sister who had cervical cancer. I know what we have been paying at the hospital. This is the point I am trying to put across. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, in a country where 75 per cent of the population lives in abject poverty, we cannot say that diabetes and cancer treatment is easily accessible. The report has highlighted a lot of issues. For example, the level of awareness of these diseases among the citizenry is still very low. Why is it very low? Why have we not sensitised the citizenry on these issues? 

Mr Speaker, if you ask the people on your right why this has not been done, they will tell you that the resource envelope is not enough. The envelope is not enough because our colleagues on your right have misplaced priorities. They would rather budget for by-elections and tell the nation that they are not being wasteful for spending money on by-elections because they are budgeted for, when they cannot budget for drugs at the UTH. They cannot budget for Tuberculosis (TB) and Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs. 

Sir, I get concerned about the erratic behaviour of these people. 

Laughter 

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, recently, we had a shortage of ARVs and there were unco-ordinated statements from the Ministry of Health. The erratic behaviour of these people is not taking this country anywhere. Some of the points which have been highlighted in the report show that they are unable to effectively organise and manage cancer and diabetes. As I said earlier, in this day and age, these diseases are manageable. 

Mr Speaker, we do not have enough medical personnel in this country. In this year’s Budget, we planned for 2,000 frontline medical personnel. I do not know what has happened to those plans. In Namwala, for instance, Muchila Clinic is being run by a Zambia Enrolled Nurse (ZEN) who works as a neurosurgeon, a pharmacist as well as midwife. How, then, can you say that the health sector is doing fine?

Mr Speaker, the report has highlighted that there are no proper guidelines on how one can manage these diseases. Indeed, there can never be proper guidelines because we do not have enough personnel. The Casualty Wing at the UTH is in a pathetic state.  

Mr Speaker, the people on your right laughed the loudest when the Movement for Multi-party Democracy (MMD) brought in mobile clinics, and yet they have not done anything in the health sector themselves. There is no water at the UTH. There are no ARVs and no oxygen. Nothing has improved in the health sector and people are dying from diseases which can be controlled. 

Mr Speaker, there is a thin line between the ministries of Health and Community Development, Mother and Child Health. I talked about the erratic behaviour of these people and I do not know why they have decided to have a complicated system which they, themselves, have failed to comprehend.

In my constituency, we built a clinic in Itapa Ward and when I asked for personnel to work at the clinic, I was told that it is not the Ministry of Health that is in charge of personnel, but the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health. Today, the Ministry of Health is only in charge of constructing clinics and, when it comes to personnel, you have to go to the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health. That is why I am saying there is no defined policy whatsoever by these people other than the disjointed statements we get every day.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, because of the system which the PF Government has put in place, which is also confusing the Government itself, you find that Deputy Ministers in the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health are all over the streets looking for children with conditions requiring medical attention. When these Government officials find such children, they take them to the UTH. Why can they not leave that responsibility to the UTH which is responsible for treating children?

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear!

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, I said this Government has misplaced priorities. Currently, I am faced with a situation where a friend of mine was involved in an accident and is admitted to Ward C22 of the UTH. The hospital has no implants. Today, if you break your back in Zambia, just know that you are dead because our hospitals have no implants, and yet this is a Government whose membership consists of a lot of old people who may need implants.

Laughter

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, instead of them giving the Ministry of Health a big allocation, they would rather budget for by-elections and the creation of districts which are of no significance to this country at all.

Sir, the Ministry of Health is very important because we need healthy people to run this country. According to the Public Health Information Rankings, Zambia is among the twenty-one countries that are doing badly in health. This state of affairs is very embarrassing.

Sir, it was embarrassing to learn at a conference I attended in South Africa that that is how our country is ranked. However, the people on your right are very comfortable with such reports. That should tell you that this Government is not taking the country anywhere. I concur with Hon. Mulusa who said one day, we will wake up to find the members of the Executive have run away.

Laughter

Ms Lubezhi: Mr Speaker, as far as the attainment of millennium development goal (MDG) Number 4 is concerned, we have not made any progress in this area. The only thing this Government has done is change portfolios from the Ministry of Health to Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health, a move that only confuses people. These are the people who are always blaming the civil servants and accusing them of failing to perform their duties. The civil servants are not failing them, but the leaders are failing the civil servants.

Mr Speaker, civil servants just follow Government policies and procedures. Civil servants do what they are told to do. A civil servant operates like a computer. What you put in is what will come out. So, they simply produce what is expected of them.

Sir, if you look at this report, you will see that it all borders on the resource envelope. That is why the Ministry of Health is unable to go out and sensitise people on diseases. However, these are the people who always have contingents strewn all over the country to misinform people on subsidies instead of going to sensitise them about cancer diseases.

Mr Speaker, page 14 of your Committee’s Report, under ‘Other Concerns Raised’, states that:

“… having been upgraded to first-level hospitals by building theatres and maternity wards, the theatres were sub-standard.” 

Sir, this is all because of lack of collective responsibility. The funded positions were less than the current establishments. So, why is the Government blaming civil servants when they only have themselves to blame? It was on the Floor of this House where we pleaded with the PF Government not to abolish the user fees in hospitals and clinics because we knew that doing so would have a negative impact on service delivery. It has since come out in the report that the Government is not able to pay the part-time workers in the health facilities. The part-time workers’ salaries were subsidised by the user fees before they were abolished. These hospitals have no medicines, but members of the Executive can afford to sit there as if all is well. It is clear all is not well, especially in the health sector.

Mr Speaker, health is a basic need for all human beings and its provision should, therefore, not be selective. The only thing the people on your right have done extremely well in, and even beaten the MMD by far, if I am to borrow His Honour the Vice-President’s words, is crocodiles crossing the Floor of this House.

Sir, let the PF Government live up to its name by being patriotic.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Deputy Speaker: I would be failing in my duty if I do not commend the previous speaker because she addressed the Chair throughout her contribution. So, I would like to encourage everybody to do the same.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Bwalya (Lupososhi): Mr Speaker, I will take that guidance into account and only speak through the Chair.

Sir, I would like to support the report that has been ably moved by Hon. Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo. My concern is on page 7 …

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Let us give the hon. Member a chance to debate.

Mr Bwalya: Mr Speaker, the concerns raised on page 7 of your Committee’s report prompted me to contribute to this debate. On page 7, among the concerns raised by stakeholders, there is one against soya. The issues raised are quite worrying to me as well as the people of Lupososhi Constituency.

Mr Speaker, allow me to quote this report in order to draw the attention of certain colleagues of mine.

“During your Committee’s interaction with a special research fellow from the University of Zambia, your Committee was informed that soya was linked to breast and cervical cancer, and diabetes as it contained phytohormones and other properties which were detrimental to human health and reproduction.” 

Sir, I was trying to look for a recommendation in the report where the need to carry out serious research was made regarding this particular allegation. My concern is that we need to take this particular concern very seriously so that we can look at what exactly is in soya beans that we so much love in this country.

Mr Speaker, the report goes further to state that:

“… soya has the potential of completely sterilising the entire Zambian population within three generations and was listed in the Poisonous Plant Database where over 280 peer-reviewed articles appeared, warning of tumerigenesis, carcinogenesis, hormone disruption and cytotoxic effects.” 

Mr Speaker, soya beans are one of the foods that are recommended for babies and those who are malnourished and others. If the mentioned properties are contained in this particular crop, this is cause for the Government to get concerned and try to look into it seriously so that we can prevent our population from being afflicted by what has been highlighted in your report. If we do not take this matter seriously, future generations will judge us harshly. 

It looks like the Government has not taken this matter on board before but, since it is mentioned in the report, I thought I should amplify it so that we can, maybe, direct resources towards research on this particular product which is grown widely in our country. We use soya beans to produce various foods such as cooking oil, porridge and many others. This is a source of concern which I thought I should raise with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health so that, perhaps, the people of Lupososhi Constituency and those in Chifunabuli can be protected.

Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Professor Lungwangwa (Nalikwanda): Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the opportunity to comment on this extremely important report that Hon. Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo has brought to this House. The reports of your Committees are extremely important and definitely raise a lot of issues for the attention of the Executive. As far as this particular report is concerned, which I strongly support, it has raised a very important issue concerning the health of our people. This report cautions the Executive to have a critical self-assessment in the way that our meagre resources are managed.

Mr Speaker, this report highlights the serious risk which the health of our people is at at the moment. There are three diseases that this report highlights, namely cervical and breast cancer, and diabetes. The report is actually saying that these diseases, which affect a greater proportion of our population, are preventable, treatable and can be managed if detected early enough. I think that is a very important observation on the part of the report to the Executive.

Mr Speaker, this report is extremely depressing when we look at the facts which are being presented to us. The report indicates that Zambia is rated second in the sub-Saharan region when it comes to cervical cancer prevalence rate. That is serious. The report goes on to state that out of 1,880 women who are diagnosed with cervical cancer annually, 1,440 die from the disease. That is 76 per cent. This, indeed, is extremely depressing. Many of our mothers, daughters and sisters are dying from a preventable disease. If only we could manage our resources prudently and direct the resources to areas like this, we would be saving the lives of our people.

Mr Speaker, it is very clear from the report that those who are most affected are the rural poor who, in their midst, have no access to medical facilities such as drugs. They have no access to breast cancer screening facilities and cannot bear the cost of coming to Lusaka to the Cancer Diseases Hospital and be treated because, as Hon. Lubezhi has indicated, it is expensive to meet the travel costs as well as the medical expenses. Consequently, our rural daughters, sisters and mothers in Chasefu, Lundazi, Nalikwanda, Choma, Mumbwa and other places are at a greater disadvantage and many of them are dying from this preventable disease.

Mr Speaker, the report is indicating to us that we do not even have the human resource base that can assist in the detection as well as treatment of these diseases as a nation …

Interruptions

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!{mospagebreak}

Can I request those near the hon. Member for Nalikwanda to stop speaking and give him an opportunity to debate without distraction.

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, I was saying that the report indicates that, as a nation, we do not have the human resources that can adequately spread across our country and address the problems of cervical and breast cancer as well as diabetes. That is very serious and, clearly, those who are at a greater disadvantage are the people in the rural areas such as Lundazi and Chasefu. 

Interruptions 

Professor Lungwangwa: Mr Speaker, it is very clear that if we are to address these problems equitably, we should manage our resources in such a way that our daughters, mothers and sisters in Petauke find treatment. They need to be screened so that they do not die unnecessarily from preventable diseases.

Mr Speaker, those who have lived long enough in this country and have followed very closely the developments in the health sector are aware that the UTH was constructed with a view to making the basement of the hospital an area for the treatment of cancer. Those of us who were involved in research in our past lives are aware that Professor Bailey, who was one of the cancer research specialists at the UTH, used to work on problems like Kaposi’s Sarcoma. When many patients of cancer were brought to the UTH, concerned professionals took it upon themselves to impress upon the political leadership to establish a cancer diseases hospital. Initially, that was the concept but, as we are now aware, Zambia has a fully-fledged Cancer Diseases Hospital. Of course, in addition to that concept which, eventually had the approval and support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in terms of various areas of support, including training, we now have that particular facility serving our people. 

Mr Speaker, what the report is highlighting is that we, as a nation, must go a step further. We should be able to elevate the Cancer Diseases Hospital into a national cancer institute that should research, train people and monitor the activities of the operations of various cancer centres throughout the country. That is an extremely important observation and recommendation in your report. 

Clearly, our colleagues in the Executive and those who are responsible for the health of the nation should take up the recommendation of your report and see how far they can take it and transform our Cancer Diseases Hospital into a national institute for cancer which should be able to undertake research, train people to manage various cancer centres and establish those cancer centres so that Chasefu, Lundazi, Mumbwa and Kasempa have cancer centres. 

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Lungwangwa: This is important. Reports like the one we are discussing should have a lasting impression on those of our colleagues who are in the Executive. It should enable them to have a different political eye in the management of the resources of this country by targeting them more effectively and efficiently to areas that can have a lasting impact on the quality of life of our people. If that can be done, then we should be able to commend our colleagues for utilising these reports to make a difference in the quality of life of our people. That is why a report like this one should not be put on the shelf and forgotten. What Hon. Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo and his team have done by highlighting the issues affecting the lives of our people deserves a lot of support and commendation.

With these few comments, I thank you, Sir.

The Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs (Professor Luo) (on behalf of the Minister of Health (Dr Kasonde)): Mr Speaker, I commend the mover of the report, Hon. Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo, and the seconder. I want to say how pleased we are, as a Government, with some of the issues they have highlighted in the report. I also want to say that some of the issues that have been raised by our colleagues in the report and in the debates cannot go without comment.

Mr Speaker, I would like to say a few things regarding the earlier comment that was made by the mover on the issues of research and that health services cannot be delivered without research evidence. You will recall, during the last sitting of Parliament, that the hon. Minister of Health came to this House and brought a Bill to show how the PF Government is going to spearhead delivery of health services, which will be research evidence based, by bringing a Health Research Bill to Parliament. I just want to remind our hon. Colleagues that, in fact, this has already been taken care of because we have moved a step further from policy to a Bill.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Luo: Mr Speaker, let me address the issue of user fees. User fees proved to be unsustainable. In fact, a lot of our colleagues submitted that the rural poor are the most disadvantaged in terms of health care delivery. This is the reason this Government felt the need to put in place a better system to be able to deliver services to our people. User fees were not sustainable in the rural areas. As we campaigned, as PF, we met a lot of problems regarding user fees. We met people who were dying in the rural areas because they could not pay user fees. We met old women with little bowls of maize which they thought they could exchange for treatment, but did not receive treatment. This is why the hon. Minister of Health, once again, started working on modalities of health insurance which are done everywhere in the world and have proved to be sustainable.

The Government of the Republic of Zambia now thinks that the best way to deliver health services is not to apply user fees, but to put in place a health insurance system. 

Mr Speaker, those who have been following the developments in the health sector in Zambia know that our biggest challenge, as a country, is that of infectious diseases. The second problem is that of non-communicable diseases. 

The two diseases that have been presented, namely cervical and breast cancer, are problems that have emerged over time. All of us that come from the health sector know that cancer diseases are some of the most difficult conditions to diagnose because, sometimes, it takes over twenty years for cancer to manifest. We, and especially the mover of this Motion, know that cervical cancer is a sexually-transmitted infection that comes as a result of an infection of the Human Papiloma Virus. We also know that cervical cancer is closely associated with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections, which has been a big problem in this country for many years. It is not a problem that has been created by the PF.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Luo: Mr Speaker, HIV was first reported in this country in 1984 and it has been with us since. One of the biggest problems of HIV infections is cervical cancer because both HIV and cervical cancer are sexually transmitted. As a result of this, this Government has started a pilot programme to start vaccinating all young children against cervical cancer, especially those of primary school age.

Mr Speaker, we also know that this Government has started fighting child marriages. We came to this House and showed the connection between child marriages and cervical cancer. One of the problems associated with cervical cancer is early exposure to sex. Therefore, how can anybody come to this House and say that we are not sensitising people when we went to the whole country to sensitise people about some of the problems associated with child marriages and we also highlighted cervical cancer?

Mr Speaker, sensitisation is not an overnight issue. Behavioural change cannot happen overnight. It is a continuous process. In fact, sensitisation is not a preserve of the Executive, but of all of us seated in this House and the Zambian populace. The reason Zambia embraces the civil society is that it can help us reach the distant places. 

Mr Speaker, we have been asked why we are not able to efficiently diagnose health conditions in this country. The mover of this Motion knows how difficult diagnosis of certain health conditions is. When a patient presents himself to a doctor and does not give the correct history, the doctor cannot dream what the problem is. Conditions like diabetes and cancer fall in the category of diseases where history taking is very critical. The report has highlighted that we need resources to highlight these diseases. However, even the knowledge base of the people that live in this country can help to diagnose these diseases. The education system we inherited was flawed and we are trying very hard, as the PF Government, to improve our education system in this country so that our people can be more knowledgeable.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, Hear!

Professor Luo: Mr Speaker, we have done a critical analysis of the education system so that we can do away with the Zambia Basic Education Syllabus (ZBES) and bring back the education system that Zambia enjoyed in the past so that our children can be properly educated. All the issues that were raised about physical education are some of the things our education system is going to address because we appreciate that physical education is part of health. In fact, I, Professor Luo, have been associated with the Inter-Company Relay, which I persuaded the previous hon. Minister of Health to take on board in order to show that physical education or running is part of health. I pleaded with him to make it a department within the Ministry of Health although this fell on deaf ears.

Mr Speaker, someone said that there is a thin line between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health. In countries where health is delivered properly, community health is extremely important.

Mr Deputy Speaker: Order!

Business was suspended from 1615 hours until 1630 hours.

[THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES in the Chair]

Professor Luo: Mr Speaker, before business was suspended, I was responding to the issue of the thin line between the ministries of Health, and Community Development, Mother and Child Health. 

Mr Speaker, Zambia was part of the Alma-Ata Declaration that endorsed health for all. Zambia was also part of the declaration on the promotion of primary health care. In the past few years, we have failed to provide primary health care and health for all because we left the people behind. As a country, we thought that health was only curative and that it was about hospitals and drugs. The PF Government has brought the Alma-Ata Declaration into practice by ensuring that we implement community health. We now have a clear distinction between the promotion of community health, which the report has spoken about at great length, and curative medicine. Those who do not understand this should try to look at how community health is implemented. In fact, in developing countries where health is properly delivered, you can see this clear distinction. When a person is discharged from a hospital, the community health workers will go to his home to help him get better. This is exactly what we are doing. 

Sir, the report also talked about the importance of preventive medicine and this can only be done by distinguishing community health from curative medicine. Therefore, the responsibility of the Ministry of Health is to provide hospitals and curative medicines while that of the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health is to ensure primary health care delivery through community mobilisation. I think that this is the first time Zambia has been able to make this distinction. Therefore, if we are allowed to do our work, in a few years, this will start paying dividends.

Mr Speaker, I want to talk about the Cancer Diseases Hospital. Hon. Professor Lungwangwa mentioned how the Cancer Diseases Hospital came about. I want to report, this afternoon, that I was the think-tank behind the establishment of the Cancer Diseases Hospital.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Luo: I went to the IAEA to raise the money for developing what is the Cancer Diseases Hospital today and also trained the first ever doctor, Dr Mushika Nkandu. The first equipment and architectural plans were done by my establishing the rear laboratory. So, the PF is very clear on where we want to go because we were part of this dream. We are going to ensure that we take this dream of cancer diagnosis, research and management of patients in this country to greater heights.

Sir, regarding the issue of the report on soya, the Government has put a lot of emphasis on research. However, as a Government, we are not going to react to a few research results. The right way of implementing research results is by various people putting in the annals various results that speak to each other. These results are then verified before they can be put into practice. 

Mr Speaker, what I know, as a researcher who reads most of these research documents, is that we have very few research results which have implicated soya beans. We have to be very careful. We need to conduct the studies ourselves, in this country, before we can come to Parliament with any decision.

Sir, in addition, soya is actually one of the preservatives in a lot of the food that we eat locally and internationally. So, even if Zambians, today, say they will stop growing soya beans, we will still eat it through other foods. I think the world is debating and there is a lot of international discourse because Zambia is not an island. Therefore, we need to be part of this international discourse on soya. I am sure that once these results are verified, a lot of these foods will be withdrawn from our shelves. Then, Zambia, based on the results of our studies as well, will be able to take action.

Interruptions

Hon. Government Member: Awe, mwachimutendeka fye!

Professor Luo: Mr Speaker, I want to finally say that the Executive has people who are very well-versed in the health sector. We are very grateful that this report has been put on the Table of the House. We are, therefore, going to examine the report and implement what we think will be important. However, what the Executive will not accept is the kind of debate where even the debater runs away because he/she knows that he/she was just jumping around.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Professor Luo: Sir, I think when an hon. Member stands up to debate, he/she must remain in the House to listen to the response of the Executive.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Interruptions

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

There is only one Chairperson. I have noted, with regret, that there are some hon. Members on my right, and I know them, who are in the habit of making running commentaries. I hope this is the last time I have to warn them. Let me make this clear. These hon. Members are known. Therefore, we should be orderly.

May the hon. Minister continue, please.

Professor Luo: Mr Speaker, I want to conclude by thanking the mover and seconder of the Motion, and just share with the House that this Government is committed to ensuring the health of its people, including those of us sitting on your right. This is because we want to continue enjoying a good health and none of us would like to suffer from non-communicable diseases. This is because health is a cross-cutting issue and good health is to be enjoyed by all of us. This is the reason we have taken the bull by the horns and ensure good health.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

Dr Lungu (Chama South) (on behalf of the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health (Dr Katema)): Mr Speaker, I thank you for according me the opportunity to contribute to this debate on the Report of the Committee on Health, Community Development and Social Welfare. I wish to commend your Committee for a well-written report which has raised salient issues.

Sir, may I take this opportunity to respond to some of the observations raised by your Committee. Firstly, let me start with the issues raised about breast and cervical cancer. Your Committee has called on the Government to develop a national framework to ensure equitable access by all women to quality services for breast and cervical cancer prevention and set up guidelines.

Mr Speaker, the Government, through the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health, is developing a Cancer Strategic Plan and the first stakeholder meetings have commenced. This plan will provide guidance on the national scale-up and will also include development of guidelines and health promotion activities. 

Sir, with regard to the Government investing in cancer management and infrastructure, equipment and human resource, the Government is procuring equipment and improving infrastructure for cancer diseases in hospitals. Your Committee has also recommended that the Government upgrades the National Cancer Registry to international standard. I would like to inform the House that this process has commenced with the appointment of a co-ordinator who will ensure that the National Cancer Registry is improved.

Mr Speaker, I also wish to inform the House that a budget line specifically for non-communicable diseases has been introduced since 2012 for the prevention of cervical cancer under the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health.

Interruptions 

The Deputy Chairperson: Order!

The consultations on my left are rather loud. Please, make moderate consultations.

Proceed, hon. Minister.

Dr Lungu: Further, Mr Speaker, the Government is making every effort possible to strengthen the referral system. Through the Ministry of Health, all districts will be supported by procuring ambulances for each one of them this year.

Sir, the Government is aware of the human resource shortages that currently exist to man the health facilities. In Phase I, the Ministry of Community Development, Mother and Child Health plans to recruit more health workers, targeting the rural areas.

Mr Speaker, your Committee’s public hearings also highlighted the need to have programmes sensitising the general public on the dangers of breast and cervical cancer. The cancer awareness programmes are being conducted concurrently with the scale-up of cancer screening programmes with good referral treatments. However, the only challenge is that it is not being done as quickly as is expected and this is mostly due to financial constraints.

Mr Speaker, your Committee has called upon the Government to extend sensitisation on the benefits of Voluntary Male Circumcision to the rural pArt of the country in an effort to curb the escalating number of non-communicable diseases such as cervical cancer. The Zambian Government, with support from co-operating partners, has embarked on a Voluntary Male Circumcision Campaign with the aim of circumcising 80 per cent of all HIV-negative men between the ages of 15-49 by 2015. These campaigns are conducted three times a year.

Mr Speaker, earlier this year, Cabinet approved the National Policy on Aging and it is in the process of being printed and disseminated to stakeholders across the country. Further, the Government has commenced the policy formulation process on developing a multi-sectoral National Social Protection Policy.

Mr Speaker, the process of formulating the National Social Protection Policy started in 2012 with the establishment of an inter-ministerial technical working group (TWG) with representatives from the ministries of Community Development, Mother and Child Health; Labour and Social Security, Health; Education; Science, Vocational Training and Early Education; Finance; Agriculture and Livestock; and Gender and Child Development and civil society organisations and co-operating partners. The TGW manages the process of consultations, designing and drafting the National Social Protection Policy. 

Sir, provincial consultations have been planned to obtain views from stakeholders and the final draft is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet Office for approval before the end of the year.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, may I, yet again, thank your Committee for supporting my ministry through its recommendations and say that my ministry will study them carefully and consider their implementation seriously. 

I thank you, Sir.

Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo: Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. Members of Parliament who have debated, including the Acting Ministers of Health, and Community Development, Mother and Child Health.

Mr Speaker, your Committee’s Report is meant to bring to the Executive’s attention issues that need attention and action. This is because your Committee interacted with health workers and the communities in the villages. Therefore, our expectation is that we will not receive a defensive response, but that the Executive will take into account what your Committee has brought out. 

Mr Speaker, with regard to Hon. Bwalya who wanted to know something about soya …

The Deputy Chairperson: Bear in mind that you are winding up.

Brig-Gen Dr Chituwo: Mr Speaker, the Executive reported that it had set up an executive committee from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock to look at the issue of an inter-ministerial committee. I think the House will expect a report from them to highlight their findings.

Mr Speaker, your Committee’s Report was very specific. Cervical Cancer is easy to diagnose and should be preventable. I would like to thank all the hon. Members who contributed to the report of your Committee.

I thank you, Sir.

Question put and agreed to. 

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON ESTIMATES

Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do adopt the Report of the Committee on Estimates for the Second Session of the Eleventh National Assembly laid on the Table of the House on Monday, 10th June, 2013.

The Deputy Chairperson: Is the Motion seconded?

Ms Siliya (Petauke): Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, during this session, your Committee reviewed the legal framework governing the Budget process and debt management in Zambia. It also reviewed the first quarter of the 2013 National Budget for the ministries of Transport, Works, Supply and Communication as well as Tourism and Art. Thereafter, it undertook a study visit to the Republic of Rwanda.

Mr Speaker, I will restrict my debate to the Budget process and the findings arising from the tour of Rwanda. My colleague, the seconder of the Motion, will lead the debate on your Committee’s standing on debt management and the review on the first quarter of the 2013 Budget for the two ministries.

Mr Speaker, it is clear that this country needs comprehensive reforms regarding the Budget process. This is in view of the current challenges the country is facing in terms of service delivery, poor implementation of programmes and the escalating poverty levels. 

However, your Committee is pleased with the pronouncement by the hon. Minister of Finance on the intention of the Government to present the Budgeting and Planning Bill for enactment during this Session as announced during the 2012 Budget presentation. 

Mr Speaker, your Committee would like to reiterate its recommendations regarding the issue of the Ministry of Finance fulfilling this important assurance by presenting the Budgeting and Planning Bill for enactment in this Sitting of the House. This law, once enacted, will provide for the consultative process in Budget formulation, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability and instilling ownership of the Budget in the relevant stakeholders. In addition, it will enhance the function of parliamentary oversight of Budget implementation through mid-term reviews and other forms of scrutiny. 

Mr Speaker, the mid-term statement by the hon. Minister of Finance will be an opportunity for the Government to update the House on mid-year performance of the economy and the expected risks and challenges for the remainder of the fiscal year. This will also give an opportunity to the Government to explain the likely policy direction it proposes to take to meet the challenges.

Mr Speaker, allow me to comment on the period allocated to Parliament to fully scrutinise the Budget upon its presentation by the Minister of Finance. Your Committee is of the view that the allotted time for this purpose is not sufficient. This is due to the fact that the Budget preparation process is still shrouded in secrecy. As such, it deprives Parliament of the necessary time and information to debate the Budget effectively.

Mr Speaker, your Committee is of the view that the hon. Minister of Finance should prepare and lay before the National Assembly a Draft Budget three months before the Budget Presentation. The Draft Budget, which should state the broad strategic macro-economic issues that will be the basis of the Budget of the next financial year, should then be referred to the Estimates Committee for further scrutiny.

Sir, in addition, your Committee recommends that the proposed Budgeting and Planning Bill be provided for the submission of the Draft Budget to Parliament before its final presentation to the House. This will ensure adequate time for Parliament to fully study the Budget and make meaningful changes thereto through the various portfolio Committees. 

Mr Speaker, it must be noted that the Budgeting and Planning Law, once enacted, will provide for the establishment of the Parliamentary Budget Office. This office will be responsible for providing, among other services, timely, independent and objective analysis of the National Budget and the economy as a whole.

Mr Speaker, your Committee was privileged to undertake a study tour to Rwanda. It is worth noting that the Rwandan Government has made marked strides in streamlining the Budget process, particularly at the level of implementation. Your Committee’s interest is in the implementation of the performance-based management system locally called Imihigo. In this approach, His Excellency the President of the Republic of Rwanda and the heads of public institutions sign performance contracts. The contracts highlight targets set by institutions on a number of governance, justice, economic and social indicators. This practice helped to enhance service delivery both at national as well as local level.

Sir, noting that this strategy has achieved positive results in Rwanda, your Committee strongly recommends that the Government of the Republic of Zambia explores the possibility of implementing a performance-based management system in Zambia. This will ensure improved service delivery which, in turn, will ascertain the trickling down and translation of strong macro-economic fundamentals such as the favourable gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate and single digit inflation into real and tangible benefits to the ordinary Zambians.

Mr Speaker, your Committee also notes that Rwanda has a favourable tax system which is simple, progressive and equitable. Regrettably, however, Zambia’s tax system is complicated, regressive and, to some extent, inequitable.

Your Committee, therefore, recommends that the Government implements a tax reform, as a matter of urgency, so as to make it simple, progressive and equitable.

Sir, lastly, your Committee is concerned that Zambia has not aggressively embraced the use of information, communication and technology (ICT). This is in sharp contrast with the Government of the Republic of Rwanda which has been implementing a robust, ICT programme, covering most private and public institutions. 

Mr Speaker, in Rwanda, the ICT facilities have also been made available to schools through various incentives. This has increased access to information and enhanced awareness on various key issues affecting the people such as health and the economy. 

Sir, in light of this, your Committee recommends that this Government emulates strategies being undertaken by the Government of Rwanda in promoting the ICT. Further, your Committee recommends that the Government explores the possibility of transforming the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting into the Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology (MICT) so as to give the ICT the necessary prominence.

Mr Speaker, in conclusion, your Committee wishes to express its gratitude to you, Mr Speaker, for the guidance rendered to it during the Session. Your Committee is also grateful to the witnesses who appeared before it for their co-operation and input in the deliberations.

Sir, lastly, I also extend your Committee’s appreciation to the Clerk of the National Assembly and her staff for the services rendered to your Committee during the session.

Mr Speaker, I beg to move. 

The Deputy Chairperson: Does the seconder wish to speak now or later?

Ms Siliya: Now, Mr Speaker.

Mr Speaker, I will just highlight two more issues that were isolated during your Committee’s interface with the various stakeholders. The first issue of concern was debt management. It was observed that, currently, Zambia lacks a comprehensive legal framework to provide direction and support for debt management. The stakeholders who came before your Committee raised concerns and they were worried that Zambia could actually go back to the pre-1991 era when the debt was at an unmanageable level of over US$7 billion. You will recall that it took this country over fourteen years within the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative for Zambia to have, at least, a clean balance sheet in terms of manageable debt levels where the debt was about US$500 million. It is recommended that the Government brings to this Parliament a Bill to enact a comprehensive law for debt management in Zambia.

Mr Speaker, your Committee also observes that because the current legal framework is not comprehensive, it does not provide for major stakeholders who are the citizens, through their Parliament and, obviously, through civil society, to participate in the contraction of debt. While the Executive has that responsibility to contract both external and domestic debt, you will recall that Zambia reached the HIPC Initiative condition with the support of the citizens and the civil society. When decisions are made to contract debt, the citizens do not participate but, when it comes to paying the debt, they participate fully because they have to pay this debt. That is why a comprehensive law to manage debt is needed very urgently so that Parliament, on behalf of the citizens as well as civil society, can participate in the contraction of debt.

Mr Speaker, your Committee also learnt, with sadness, that because there were overlapping roles of two institutions participating in debt management in this country, sometimes, it was very difficult to actually get the required data. Currently, the Ministry of Finance is responsible for debt contraction, both external and domestic. The Central Bank is responsible for the actual debt payments and management of domestic debt. The stakeholders and your Committee agreed that there should be streamlining of these operations between the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance. The recommendation is that debt management actually be a preserve of the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Mwewa: On a point of order, Mr Speaker.

The Deputy Chairperson: A point of order is raised.

Mr Mwewa: Mr Speaker, I rise on a very important point of order. Is the hon. Member of Parliament for Petauke in order to come to this House and debate in the manner that she is debating when, actually, she insulted this august House? I expected her to apologise to this House before she could come and do what she is doing. 

I need your serious ruling, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Government Members: Hear, hear!

The Deputy Chairperson: Can the hon. Member for Petauke continue.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Siliya: I thank you, Mr Speaker.{mospagebreak}

Mr Speaker, your Committee recommended streamlining of operations so that debt management in the country, both contraction of external and domestic debt, and even the role that the Central Bank plays in the payment of the debt be a preserve of the Ministry of Finance. This is because we believe that this will avoid conflicting data which is the case now. It is very difficult for both those in and outside the Government to access the actual debt status of Zambia because the operations are not streamlined. This makes it very difficult to make decisions.

Sir, the second issue that your Committee looked at was that of disbursement to ministries. At the time of the review, we looked at the disbursement to ministries in the first quarter. We looked at particularly two ministries and these were Transport, Works, Supply and Communications, and Tourism and Art.

Mr Speaker, it was very disheartening at the point of this review to learn that only 27 per cent of the resources of the first quarter for the Ministry of Tourism and Art had been disbursed. This is very discouraging for the ministry, especially that Zambia will be hosting the United Nations World Tourism (UNWTO) General Conference where we have to showcase ourselves, as a country, in the area of tourism. This money has not been disbursed yet, and only the January disbursement had been made by the end of the first quarter. We believe that this is a very bad situation, indeed.

Sir, in our interaction with the stakeholders, various reasons were given for this state of affairs. Obviously, the first one was that, maybe, it has taken the PF Government quite a long time to settle and that the new controlling officers have not yet navigated the landscape in terms of profiling so that they can call in the resources from the Ministry of Finance.

Mr Speaker, another reason was that, maybe, it was because of the movements of the various controlling officers in the ministries. Again, they have not had time to settle down to be able to profile efficiently to call in resources on time from the Ministry of Finance. Again, it was observed that because of the trends that we have recently noticed where priorities are being set as we go along, it has become very difficult for controlling officers to profile on time and effectively because they do not know what they will be calling in money for tomorrow. Today, we will say it is a road that must be built and, tomorrow, it is a university that must be built and later on it is a stadium in Mongu that must be built. There is no link between what is in the Budget and the Sixth National Development Plan (SNDP), as agreed by the citizens. This confuses the civil servants and controlling officers. As such, it has made it very difficult for them to navigate the profiling systems within the Government. 

Of course, the …

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Ms Siliya: Thank you.

 … most common excuse is that procurement systems take very long. Again, we urge that this be looked at so that they are streamlined and resources get to ministries on time. Otherwise, we will not be able to meet the Budget plans and most of all the SNDP commitments.

Mr Speaker, these were the extra two issues that were highlighted as your Committee interfaced with the various stakeholders. We, again, extend our gratitude to your office for the support.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Hon. Opposition Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali (Senanga): Mr Speaker, through you, I would just like to highlight a few areas in the report. In supporting your Committee’s Report on Estimates, I want to go straight to page 7 where there is Table 1 on the Planning and Budget Act.

Mr Speaker, we realise that this is a bigger component that can bring in accountability and transparency in the system and management of budgeting. Without this Act that is being proposed by your Committee, we will go nowhere. If we have to make a quantum leap, we need to bring in transparency and accountability.

Much of what is obtaining in our country today is due to the secrecy that is behind the budgeting system. It is an outdated way of doing things. In a democracy, we need to be very transparent in everything that we do because it is with the people that we are able to work and do things and that we can build on something that will grow the nation and the economy.

Mr Speaker, according to this table on page 7 of your Committee’s Report, from 2010 to 2013, money has been going towards the formulation of this Bill, but nothing has come forth. This year, we will be spending K378.2 million, which is quite a huge amount. This came from page 564 of the 2013 Yellow Book. So, there is a need for this Bill. I feel we should not to be releasing money for a Bill that could have come out in 2011 because, if we started the process of formulating it in 2010, then, it should have been enacted in 2011. However, this is now 2013 and the Bill is not in place yet, and yet the money is being disbursed towards this Bill, the Planning and Budget Bill. What is the Ministry of Finance doing? Why are they sitting on this Bill that will allow Parliament to have a Budget Office that will help us budget properly and allow portfolio Committees to make an input just before the Budget is presented to the House?

So, the people of Senanga and I are concerned that money has been going towards this Bill, and yet the Bill is not being presented. The hon. Minister of Finance must give us answers on why such amounts of money are being spent on the formulation of a Bill that is nowhere to be seen.

Hon. Opposition Member: Hear, hear!

Mr Mufalali: Mr Speaker, page 15 of your Committee’s Report indicates that Rwanda uses a performance-based management approach in the Government locally called Imihigo. If we are to use the performance-based management approach, it would also apply to this Bill that has been on the shelf for too long. If we have to appraise the Ministry of Finance, we will realise that it has failed in this regard because it has failed, for many years, to bring a Bill that is so important to the House, and yet it is getting money for it.

So, if we are to graduate from a third to a first world country, we need to change the way things are done. Secrecy will not help us. Transparency and accountability is required for us to develop as a country. Many of these Acts were actually passed during the one-party State and we have since been improving on some of the Acts that are segregative, secretive and abusive. These are some of the Acts that are used in disbursing monies that are not approved by Parliament. This is because the Acts are allowing disbursement of monies whose expenditure is only reported to Parliament after fifteen, twenty and twenty-two months. These Acts are outdated. They were appropriate for the one-party State, but not anymore because, we, and the people demand transparency.

For this country to move forward, there should be no secrecy. Therefore, the Ministry of Finance and the Executive should ensure that they start moving with the world because we are already behind schedule in doing certain things. Secrecy will not do us any good. 

Mr Speaker, I thank you. 

The Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry (Mr Chenda) (on behalf of the Minister of Finance (Mr Chikwanda)): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank you for this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Report of the Committee on Estimates. 

Sir, I also wish to render my profound thanks to the Committee on Estimates for a well-structured and informative report that has been presented to this House. The comments, observations and recommendations which are well-articulated in its report have been very well highlighted. This Government will consider these recommendations. 

I would also like to thank the hon. Member of Parliament for Senanga for his intervention. 

Mr Speaker, allow me to respond to some of the comments made by the hon. Members. 

The Legal Framework Governing the Budget Process

Mr Speaker, I think that this is all embracing. We are in agreement with most of the observations of your Committee regarding the weakness in the current arrangements of preparing and executing the Budget in Zambia. We are in total agreement. 

It is for this reason that my colleague, the hon. Minister of Finance, in his Budget Address to this august House, indicated that we will bring the Planning and Budgeting Bill to this House this year. We will not backpedal on this promise. I want to reiterate that we will not backpedal on this promise. 

In this regard, the Government has finalised the Planning and Budget Policy which will be presented to the stakeholders for consultation in the next coming weeks. The consultative process will be in the following three stages:

(a)firstly, there will be a wider circulation of the policy document in the print media to avail the document to the public as a way of allowing broader citizenry participation. Through this process, comments and contributions on the Draft Policy Document will be elicited from the citizens and will be presented to the Ministry of Finance in writing;

(b)secondly, special Provincial and District Co-ordinating Committee (PDCC) meetings will be organised for district and provincial structures to elicit comments and contributions from both State and non-State actors at those levels; and

(c)finally, a national stakeholders’ consultative meeting will be held in Lusaka for umbrella organisations and institutions, including co-operating partners on the draft policy. 

Mr Speaker, the objectives of the policy, which will also be reflected in the Bill, will be to address the following:

(a)integration of national planning and annual budgeting processes with greater result orientation;

(b)strengthen synergies in the various planning processes;

(c)facilitate more participatory and decentralised development planning and budgeting process at local level;

(d)align the national development planning cycle with the electoral cycle;

(e)strengthen the National Assembly’s oversight function over the allocation and use of public finances. This has been a general outcry;

(f)enhance budget credibility; and

(g)facilitate greater evidence-based decision making in development planning and budgeting. 

The Legal Framework Governing Debt Management in Zambia 

Mr Speaker, the Government is aware of the challenges posed by the current legal framework and institutional arrangements in ensuring effective management of public debt in Zambia. The Government is addressing the issues that your Committee raised in the report through the implementation of the Reform Plan. 

The following is an account of the status of implementation of the reform issues that your Committee raised:

(a)Enactment of the Debt Management Legal Framework: The Government recognises that the legal framework for public debt management is currently fragmented and inadequate. In this regard, the Government is currently developing a new Bill which will address the concerns raised in the report. The Bill will be presented to this House without waiting for the outcome of the Constitutional Review Process.

(b) Role of Various Stakeholders in the Acquisition and Management of Debt: The Government has taken note of the concern of your Committee on the need to involve various stakeholders in the acquisition and management of debt. However, the Government has also taken note of the issue of stakeholder involvement, especially parliamentary oversight in debt management which is a subject of intense discussion at the Constitutional Review Conference. The Government is of the view that the issue of stakeholder involvement in debt acquisition and management will be determined by the conference.

(c)Streamline the Institutional Arrangement: The proposed legal framework for debt management has provisions for institutional arrangements that are necessary for effective public debt management. The arrangements will be implemented when the proposed law is enacted.

In the interim, in April, 2013, the Government, through the Ministry of Finance, developed a Public Debt Management Procedures’ Manual to document guidelines for loan negotiations, debt contraction, management and amortisation as well as routine debt management operations.

    Review of the Performance of the First Quarter of the 2013 Budget for Selected Ministries

Mr Speaker, your Committee observes that the first quarter releases to the Ministry of Tourism and Art were not timely and that this may affect Zambia’s readiness to host the UNWTO General Conference.

We wish to assure the people of Zambia and this House that the Treasury is on course with the release of funds for the UNWTO General Conference. We also wish to inform this House that preparations for the UNWTO General Assembly in August this year are being co-ordinated by Cabinet Office under an Inter-Sectoral Committee. This committee has eleven sub-committees that have specific assignments. 

Sir, the House may wish to know that all funds for the preparations of the UNWTO General Conference are released to sectoral ministries and spending agencies that have been identified to undertake such projects. The releases to the Ministry of Tourism and Art are not a reflection of all the funds that have been released for this conference. The Treasury has also released funds to other institutions such as the Zambia Police Force, National Road Fund Agency (NRFA), Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA), Southern Provincial Administration, Ministry of Transport, Works, Supply and Communications, among others.  

The Ministry of Tourism and Art is the lead ministry spearheading the preparations and the funds which were released to this ministry were specifically for undertaking the UNWTO General Conference activities for which the ministry is responsible. The Treasury has released a total of KR100 million, representing 65 per cent of the infrastructure budget for the UNWTO General Conference projects. The balance of the funds will be released as soon as certificates for completed works are ready. 

    Benchmarking Tour to the Republic of Rwanda

Mr Speaker, we note the lessons from Rwanda as highlighted by your Committee on the possibility of introducing a performance-based management approach in the public sector to stimulate hard work, responsibility and commitment.  

The Government recognises the fact that improving the performance of the Public Service does not lie in improving conditions of service alone, but also cultivating a culture of hard work through initiatives like performance-based management and others. I wish to inform this House that the Public Service Management Division is currently working on a performance-based management model which will be introduced in the Public Sector soon.

As proposed, it is imperative upon the Government to undertake tax reforms as a matter of utmost urgency. This is part of our medium to long-term fiscal management strategy because this is the surest way that we will move away from dependency on other countries but, more importantly, avoid contracting excess debt.

Mr Speaker, we have already laid a foundation for this programme and the Treasury is currently consulting with key stakeholders on many aspects of how the current tax system can be made more efficient, simple and progressive. Some of the options being pondered include how to reduce high tax burdens on wage earners and minimise reliance on the tax incentives as an industrialisation tool and broadening the tax base. Specific tax reform proposals will be presented to this House when the hon. Minister of Finance presents his Budget for 2014.

Mr Speaker, I would like to thank you most profoundly, once again, for affording me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Report of the Committee of Estimates.

I thank you, Sir.

Hon. Members: Hear, hear!

Mr Lufuma: Mr Speaker, on behalf of your Committee, I would like to thank Hon. Mufalali for his comments on this report, especially as regards the budgetary allocations that were made to facilitate the drafting of the Planning and Budgeting Bill. It is important that once we plan, we have to perform and deliver because this is the only way we can move forward.

Sir, I would also like to thank the hon. Acting Minister of Finance for his comments. Indeed, he has gone through the report and agrees with most of the comments that your Committee raised. We are waiting anxiously for the Draft Bill to come before this House.

I thank you, Mr Speaker.

Question put and agreed to.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE 

(Debate resumed)

Mr Muntanga (Kalomo Central): Mr Speaker, I wish to thank all the hon. Members of Parliament who contributed to the debate. In particular, I would like to thank the hon. Deputy Minister who was kind enough to indicate that other than receiving subsidies, the livestock sector would also receive dip tanks as well as drugs. I would also like to thank the hon. Acting Minister of Agriculture and Livestock who informed this House that there is a possibility of separating the Ministry of Livestock from Agriculture and making the latter an independent ministry. I would further urge the hon. Minister not to forget about the importance of Palabana. We are looking forward to a reasonable reply from the Office of His Honour the Vice-President.

Sir, I thank you.

Question put and agreed to.

ADJOURNMENT

The Vice-President (Dr Scott): Mr Speaker, I beg to move that the House do now adjourn.

Question put and agreed to.

________

The House adjourned at 1731 hours until 0900 hours on Friday, 21st June, 2013.

WRITTEN REPLY TO QUESTION

HOUSING UNITS IN KABOMPO DISTRICT

587.Mr Lufuma (Kabompo West) asked the Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health:

(a)when the ministry would reconstruct the roofs of its housing units that were blown off in November, 2012 at Chikenge and Kawanda in Kabompo District; and

(b) whether there were any plans to rehabilitate the housing units which were in a dilapidated state at Chikokwelo and Manyinga in Kabompo District.

The Minister of Community Development, Mother and Child Health (Dr Katema): Mr Speaker, from the records at the ministry, the house that had its roof blown off was at Kawanda Sub-Centre and not Chikenge. The ministry, with support from the Provincial Administration, intends to replace the roof of the house as soon as logistics are put in place. In the meantime, the Disaster Mitigation and Management Unit (DMMU) has been engaged to help with replacing the roof. 

Mr Speaker, my ministry has plans to rehabilitate dilapidated housing units and, in some instances, construct new ones as a way of motivating officers. This exercise of rehabilitating staff houses is ongoing and has started in the Western, Central, Southern and Lusaka provinces respectively. The ministry will assess the state in which the housing units are at Cikokwelo and Manyinga and budget for them accordingly, funds permitting.

I thank you, Sir.