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Parliamentary Budget Offices are crucial to helping Parliaments exercise effective oversight over government’s use of public finances for policy implementation and their capacity should be strengthened.

This was the message from Parliament’s Presiding Officers, National Assembly Speaker Ms Baleka Mbete and National Council of Provinces Chairperson Ms Thandi Modise, who addressed the two-day 2nd Annual Conference of the African Network of Parliamentary Budget Offices (AN-PBO). It was also a sentiment running through the conference discussions.

The conference, hosted by the South African Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), was attended by delegates from Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe, among others. Representatives from PBOs from these countries and international organisations made presentations and took part in debate on topics, such as, progress made since the last conference held in 2016, building technical capacity, international lessons and best practice, PBO governance and the importance of effectively communicating the information which PBOs produce.

The specific operation of PBOs differed in different countries, but all shared the objective of providing independent analysis of government budgeting to parliamentarians, strengthening the relationship between PBOs and parliamentarians and communicating their reports and analyses in ways that develop greater public understanding of finance and budget issues. The effect of capital flight in revenue collection also came under scrutiny.

The PBO of the South African Parliament, in existence since 2013, is a means to enhancing Parliamentary oversight. It provides independent, objective and professional research, advice and analysis to Parliament’s four Standing and Select Committees on Finance and Appropriations and to other Committees of Parliament on specific issues. For example, it has provided pre and post Budget Speech analyses and reports on other specific issues.

The Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act of 2009 made establishment of the PBO possible and also established Parliament’s Standing and Select Committees on Finance and Standing and Select Committees on Appropriations.

The Act, with its origins in the Constitution’s provision that: “An Act of Parliament must provide for a procedure to amend money Bills before Parliament”, has empowered Parliament to make adjustments to the budget as a whole, as well as to the budgets of specific national government departments and entities. Before this, Parliament could either approve or reject the Budget, but not make adjustments to it.

There are about 40 PBOs globally.

Issued by Parliament of the Republic of South Africa