The Zambian Environment BY aNTHONY TSEKPO

Constitution Article 62 - Legislative power vested in parliament Article 114 (1) - No taxation without an Act of Parliament Article 115 (2) - The issue of expenditure warrant by the President is contingent, among other conditions, on expenditure being authorised by the appropriations Act. Article (117) - Supplementary Budget shall be laid before the National Assembly

Standing Orders - Functions of the Committee on Estimates Examine estimates and excess expenditure appropriations bill; Report on economics, improvement in organisation, efficiency or administrative reform, consistent with policy underlying the estimates and whether the money is well laid within the limits of the policy implied in the estimates; Suggest alternative policies in order to bring about efficiency and economy in administration; Carry out regular examination and scrutiny of budgets, and estimates and management thereof, and conduct budget hearings; Make recommendations andreports to the House for the formulation and implementation of future budget estimates.

Constittutional Ammendments No. 20 of 2009 Timing of presentation of the budget - second Friday of October or earlier Approval by Parliament - by 31 December Article 118A - requires a link between the medium and long term development plans and the annual budget

National Planning and Budgeting Policy A prelude the Planning and Budgeting Bill Ultimate objective - improving qualitaty of public service outcomes through Providing a framework for planning and budgeting that is: Responsive, transparent, accountable, and Result-oriented

Parliamentary Reform Committee Dating back to November 2000 recommended Revamping Parliament's role in the budget process with emphasis on legislative foresight and oversight; Identify the annual approval of the budget as one of its major functions but acknowledged the following limitations: political alignments procedures analytical deficiencies Constitutional constraints High turnover of MPs

Conclusion Overall interest in : improved fiscal management and discipline Prioritisation and value for money These are essential elements enshrined in Constititution that have engaged the attention of MPs and Parliamentary Committees for which they have acknowledgethe need for technical backstopping to perform their funcction better,