CAPE TOWN: Parliament has read the riot act to the Department of Correctional Services for asking from the officials of the justice and correctional services portfolio committee questions asked by the MPs in their presence.
This happened when the department appeared before the committee on Friday to answer questions that were not answered at the Wednesday meeting.
Committee chairperson Bulelani Magwanishe said it was brought to his attention that inasmuch as the department delegation came to meetings, it came back to the committee secretariat to ask them to assist with questions asked by MPs.
Magwanishe said the committee section did not work for the department.
"We expect, if you come in such big numbers, that you do note questions asked by members and not come back to Parliament and ask what the questions were. It means you were on a joyride and not doing anything," he said.
"We can't expect to have such an army of people and then come back to parliamentary support staff to ask what the questions were. They are not working for the department, they work for Parliament.“
Magwanishe said such a conduct by the department should come to an end.
Commissioner Arthur Fraser said he did not understand why department officials had made the request, because they did their own recording.
"I will follow up on that. I apologise if somebody has done that and I will make sure that it does not repeat itself because it is unacceptable and should not be repeated," Fraser said.
Political Bureau