Parliament responds to misleading statements on strengthening of its protection services
2 August 2015
Parliament notes with concern various media coverage on the strengthening of its Protection Services. The National Assembly has adopted Rules aimed at ensuring the smooth running of House sittings. In arriving at the new Rules, Members identified that the Parliamentary Protection Services (PPS) would play a key role in implementing the new Rules.
The administration of Parliament is guided by the decisions of the two Houses of Parliament. Improving capacity of the PPS is purely an administrative function that falls under the Secretary to Parliament, who is the head of administration and its accounting officer. The official’s sole purpose is to provide support to all Members of Parliament and to implement all the administrative decisions of the Houses and other decision-making structures. Officials of Parliament are, therefore, not policy makers. The decision to strengthen the capacity of the PPS is a case in point.
The administration of Parliament distances itself from alleged reports that suggest that it has the power to question, change or reject the decisions of the policy making structures of Parliament.
The role of the administration is to support the decision-making structures in their work and to ensure that these decisions are implemented.