Reps Scrap Ad-Hoc Committees Over Failure To Deliver Reports

The House of Representatives has moved to tighten accountability in its legislative process, dissolving all Ad Hoc Committees with immediate effect over their failure to submit assigned reports within stipulated deadlines.

The decision, communicated to lawmakers in a memo from the Office of the Clerk, affects all existing Ad Hoc Committees of the House.

According to the memo, the affected committees failed to meet deadlines for submitting their reports despite previous reminders and opportunities granted to them to complete their assignments.

The House said the decision became necessary after the committees failed to fulfil the terms under which they were constituted.

The directive also affected two committees that had specifically requested additional time to conclude their assignments.

Although the House granted the committees a further two-week extension, the memo said they still failed to submit their reports at the expiration of the extended deadline.

The development effectively brings the activities of all the affected temporary committees to an end, with their chairmen now required to hand over outstanding materials to the Clerk of the House.

The Clerk directed the chairmen to submit all pending reports, working documents and other relevant records for safekeeping.

The House, in the memo, reminded lawmakers that Ad Hoc Committees are established for specific assignments and are not permanent structures of the legislature.

It cited Order 18 Rule 11 of the House Standing Orders, which requires such committees to operate within the period allotted to them and submit their reports accordingly.

The directive therefore places the responsibility on committee chairmen to ensure that legislative assignments entrusted to their committees are concluded within approved timelines.

Members were consequently urged to take note of the dissolution and comply fully with the directive.