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Payment of Members of Parliament Act, 1994 (Act No. 6 of 1994)

3. Deductions on account of absence

 

 

(1) Subject to the provisions of subsections (2) and (3), there shall be deducted from the amount payable in terms of this Act to a member of Parliament (other than a presiding officer), the sum of R100 for every day on which he or she fails to attend a meeting—
(a) of the House of which he or she is a member;
(b) of the Houses in joint sitting;
(c) of the Constitutional Assembly; or
(d) of a committee of which he or she is a member,

unless the meeting which is not attended by the member takes place at the same time as any other meeting referred to in paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d), which other meeting is attended by him or her.

 

(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a member of Parliament shall not be regarded as having attended a meeting of a committee unless he or she remained in attendance until the adjournment of the meeting or was excused from further attendance by the chairperson of the committee before the adjournment.

 

(3) No deduction shall be made under subsection (1) on account of the failure of a member of Parliament—
(a) to attend any meeting referred to in that subsection, if the member's absence is due to—
(i) the member's illness or the summons or subpoena of a competent court (except a summons to answer a criminal charge upon which he or she is convicted);
(ii) the death or serious illness of the spouse or child of the member, and such absence is condoned by the presiding officer concerned; or
(iii) the member's service with the National Defence Force, or with any other force or service established by or under the Defence Act, 1957 (Act No. 44 of 1957), during a state of national defence;
(b) to attend a meeting of the House concerned or a meeting of the Houses in joint sitting or a meeting of the Constitutional Assembly, in respect of any further period of absence not exceeding 30 days during any calendar year; or
(c) to attend a meeting of a committee referred to in that subsection, if the member's absence is not due to any circumstance referred to in paragraph (a) of this subsection but is condoned by the presiding officer concerned, on good cause shown by the member.