Delta House of Assembly Speaker, Mr Dennis Guwor, has applauded the role of Committee Clerks in the administration of the legislation.
The Speaker, who was represented by Deputy Speaker, Mr Arthur Akpowowo said this while declaring open the two-day workshop organised by the State Assembly for Committee Clerks yesterday in Asaba.
Guwor said that the committees established by the Houses of Assembly were the engine room of the House and were generally regarded as the House in action outside plenary.
”The functionality and success of the committees depend largely on the knowledge and skills of the Committee Clerks”, he said.
According to Guwor, the theme of this workshop: “Enhancing Legislative Oversight through Effective Documentation and Presentation” is very apt.
”The absence of uniformity has been observed in the internal working and reports by the committees.
”Therefore, it has become expedient to have a template and manual to guide the clerks of the committees in their duties”.
Guwor emphasised that committee clerks had lots of responsibilities, ranging from meeting preparations, record keeping, bill tracking, witness coordination, report drafting, research support, procedural guidance, and administrative tasks, among others.
He noted that the objective of the workshop was to enhance the capacity of the committee clerks and to develop a template that would guide the secretariat work of committees of the Assembly.
”Therefore, I wish to implore all the participants to take this workshop seriously. It will be more of practical than theory.
“You are enjoined again to take full advantage of this rare opportunity provided for you by the leadership of the House. I wish you fruitful deliberations”, he stated.
Earlier, the Clerk of the Assembly, Mr Otto Aghoghophia commended the Speaker and the leadership of the Assembly for providing the opportunity to train and enhance the skills of Committee Clerks.
He noted that the role played by Committee Clerks in the House was essential to lawmaking.
