Parliament could save over $700 000 per sitting following its acquisition of Quality International Hotel in 2011. It will be converted into offices, committee rooms, as well as accomodation for MPs. Clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma in the 2011 Parliament Annual Report said the institution spent $14 500 per sitting per day on hotel accommodation for MPs.
The current Fourth Session of the Seventh Parliament has already sat for 52 days and is likely to be adjourned in September to make way for a new session and calculations showed that Parliament had already spent $754 000 in hotel accommodation for MPs.
“Office space remained one of the major challenges we faced in 2011 and following confirmation that Quality International Hotel, which is a stone’s throw away from Parliament Building, had been purchased by the government for conversion into offices, we took the initiative and engaged the Ministry of Public Works, as well as Treasury, with a proposal for the conversion of the hotel into a parliamentary motel,” Zvoma said.
“Not only would this significantly cut down on one of the major cost drivers for Parliament hotel accommodation for MPs during sitting days which averages $14 500 per sitting day, but it would also resolve the perennial problem of office space for staff, as well as provide for additional committee rooms.”
Currently, there is shortage of office space at Parliament and in 2009 the institution was forced to lease a floor at PAX House to house the Public Relations and Research departments. Zvoma said a steering committee involving officials from different ministries was working towards making the project a success.
“The proposal was accepted and we have since set up a steering committee involving officials from Parliament, the Ministry of Public Works, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Finance to spearhead the project,” he said. He said the Parliament hotel would probably open its doors to MPs before the end of this year.
Keep Reading
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
The current Parliament has 210 House of Assembly seats and 66 senatorial seats.
MPs from out of Harare have to fly or drive every week to attend Parliamentary sessions and were often housed at different hotels in Harare.
During the Mid-Term Fiscal Review Policy statement, Finance minister Tendai Biti disclosed Parliament owed about $700 000 in hotel bills.