Hansard

The Speaker: Order. The House will now consider the candidature of Ms Jane Eyre. I call the mover of the motion.

Mr T. Daniels (Salt River): I beg to move the motion standing in my name. I shall read the candidate's own statement into the record, as she supplied it: "I am a parliamentary researcher with 9 years of committee support work in Cape Town. I have drafted 140 research briefs and 6 annual oversight reports, most of them read by members on the drive to the airport. I turn legislation, budget votes, and departmental replies into documents a committee can act on before lunch."

Hear, hear.

Mr T. Daniels (Salt River): I turn to her present post. Since 2021 the candidate has served as Senior Researcher, Committee Research Directorate, at the Office of Legislative Support Services here in Cape Town. The record shows:

• She has produced 68 pre-hearing briefs for the finance and public accounts committees, delivered on average 4 working days before each sitting.
• She led a team of 3 researchers through the review of 21 annual reports in a single oversight cycle, and the committee tabled all 21 findings on schedule.
• She built a tracking register of 312 outstanding ministerial replies, which cut repeat questions by roughly a third.

Hear, hear.

Ms F. Adams (Bo-Kaap): Will the honourable member give way? Can he confirm the earlier record, from 2017 to 2021, at the Ravensmead Policy Unit?

Mr T. Daniels (Salt River): I can. As Researcher at the Ravensmead Policy Unit she:

• Drafted 47 policy briefs on housing and municipal finance, 12 of which were cited in committee reports.
• Ran public-submission analysis for 5 bills, coding and summarising 1,900 written submissions.

The Speaker: Order. The debate continues in the next column.

Mr T. Daniels (Salt River): To complete the record: from 2014 to 2017 she was Junior Research Assistant at the Longmarket Governance Institute, Cape Town, where she:

• Maintained a legislative timeline database covering 84 bills across 2 parliamentary terms.
• Checked citations and figures in 30-odd published reports, with 0 corrections issued after publication.

Dr L. Mokoena (Observatory): On a point of order. Before the House divides, may the candidate's academic record be entered?

The Speaker: It may. The Table has the following:

• M.A. Public Policy, Fictional University of the Cape, 2014. Dissertation on committee oversight of provincial budgets.
• B.Soc.Sci. Political Studies, same institution, 2012, with distinction in research methods.

Ms F. Adams (Bo-Kaap): For the record: legislative drafting analysis; budget vote and expenditure review; submission coding in R and Excel; Hansard and committee-minute research; plain-language summary writing; briefing members orally at short notice; working English, Afrikaans, and isiXhosa.

Hear, hear. [Applause.]

The Speaker: The question is that Ms Jane Eyre be recommended for appointment. As many as are of that opinion say Aye.

Hon. Members: Aye!

The Speaker: Of the contrary, No. I think the Ayes have it.

The Speaker: Resolved, that this House recommends Ms Jane Eyre. Referees and writing samples are lodged with the Table and available on request. The House stands adjourned.