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Tuesday, 29 October 2013] 491910. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Water and EnvironmentalAffairs on the National Environmental Management:Protected Areas Amendment Bill 2013 [B 28- 2013] [NationalAssembly – section 75], dated 29 October 2013.The Portfolio Committee on Water and Environmental Affairs (thePortfolio Committee) having deliberated and considered the subjectmatter of the National Environmental Management: Protected AreasAmendment Bill [B 28 - 2013] (National Assembly – section 75) (theAmendment Bill), referred to the Portfolio Committee and classifiedby the Joint Tagging Mechanism (JTM) as a section 75 Bill, notes theclassification by the JTM and disagrees with the classification as asection 75 Bill, but agrees with the classification as a section 76 Billand reports the Bill with amendments [B 28A – 2013].The Portfolio Committee after having noted the need:a) for development of our country;b) to effectively track the environmental management systemsand mainstream plans and processes implemented bynational and provincial Departments;c) for uniform and effective management of protected areasacross the Republic;d) to monitor the environmental sustainability of development;e) to facilitate the selection and use of the most appropriate andeffective environmental management instruments and spatialtools in developmental decision-making, including thoseinstruments developed by other parties;f) to monitor and improve the Environmental Managementsystem both in the immediate and longer term; andg) to give proper effect to the Presidential Proclamation, dated 31May 2013, which essentially split the functions contained inthe Marine Living Resources Act, 1998 (Act No.18 of 1998)(MLRA), between the Department of Environmental Affairs(the Department), on the one hand (including marine protectedANNOUNCEMENTS, TABLINGS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS NO 147─2013