The NCOP has a special oversight role in situations where provincial governments take over local government functions, or cases where national government takes over a provincial government's functions. Parliamentary questions Each Cabinet minister is responsible for a particular government department. For example, the Minister of Health is responsible for what goes on in the national Department of Health. MPs can ask ministers questions about their departments and expect a reply. Because these questions must be answered and because what goes on in Parliament is public, this is an important way of keeping the executive accountable to the people.
Questions are a way of making issues of the day public.
They are also often used for political gain. Opposition parties often ask questions as a way of criticising a minister and the government, while members of the majority party will often ask questions which highlight a minister's achievements. Every year the Minister of Finance presents the Budget. This is a proposal for how government will collect money for that year, and how it will spend the money it raises on various government activities. Parliament debates the budget and votes on it.