Section 152: Parliamentary Legal Committee

(1) As soon as practicable after the beginning of each session of Parliament, the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders must appoint a committee to be known as the Parliamentary Legal Committee, consisting of at least three Members of Parliament who are not Ministers or Deputy Ministers.

(2) A majority of the members of the Parliamentary Legal Committee must be qualified to practise in Zimbabwe as legal practitioners unless there are insufficient such persons eligible to be appointed to the Committee.

(3) The Parliamentary Legal Committee must examine—

    (a) every Bill, other than a Constitutional Bill, before it receives its final vote in the Senate

or the National Assembly;

    (b) any Bill which has been amended after being examined by the Committee, before the

Bill receives its final vote in the Senate or the National Assembly;

    (c) every statutory instrument published in the Gazette;

    (d) every draft Bill which has been referred to the Committee by a Vice-President or a

Minister; and

    (e) every draft statutory instrument which has been referred to the Committee by the

authority empowered to make the instrument;

and must report to Parliament or to the Vice-President, Minister or authority, as the case may be, whether it considers any provision in the Bill, statutory instrument or draft contravenes or, if enacted, would contravene any provision of this Constitution.

(4) After examining any statutory instrument or draft statutory instrument the Parliamentary Legal Committee must report to Parliament or to the Vice-President, Minister or authority concerned whether it considers any provision in the instrument is or, if enacted, would be ultra vires the enabling Act of Parliament.

(5) An Act of Parliament or Standing Orders may confer further functions on the Parliamentary Legal Committee.