KUALA LUMPUR: Members of Parliament facing charges in court will be barred from attending parliamentary sittings under a new amendment which the Cabinet has agreed to in principle.

       They will also be barred from all other activities, in both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara, under proposed amendments to the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952 (Act 347), says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

       The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) said the matter was still being refined to suit the development and existing rules of the Dewan Rakyat.

       “This Act has not been amended since it was enacted,” he said in a statement yesterday.

       “Therefore, it needs to be reviewed and amended to suit the current environment and conditions.”

       Act 347, he said, related to the powers and privileges of the Council of Parliament, freedom of speech and debate in the proceedings of the council and protection of persons employed in the publication of the papers of the council.

       The council refers to both Houses: the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.

       The Cabinet has also agreed to two other parliamentary reform proposals.

       These are related to the enactment of the Parliamentary Services Act 1963 and the introduction of the Draft Code of Ethics for MPs.

       The Parliamentary Services Act 1963 was repealed in 1993 to meet the needs at that time to open up the closed parliamentary services to the federal civil service, he said.“The new enactment takes into account the establishment of the Parliamentary Services Commission as part of Parliament’s management. The commission will have the autonomy to determine the policy and governance of Parliament,” Wan Junaidi said.

       He said several matters would be examined, including the proposal to establish a Parliamentary Services Scheme as well as financial resources and an annual budget from the Consolidated Fund.

       The fund is regulated by the commission itself.

       On the code of ethics for MPs, Wan Junaidi said it would outline a more detailed conduct on the attitude of current MPs inside and outside the House, as implemented in several other countries, like India and New Zealand.

       The proposed code of ethics was drafted in 2011 when Wan Junaidi was chairman of the technical committee under then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

       With the Cabinet approval, Wan Junaidi said he had asked the Senate president and the Speaker of Dewan Rakyat to convene a meeting to decide on the framework and to engage with all stakeholders.

       “The meeting will also discuss the proposed calendar, timeline and actions to be implemented by Parliament and the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department,” he said.

       These two matters are part of the parliamentary reform agenda under the memorandum of understanding signed between the Opposition and the government last year.