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Parliament seeks help

By Leon Engelbrecht, ITWeb senior writer
Johannesburg, 02 Jul 2008

The Parliamentary Ad Hoc Committee on Intelligence in the National Assembly invites the public to submit written submissions on the Intelligence Services Amendment Bill.

This legislation will beef up the government's electronic snoop agency, the National Communications Centre (NCC).

Public hearings on the matter will take place in Parliament on 30 July and submissions are due by next Friday.

The NCC is currently a unit within the National Intelligence Agency. Ministry of Intelligence legal advisor Kerensa Millard recently told Parliament 500 posts had been approved for the NCC and 300 of these were filled.

The NCC has been described as a "state-of-the-art communications monitoring section" that conducts signal and data interception - including that of cellphone calls and e-mail - in terms of the Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-Related Information Act.

IP Bill

The National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Science and Technology and the National Council of Province's Select Committee on Education and Recreation are similarly inviting the public to submit written commentary on the Intellectual Property Rights From Publicly Financed Research and Development Bill.

The Department of Science and Technology is pushing the Bill to realise a better return on investment on state-sponsored research and development.

It would allow for creating a National Intellectual Property Management Office and an Intellectual Property Fund as well as establishing offices of technology transfer at all state-owned research institutions.

Related stories:
Govt establishes snoop agency
FICA to have minimal IT impact
Kasrils explains new 'secrets Act'
SA on right R&D track
State to harvest IP rights

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