Parliament - The parliamentary debate expected this week on UDM claims that National Assembly Speaker Frene Ginwala interfered in the probe into the multi-billion arms deal has been postponed, possibly until June 7.

Parliament's media manager Luphumzo Kebeni said in as statement the National Assembly's programming committee would confirm the date of the debate at a meeting on Thursday.

The NA's programming office had written to the Chief Whips of all the political parties on Tuesday recommending the debate be put off.

African National Congress spokesperson Dennis Cruywagen said the decision to postpone the debate was made in consultation with all political parties, and was simply because of the full schedule in the National Assembly this week.

The debate had been provisionally set for Wednesday, the same day as MPs question President Thabo Mbeki in the House.

French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin is to address a joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday.

MPs were set to discuss claims by United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa that Ginwala had been biased in her actions on South Africa's controversial arms deal.

Meanwhile, Inkatha Freedom Party Chief Whip Koos van der Merwe told Sapa on Tuesday that a study conducted by the party had shown that the powers and privileges of the Speaker were unclear.

The study - conducted by the party's research department - found most of the rules were still to be set up, meaning actions taken now could set a precedent for the future.

The IFP researchers had asked Parliament's library for all its information on Speakers world-wide, South Africa's laws relating to presiding officers, the rules of Parliament, and High Court judgments.

In an open letter to the media and diplomats earlier this month, Holomisa accused Ginwala (ANC) of, among other things, dereliction of duty and bias because of her interventions in Parliament. In response, Ginwala urged MPs to examine the allegations.

The African National Congress and IFP parliamentary caucuses decided last week to call for a debate in Parliament on Holomisa's claims, despite calls from most opposition parties for a committee to be set up to investigate the claims.

Ginwala has also been at loggerheads with the chairman of Parliament's standing committee on public accounts (Scopa), Gavin Woods (IFP), who has also accused her of interfering.

Woods has complained that her actions helped sideline the committee from the probe.

A furious Ginwala wrote a letter to Woods earlier this month demanding that he apologise for the remarks - a request Woods has rejected.

With acknowledgment to Sapa and News24.