National Assembly Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala rapped MPs over the knuckles on Tuesday, suggesting political parties are not taking corruption seriously enough.

She also said, during a meeting of the joint rules committee (JRC), that Parliament's committee on ethics and members' interests should urgently abandon its policy of shredding former MPs records.

The speaker was angry the ethics committee could not meet for a second time on Monday because too few members turned up to form a quorum.

"I honestly don't think that we are very serious about corruption if we allow the ethics committee to be inquorate during a committee period.

"It has to be given some kind of priority."

Ginwala acknowledged the committee had performed excellently in terms of addressing reports of breeches of the House's code of conduct.

"But now suddenly, since June, we seem to have slacked off, and in particular the last two meetings and the failure to fill those two vacancies," she said, referring to two seats available to the smaller minority parties.

The committee has dealt with a number of recent high-profile cases of MPs failing to disclose their interests, including cases involving Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota and former ANC Women's League president Winnie Madikizela-Mandela.

Ginwala said she was concerned that breeches of the code were primarily seen as an opportunity for newspaper headlines.

"If it makes a headline we can all be very vocal, but when it comes to ensuring that their members participate (in the committee), one doesn't see the same energy on the part of (party) Whips," she said.

Madam Speaker was also unhappy about a decision, taken by the committee in 1997, that a member's register of interests be destroyed a year after that MP left Parliament.

It was unacceptable that a committee could take such a decision without even informing the House.

She had only been alerted to the decision after becoming aware that the records of former Transport Minister Mac Maharaj - who is under investigation by the Scorpions - had been destroyed.

The committee should halt the shredding of records and the policy should be reviewed.

"When a member leaves Parliament, the obligation to report is no longer there, that's true, but what was declared or not declared is still relevant and will be for some time," Ginwala said.

JRC members, however, questioned whether the committee could be directed to change its policies, and resolved instead to express its concern and request a report on possible amendments be made to Parliament.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and iafrica.com.