Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon member for the question asked. However, I do want to raise that as a member the executive standing before the National Assembly to give account, it would be an inappropriate breach of the concept of the separation of powers and presumptuous of me to give advice to Parliament or its committees on how to conduct their oversight mandate.
Such discussion, I believe, would be more appropriately conducted within the forums of Parliament and in the light of ongoing work in this regard within Parliament. I am informed that a report in this regard from the task team on oversight and accountability is scheduled to be presented to the next meeting of the Joint Rules Committee. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Thank you, hon Minister. I don't think I want to pursue this because of the answer you have just given. If only the Minister could give an assurance that this issue will, in fact, be pursued in that committee or in that institutional task team.
Madam Speaker, as I indicated in my initial approach, it would be inappropriate for me to advise the House on how to conduct its oversight. As an elected member of this House since 1994, I will venture my opinion and say that indeed one would make the assumption that the oversight on the part of committees of Parliament should take a cross-cutting and integrated approach.
I am sure that the chairperson of the subcommittee will bring it before the Rules Committee, and the nature of this Parliament and its members will ensure that the kind of rigorous input and engagement with the resolutions and recommendations will ensure greater co-ordination between the various committees and would be a first step in taking an integrated approach for committees of Parliament to work in a more integrated fashion. Thanks.
Question 289, which had been asked by the hon Komphela, to the Minister of Sport and Recreation will stand over. We now come to Question 253 ...
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
What's the point of order, hon member?
I had my "to talk" light on; I pressed the "to talk" button. Can I have an opportunity ...
On which question?
On the question to the Minister for the Public Service and Administration.
Okay. Go ahead, hon member.
Dankie, Mev die Speaker. Agb Minister, die DA stem saam dat daar beter kordinasie om meer effektiewe dienslewering te verseker, nodig is. Ons stem daarmee saam.
Die DA stem egter nie saam dat portefeuljekomitees oorsig uitoefen oor ander portefeuljekomitees se werk nie en ek glo dit sal in die verslag - ons sien uit na die verslag en ons sal sekerlik daaraan aandag gee. Ek wil graag een punt maak en dit is dat portefeuljekomitees kom tans nie eers by hul eie oorsigwerk uit nie. Minister, die antwoord l daarin dat Ministers en departemente diensleweringsteikens gestel word en indien hulle nie daarby kan hou nie, moet die skuldiges vervang word. My vraag aan u, Minister, is wat doen die Regering om diensleweringsteikens te behaal en is die Minister bereid om die Staatsdienskommissie te versoek om 'n volledige ondersoek in die verband te doen en 'n verslag uit te bring? Ek dank u.
Baie dankie, Mev die ... Madam Speaker. Ek wil graag s aan hon [agb] Minnie dat soos ek dit uitgestel het - agb Minnie; baie dankie, agb Jordan - dat hierdie verslag voor die Parlement gaan kom en ek het ges ek wil nie juis dit bespreek op hierdie stadium nie. Laat ons wag vir daardie verslag en dit vooruit vat. In terme van die rol van die Public Service [Openbare Dienste] Kommissie: ek dink hulle weet beslis wat hulle rol is en het al reeds - (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mr K J MINNIE: Thank you, Madam Speaker. Hon Minister, the DA agrees that better co-ordination is needed to ensure more effective service delivery. We agree with that.
The DA, however, does not agree that portfolio committees should oversee the work of other portfolio committees, and I believe that it will be mentioned in the report. We are looking forward to the report and we will definitely give attention to it.
I would really like to point out that at the moment portfolio committees are not even managing to perform their own oversight functions. Hon Minister, the solution lies in setting service delivery targets for Ministers and departments, and when they fail to meet these targets the guilty parties should be replaced.
My question to you, hon Minister, is: what is the government doing to meet service delivery targets? And, is the hon Minister willing to request that the Public Service Commission undertake an in-depth investigation and publish a report in this regard? I thank you.
Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I would like to say to hon Minnie that, as I explained earlier - thank you very much, hon Jordan - this report will be tabled in Parliament. I also said that I do not really want to discuss it now. Let us rather wait for the report and take it from there. In terms of the role of the Public Service Commission, I think they definitely know what their role is and have already ...]
- they have already done quite intensive investigations on areas relating to service delivery, better co-ordination of service delivery, accountability and all that at a comprehensive level. I am sure they won't hold back on the work that is required. However, let's not pre-empt the outcome of the commission report but rather look towards it, because I think then there would be a discussion and debate about the issue around the nature of co-ordination and integration between committees. I don't believe that there is any proposal from any quarter that suggests that one committee oversees the work of another, but rather looks at greater collaboration and integration, and I think that would be appropriate to consider. Thanks.
Precautions to protect South Africa from effects of global warming with regard to water reserves
253. Mrs C Dudley (ACDP) asked the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry:
(a) What precautions are being taken to protect South Africa from the effects of global warming with regard to water reserves, and (b) what will be expected from South Africans to assist government initiatives?