Delays in the adjudication process remain among the most serious constraints to the justice system. According to the 2008 Estimates of National Expenditure (ENE), the aim is to reduce the backlog in court cases by 5 per cent each year over the MTEF period. While the Committee has noted an improvement in financial management within the DoJCD, with a reduced level of under-expenditure in 2007/08 compared to previous years, further attention is needed to ensure that allocated funds translate into progressively improved performance. The linkages between the department's strategic plan and budget may require further refinement in this respect. Overcrowding within the prison system has been a long-standing problem, which has negatively affected the ability of the Department of Correctional Service (DCS) to rehabilitate offenders. To alleviate overcrowding, the budget allocated an additional R2.9 billion to the DCS, mostly for the construction of prisons. The Committee finds it unacceptable that the construction of prisons, as previously announced in the State of the Nation Address in 2002, have yet to be completed. Furthermore, the six prisons as stated in the MTBPS do not appear to be new projects. Clarity must be provided by the Department.