Order! I now recognise the chairperson of the portfolio committee, the hon M M Dikgacwi, to introduce the report. The chairperson of the portfolio committee has disappeared. I now recognise the hon Chief Whip of the Majority Party.
Mr Speaker, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.
Consideration of budgetary review and recommendation report of portfolio committee on transport - performance of department of transport for 2010-11 financial year
Order! I now wish to invite the hon N R Bhengu, the chairperson of the portfolio committee, to introduce the report.
Chairperson, the Portfolio Committee on Transport noted that the Department of Transport received a clean audit, and that the strategic approach of the department is in line with the transformation agenda of the country. We noted that the strategic approach of the SA Maritime Safety Authority, in terms of the maritime aspect, focuses on the repositioning of the maritime industry.
The strategic goals are the development of the South African maritime industry, the establishment of South Africa's maritime transport capacity, the upgrading of maritime transport capacity and performance, the improvement of commercial shipping services, the improvement of maritime governance and enforcement capacity, as well as improvement of maritime research innovation and technology.
The committee also noted that South Africa was not currently participating in the maritime industry and is therefore losing out on job-creation opportunities. The committee therefore recommended that the Minister and the government support the strategic approach presented by Samsa and invest accordingly. The investment should also assist with the reopening of redundant shipyards. I thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Hon Speaker, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.
Consideration of budgetary review and recommendation report of portfolio committee on social development - performance of department of social developmenT for 2010-11 financial year
Order! I now recognise the hon Botha, chairperson of the portfolio committee, who will introduce the report.
Hon Speaker, the portfolio committee was happy with the performance of the Department of Social Development, especially with the fact that the SA Social Security Agency, Sassa, received an unqualified report, although there were a few concerns that the committee raised.
In terms of the recommendations and the issue of dual accountability between the Department of Social Development and especially that of the SA Social Security Agency, we felt that that should be addressed. That would clarify the problem of accountability of the flow of funds between Sassa and the Department of Social Development.
We also felt that it was prudent that the audit committees of Sassa and Social Development meet on a regular basis to look at enhancing financial management, and also with regard to the monitoring function that Social Development has over Sassa.
The other concern that the committee raised, which we felt should be recommended to Parliament - was that although the consultants Sassa employed to tighten financial management controls within Sassa obviously had a good result in getting an unqualified audit - there should be a skills transfer in terms of financial management from the consultants to the officials that are going to do the functions once the consultants have left. That will ensure that in terms of the money that has been paid that Sassa will get value for money.
In terms of the work that the Special Investigating Unit is doing, we feel the R3 million that is being paid by Sassa to the SIU on a monthly basis is too high, and that a financial inspectorate should be established within Sassa to take over that function. This is so that that function happens in- house and not contracted out. The establishment of a financial inspectorate is actually accommodated in the Social Assistance Act of 2004. Thank you. [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Chairperson, on behalf of the Chief Whip of the Majority Party, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.
Consideration of budgetary review and recommendation report of portfolio committee on Correctional services - performance of department of correctional services in 2010-11, and first half of current financial year
Chairperson, the committee would like to acknowledge the fact that the Auditor-General's report indicated four reasons for qualifications in the financial year 2008-09. This was reduced in 2009-10 to three reasons for qualifications, and in the financial year 2010-11 there is only one reason for qualification. This is a clear sign that there is consistent improvement within the department.
Notwithstanding that, there are seven areas of concern that we would like to identify, the first being that the budget allocation of the department remains misaligned to the White Paper objectives. As the committee we urge the department to better balance its focus on rehabilitation and reintegration with that of security. The second area is the excessive use of consultants within the department. The portfolio committee thinks that the cost of hiring consultants is not sustainable.
Furthermore, the department needs to urgently embark on a strategy to ensure that IT skills are transferred from consultants to employees, and that the department devise a strategy of retaining the skills that have been transferred from the department.
The third area is that the committee is concerned about the vacancy rate, especially in IT and in finance. The finance department has a vacancy rate of 54%, and in IT it's close to 100%. This is in direct contradiction of the President's call to urgently fill all vacancies within government departments.
The slow pace of filling funded posts results either in unspent funds at the end of the financial year, or a common practice of rerouting these funds to projects that were not approved in the original budget. Filling the funded posts needs to be speeded up and vacancy targets need to be met.
Over the past four years the Department of Correctional Services has had no less than four national commissioners. This, together with constant change in top leadership within the department, has resulted in leadership instability which has a negative impact on continuity and institutional memory. Stability in the upper echelons of the department's management must be ensured.
Correctional services is a security cluster department. The committee is concerned that the department employs in excess of 40 000 employees, and of these less than 4 000 have been vetted. This is an undesirable situation. The committee urges the departments relevant to vetting to ensure that this situation is rectified urgently.
Finally, the department has experienced serious misconduct or ill- discipline by officials at all levels: sexual harassment, sleeping on duty, being on duty under the influence of illegal drugs, corruption and fraud. These are some of the examples of misconduct within this department. Very few officials, even though found guilty, have been dismissed, with many only receiving written warnings. The committee urges the department to ensure that the sanction is appropriate to the nature of the misconduct.
Having said this, we present the report to this august House for adoption. Siyabonga. [Thank you.] [Applause.]
There was no debate.
Chair, I rise again on behalf of the Chief Whip of the Majority Party. We would like to welcome the comments and the introductory remarks on the report by the chairperson of the portfolio committee, and we want to believe that they will make the necessary follow-ups. Having said that, I move:
That the Report be adopted.
Thank you. [Applause.] Motion agreed to.
Report accordingly adopted.