Chairperson, hon members, the Finance Bill's primary object is to give effect to certain resolutions adopted by the public accounts committee dealing with instances of unauthorised expenditure.
The Bill seeks to charge the National Revenue Fund with an unauthorised expenditure and other expenditure which the Standing Committee on Public Accounts resolutions deal with, and further seeks to regulate the closure of specific obsolete revenue accounts, particularly from the former TBVC states and self-governing territories.
The Standing Committee on Public Accounts recommended to Parliament that specified instances of unauthorised expenditure be authorised, amounts of approximately R133 million and R15 million, and that specific expenditure for the former TBVC states and self-governing territories, namely R4 139 million, be authorised.
While the Finance Bill seeks to authorise this expenditure, it does not do so in a blanket fashion, to the exclusion of efforts to recoup the spent moneys. Had the Bill merely sought to authorise unauthorised expenditure without any attempts to continue to pursue the funds and auditing trails, we would not have been in a position to support the Bill, given our stance on responsible public finance management.
However, clause 5 of the Bill makes specific provision for actions of recovery of the money to continue, and states clearly that the Finance Bill may not be construed as affecting any action to recover unauthorised expenditure. Thus the Bill makes express provision to ensure that any legal entitlement regarding the potential recovery of any losses to the state owing to the unauthorised expenditure in question must remain. As this residual right is expressly retained in clause 5, the Finance Bill should be favourably considered.
Die nuwe Wet op Openbare Finansile Bestuur, Wet 1 van 1999, soos gewysig deur Wet 29 van 1999, is natuurlik ingestel om ook hierdie probleme wat die Finansiewet moet regstel, te ondervang. Die doel van die Wet op Openbare Finansile Bestuur is juis daarop gemik om die doeltreffende bestuur van staatsgeld te bevorder en korrupsie met openbare geld te bestry en vas te vat.
Die Nasionale Tesourie het nou ook 'n uitvoerige toepassingsplan opgestel vir die geleidelike toepassing van die nuwe Wet op Openbare Finansile Bestuur. Hierdie nuwe strategiese toepassingsplan sal meewerk om nie net korrupsie, bedrog en wanbestuur in die Staatsdiens aansienlik te verminder nie, maar sal ook help om die bestuur van openbare geld deursigtiger te maak.
Ons versoek die Minister en die direkteur-generaal om hierdie wetsontwerp so spoedig moontlik in werking te stel sodat ons die voordele daarvan vir almal in die land kan genereer.(Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The new Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, as amended by Act 29 of 1999, was, of course, also implemented to obviate these problems that the Finance Act must correct. The purpose of the Public Finance Management Act is precisely to promote the effective management of state funds and to combat and clamp down on corruption with regard to public funds.
The National Treasury has now also drawn up a detailed implementation plan for the gradual implementation of the new Public Finance Management Act. This new strategic implementation plan will not only contribute towards a significant reduction in corruption, fraud and maladministration in the Public Service, but will also help to make the management of public funds more transparent.
We request the Minister and the director-general to implement this Bill as speedily as possible so that we may generate the benefits of this for everyone in the country.]