Madam Deputy Speaker, hon members, Ministers present here, we are a country faced with unemployment. The 2011 census results show that a high percentage of our youth are unemployed. We also know that the National Development Plan states that a country with future orientation is a country that develops the capacity of its youth.
Amongst the challenges identified in the diagnostic report is that too few people work and the standard of education for most black learners is of poor quality. On that basis, ladies and gentlemen, I am happy that we all support this Division of Revenue Amendment Bill, because it is divided on the basis of our need for capable youth that will be properly skilled and educated to fill the posts. We shouldn't look outside for skills, because we shall have all the resources and skilled people as well as a well- informed Parliament, which has policies that can facilitate all these things. So, with our division of revenue, we know that we will achieve these things.
The New Growth Path gives top priority to boosting employment and tackling poverty and inequality. This we can do through this division of revenue. We can address this by using the money. As you know the further education grant has been adjusted. Let us as Parliament go out there to support and promote the objectives of further education so that we can get the skills from institutions that already exist. The upward adjustment of provincial allocations was actually due to the wage settlement which everyone has already referred to. We should honour that agreement.
We know that as Parliament we have constitutional powers to call everybody to account, to come and tell us why there is underspending, why some plans and their targets are not met. We must be able to stand firm as Parliament, as representatives of the people, and call whoever is responsible to account for their underspending, which should not be taken as savings.
Underspending is underspending, and we, as Members of Parliament, know what saving is and what underspending is. Let us not just shake our heads and say, "yes, we understand, you underspent". No! Let it not happen like that. Let the department be capacitated by people who are capable and know their work and are able to implement government policies, which we are overseeing.
Let us not just stand there every day and say, "Yes, we know there are vacancies". Those vacancies must be filled. We know we have unemployed graduates. On that basis, let the conditional grants be used for their purposes and not be renamed. [Time expired.] [Applause.]