Chairperson and colleagues, firstly, let me say that the IFP supports the report and the recommended candidate, Prof Mohammed Jahed. Originally, when we entered into discussion on the appointment of the director of the parliamentary budget office, we were a bit concerned that the process would not be open and transparent. Eventually, good sense prevailed and there was a process that involved interviewing Prof Jahed and ascertaining whether he was indeed the best person for the job. Given his experience and the fact that he established the framework for setting up this office, we saw that he really was the most appropriate candidate for the job. He is well qualified and I am sure he will carry out his duties as required in terms of the Act.
However, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the fact that we met with experts from the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. In these countries, parliamentary budget offices have been established for some time. They placed great emphasis on the impartiality of this office - something we as members of this House have to recognise.
For this office to operate effectively and efficiently, this impartiality and independence must be maintained at all times. The office has to be free from political interference and has to set out the rules of the game so that, at the end of the day, whenever a member of this House has to give input on the Appropriation Bill, we do so on an informed basis. Although it has taken four years to reach the stage, I'm sure this is a significant step in the way we allocate funds to various departments. By and large, it is the executive that decides on allocation within the department. Portfolio committees debate and generally approve the budgets, but at least now we have the budget office to provide information. We must once again make an appeal for this office to be appropriately staffed. We cannot have a budget office with just a director - it has to have the appropriate staff. Staff members must be able to give input so that members of this House can make informed decisions. We support this report and we wish Prof Jahed well in the execution of his task. [Applause.]