2. The aim of the hearings was threefold. Firstly, to inquire into the details of the proposed implementation plan and its consequences for government, in particular the availability of a budgetary allocation of approximately R157 million to defray the cost of such proposed allowance. Secondly, to determine the effects and implications of the proposed new salary scales for magistrates and senior magistrates in relation to the broader issue of disparate salaries for similarly qualified lawyers within the criminal justice system in particular, as well as within the public sector as a whole, including relevant Chapter 9 bodies. Thirdly, to identify problems that currently pertain in the implementation of the procedure for the determination of the remuneration of magistrates by the Commission, in an effort to make recommendations on steps needed to be taken at all levels to ensure that the process will in future take place in accordance with the legislation governing it.