NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 1533
DATE OF PUBLICATION: MONDAY 09 OCTOBER 2009 [IQP No 20 -2009]
FIRST SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT
Question 1533 for Written Reply, National Assembly: Dr. L L Bosman (DA) to
ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:
(1) Whether her department developed and adopted a policy providing
guidelines for the appointment of persons with criminal record: if so,
(a) when was the policy (i) developed and (ii) adopted and (b)
where can a copy of the policy be obtained; if not,
(2) whether her department has any plans in place to develop and adopt
such a policy; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
3) whether her department does any pre-employment screening of potential
employees for criminal records; if not, why not; if so, what are the
relevant details;
(4) whether any employees with criminal records are currently employed by
her department; if so, (a) how many and (b) what is their (i) job
level and (ii) occupational category? NW1938E
REPLY:
1) Yes, the Department of Agricuture has a draft policy developed by the
Director: Security Services. This policy must still be subject to
consultation with the social partners. In the interim the Department
is applying the guidelines of the Personnel Suitability Checks (PSC)
as provided by the DPSA in a circular on the Implementation of the
National Vetting Strategy in the Public Servce dated 23 November 2007.
(2) Yes, as indicated in (1) above.
(3) Yes.
(4) Yes.
a) 14 employees
b) (i) The job level ranges from salary level 1 until salary level 11.
(II) The occupational categories are:
Farm Aid (salary level 1);
Housekeeping Executive (salary level2);
Tradesman Aid (salary level 2);
Senior Accounting Clerk (salary level 5);
Administration Clerk (salary level 6);
Student Bursary Counsellor (salary level 7);
Key Control Planning Officer (salary level 7);
Meat Inspector (salary level 8);
Control Security Officer (salary level 8);
Senior Agricultural Scientist (salary level 9);
Chief Agricultural Food and Quarantine Technician (salary level
9);
Senior Agricultural Economist (salary level 10);
ICT Project Manager (salary level 11); and
Assistant Director (salary level 11).
It must be mentioned that 10 of the 14 persons are existing employees whose
criminal details were discovered after they had applied for higher
positions. The nature of the criminal records are ten years and older and
are not First Schedule offences in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act No.
51 of 1977, as amended.