1. The Committee reiterates its support for the Public Protector and its conviction that the work that the Office does is not just important - it is vital. It is a positive that the public has so much faith in the institution. As a State Institution Supporting Constitutional Democracy, the Public Protector forms an integral part of the checks and balances of a constitutional and accountable government and is an aid and complementary to Parliament's oversight function. There is an unfortunate perception in some quarters that the Committee is overly critical when it meets with Public Protector but this is not so. The Committee is simply doing its work. The Public Protector, as with all of the Chapter 9 institutions, is accountable to the National Assembly. This Committee is mandated to oversee the PPSA. Any interaction between the Public Protector and the Committee should be viewed in light of the Committee's responsibility in this regard. In the present context, in which the Public Protector not only presented her Office's budget for 2013/14 but also indicated additional funding needs, the Committee must ask the necessary questions so that it can apply itself to the request. The Committee draws attention to the Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Chapter 9 and Associated Institutions (2007), as well as an earlier report on Parliamentary Oversight and Accountability (1999), which addresses the accountability of these institutions to Parliament and contains useful suggestions in this regard.