Chairperson, I thank all the hon members who have participated in this debate. I'm truly grateful for the support that all of you have indicated you have for the department. I can confirm that this is an extremely hardworking team that is very committed to advancing science and technology, working with a very capable group of South African and international scholars. Therefore we are very fortunate, and I believe we have a wonderful foundation for doing very, very well.
We are most enthused with the Deputy Minister and the support indicated for the department in so far as its budget is concerned. I would like to remind hon members that they now have some power over the budget, and I hope they will utilise it, but let me say no more than that.
With regard to the comments that have been made by hon members, let me thank the chairperson for an interesting formula: invention + market = innovation. I thought it would be something like: problem solved + solution = innovation, but I'm not a scientist. However, I suppose we will discuss that later. Thank you very much, chairperson. Thank you for the support that you give to the department and to our work.
With respect to the questions posed by the hon Shinn, let me say that we have 89 of the 92 chairs filled; 3 are vacant. One vacancy arose due to the death of one of the chairholders. Of the 89 chairs that are filled, 18 are international, and 5 are chairholders from industry. So we do have international collaboration, and we do believe that it is an important intervention by the Department of Science and Technology to continue to expand it and utilise it for the developments we have seen since its inception.
Furthermore, I believe that all the chairholders - I have met several of them and have read their CVs - are top-class scientists. We are very fortunate that they have chosen to work in South Africa. I think where the hon Shinn is right is when she says that we shouldn't have a modular approach to the intervention, the science chairs initiative.
We have agreed with the department that you may very well find that there may be chairholders who might not want to come and live in South Africa for five years. They might very well want to come and spend a semester here and then go back to their home countries or institutions and return for a further period. So, we are going to introduce a more flexible approach to chairholding. However, it is a wonderful intervention and is delivering the goods, and we believe that we are correct to expand it.
Let me also say that I don't think the Department of Science Technology is the Cinderella of government. I don't look like Cinderella ... [Laughter.] Definitely not. [Interjections.] But, I do agree ... [Interjections.] Yes, maybe I do turn into something terrible at midnight; I'm not sure. However, I do believe that we need a bigger budget; I would agree with you there. Of course, as a department of a very few short years, I think the progress we have made is really excellent. I don't think we are stuck in the mud at all. In fact, we are advancing significantly.
What has been a pain for me in preparing for this budget is how much I have had to leave out and how much I couldn't say because of the time dear Parliament grants to us. For example, I have made reference to the issue of water. This is a very important area of research that several of our science councils are focused upon. We are very pleased that the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, will launch the National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Areas project in June of this year.
We are also very pleased that we have a centre that examines what we do with respect to producing new material to build much more secure and durable housing. We have created a biocomposite centre of competence at the CSIR - a very ambitious project which focuses on job creation, agricultural development, the manufacturing sector and the green economy. It falls well within the Industrial Policy Action Plan that hon members referred to in the debate. Therefore, we are very excited that in all the areas of concern we indeed have responses and institutions attending to them.
I sincerely hope that one of the things members will do after today's debate is really to look much more into the research endeavours of all our universities and science councils. You will be astounded at the record that we find there.
Of course, I will not refer to the dream, which will never be realised, of the DA ruling. The ANC will rule for many decades to come. [Applause.]
It is not ... [Interjections.] It is not accurate to indicate that the tax incentive scheme has floundered. It has not floundered, but it is true that several - particularly small and medium-size businesses - have indicated that it is far too bureaucratic and the administrative load is great. That is why we have been meeting with Treasury to look at how we can make the process far easier. Once we have concluded our deliberations, we will inform the committee as to what we are doing. However, many more companies are taking up the advantage of the tax incentive opportunity, and we are very excited about that.
I think it would be accurate to say that the investment in the Technology Innovation Agency, Tia, is really as I said at the beginning - it's a new institution and we never saw this as the full budget of such an important institution. We have begun a process of looking at improved funding of the Tia. We agree with hon members that it does require far more funding than it has received up to this time.
In fact, I believe that all our science councils' funding needs to be looked at. I think the pressure of having to seek contracts, which all of them have to face, is detracting from the role that they can play in development and in addressing the challenges confronting South Africa. Therefore, as we discuss further budgetary outlays, we must look at how we improve the parliamentary grant to the science councils because it cannot stay at its current level.
We have also addressed with Home Affairs the issue of ensuring that scientists who wish to come and work in South Africa do not find that they are burdened by a range of demands with respect to visas and so forth. In fact, I observed Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's debate on Home Affairs. She did indicate the steps we are taking with respect to easing access to permits for those who have critical skills and who come to work in our country. Therefore, we are certainly working to assist. Working with the CEO of the CSIR, we did manage to resolve some challenges that we had in that regard. I believe that the department continues to assist where necessary.
Compared to many other government departments, the vacancies are not at a level that should make us really, hon Plaatjie, so horrified. It is around 8%, far lower than what we have in many of the departments.
We agree with you, that now that we have produced a prototype of the Joule, those who invest in commercialisation, such as the Industrial Development Corporation, IDC, through the Department of Economic Development, need to take up the challenge. They need to produce an agreement on a plant and begin to produce that very lovely car, the Joule. Therefore, certainly we agree with you that the work the Department of Science and Technology did must be taken to its logical conclusion of an electric car produced in South Africa.
Hon member, we do intend to work harder at ensuring, through you and with your support, that we increase research and development spending in South Africa. We, of course, have to ask how we will do this. We are building a case for such an improvement, in the funding of our National System of Innovation. We believe that some of the key elements that must be attended to are: recapitalising all science councils; increasing our investment in human resource development; strategically using public funding to leverage international and private sector funding; and improving incentives for the private sector and international partners. These are some of the areas that we will specify in the plan that we will put forward for an improved contribution of the GDP percentage to Science and Technology. I believe that all members addressed this matter of funding to the Department of Science and Technology.
On the matters raised in regard to renewable sources of energy, hon Nonkonyana, you will see that Deputy Minister Hanekom indeed referred to some of what is being done. I think, looking at the work of the nanotechnology centre at the CSIR, as well as some of the work being done at Rhodes University, one will see the advances that are being made.
I would agree with the hon Dudley that we must certainly have a conversation on hydrogen opportunities - I'm open to lunch some time! - because I think it is an important growth area, given our mineral wealth in platinum and other resources. Therefore, certainly we would welcome any recommendations you have.
Hon Ndlazi, you are absolutely correct. Research into how we resolve our massive health burden is vitally important. It is something that South Africa must attend to with vigour. I have seen, through our health innovation funding, that we are devoting a large amount of our resources to supporting investigations and innovative developments in health research and ensuring that we begin to address the massive health burden that we face, both in South Africa and in Africa. We will do so by attending to all the correct scientific issues that the hon James referred to. I think our scientists are fully alert to all the main issues that pertain to the use and production of vaccines.
I am keen to take forward the discussions we have been having with the government of the Western Cape about establishing a biotechnology park in the Western Cape province, building on the success we have achieved through Biovac. We are now at a point where we are going to commission a feasibility study so that we are able to carry out full process-related human and animal vaccine production in South Africa, and stop relying on exports for things that our scientists can do. [Applause.]
Let me say to the hon Dunjwa that we certainly congratulate the ANC on its 6 out of 10 win in the local government elections. It would seem no one realises that it actually won, when one reads some of what one sees. However, it won very well.
We also agree with you that poverty alleviation is absolutely imperative. The sweet potato crisps were indeed delicious, but I avoided the biscuits because I don't wish to grow bigger! What was exciting was to learn of the work that is being done by communities, both in growing the sweet potato and its varieties, and in then developing products that are to go to market for income for local communities. Our universities that are involved in this particular sweet potato project are doing so through the support of the Agricultural Research Council and the Department of Science and Technology, doing excellent research and development work.
So, I think, hon members, that your contribution to our debate clearly indicates how keen you are to ensure that Science and Technology, through developing its abilities in research and development and innovation, truly begins to make a massive contribution to ensuring that South Africa is successful. There are numerous initiatives and, again, I do ask you to read all the annual reports of our universities and science councils.
For example, I have been very intrigued ...