Chairperson, with the time allocated here, we will not be able to finish all the reports. Therefore, we shall make sure that we capture the recommendations in particular.
The first report is the "Third quarter conditional grants spending patterns on HIV and Aids"; the second, the "Third quarter conditional grants spending patterns on Community Library Services Grant"; the third, the "Third quarter conditional grants spending patterns on Devolution of Property Rate Funds Grant"; and the last, the "Third quarter conditional grants spending patterns on Comprehensive HIV and Aids, Hospital Revitalisation and Forensic Pathology".
The report is quite comprehensive. What we have are the observations, and we also made recommendations. The report from the Appropriations committee was as a result of an invitation that we gave the provinces, for the various departments to come and tell us about their spending patterns. Most of the departments invited were either the overspenders or underspenders of the conditional grants.
The meetings took place during the period April to June 2010. This was as a result of the statistics provided by the National Treasury in March. Starting with the conditional grants spending patterns on HIV and Aids, I will get directly to the recommendations.
Let me start with the recommendations on community libraries:
Having considered the presentations on the spending on the Community Library Service Grant by the National Treasury and the aforementioned provincial departments, the Select Committee on Appropriations recommends that the National Council of Provinces considers the following:
1. That the provincial departments of arts and culture should strengthen their supply chain management units to avoid delays in the tendering processes.
2. That the provincial departments of arts and culture should develop monitoring tools to be utilised when they are monitoring spending on conditional grants by municipalities.
3. That the National Treasury and provincial departments of arts and culture should discuss effective ways of reporting spending of funds that are actually spent by municipalities ...
4. That the provincial departments of public works should appoint experienced contractors ...
Who will provide better services.
5. That the reporting requirements by municipalities should be improved to ensure that conditional grant funds transferred to municipalities were spent adequately.
6. That the provincial departments of arts and culture should refrain from spending grant funds on compensation of employees rather than purposes they were created for.
What I have omitted here, Chairperson, are the observations.
The recommendations on HIV and Aids (Life Skills Education) are as follows:
1. That all provincial departments of education should formulate, implement, monitor and evaluate proper tendering and tender-related payment processes within three months ...
2. That all provincial departments of education should ensure that conditional grants are only spent as per provisions of the Division of Revenue Act.
3. That all provincial departments of education should report to all relevant stakeholders as per the Public Finance Management Act.
4. That all provincial departments of education should improve the management of compensation budgets and control their growth in line with spending on other items.
5. That all provincial departments of education should ensure the full payment of relevant service providers out of HIV/Aids grant budget.
Those were the recommendations from the HIV programme.
The recommendations in regard to Comprehensive HIV and Aids, Hospital Revitalisation and Forensic Pathology are as follows:
1. That the provincial departments of public works should investigate track records of contractors and examine them before awarding ... tenders in order to determine the ability of these contractors to successfully implement projects before them. 2. That all provincial departments of health should comply with the annual Division of Revenue Act.
3. That the provincial departments ... should work with the Department of Public Works to improve spending on capital budgets and ensure they are spent fully.
4. That the provincial departments ... should improve the management of the hospital revitalisation grant.
Those were the recommendations.
The last recommendations, on the Devolution of Property Rates Funds Grant, are as follows:
1. That the national Department of Public Works should assist provincial departments of public works in settling the accounts they are owing to municipalities.
2. That the national Department of Public Works should explain to the House why it could not attend the hearing on the third quarter spending by the provincial departments of public works. This explanation should reach the House within 15 working days after the adoption of this report ...
3. That the National Treasury should discuss the possible assistance that can be given to the province of KwaZulu-Natal with respect to the devolution of the property rates grant.
4. That provinces should assist less capacitated municipalities to improve on property management, and on their billing system.
We present this report for adoption. I thank you.
Debate concluded.