. The challenges encountered by the Vredefort proceedings. . The position of environmental impact assessment (EIA) practitioners. Linked to this, questions were raised about the possible formation of a coordinating body (to undertake EIAs) that could be institutionalised to perform a regulatory function; and the timeframes for achieving this, was needed. Another related question focused on whether the gazetted standards and quality of practitioners were equally applied to both people in provincial and national departments. Concern was raised about the Free State and Gauteng, which had massive vacancies. . It was also important for the department to add, as part of their performance management, a carbon footprint performance measurement. It was good to note that there was a decrease on paper and energy use, but this must also include reporting on reducing their carbon footprint. . Is there a process in the department or marine coastal management that looks specifically at a solution to the abalone fishery problem? Was the science up to date on the fishery? The decision of whether to open it up fully, partially or not at all was based on science and it was therefore important that an informed decision was made. . Clarity was sought on what constituted priority crimes and what were the priority crimes mentioned in the report. When would the environment courts be in place? On page 24 of the report, mention was made of a baseline of 75% conviction rate and currently it appeared as if the department was sitting with a 0% conviction rate. . Another critical issue raised was whether municipalities reported on waste management plans and if they did this, whether it was assessed and whether the department kept tabs on the municipalities' implementation on waste management. Medical waste posed a major problem in many municipalities. How was this critical issue being addressed by the department? . Some municipalities implemented greening programmes for 2010 and asked if there was an overall management of the greening of the 2010 World Cup. . Programmes like street cleaning were spoken about, but this was not a sustainable means of waste management. The committee wanted a response to this. . Whilst the department's energy and paper reductions were to be commended, there were questions raised around the reason for water and general waste reduction, besides paper not been included. Environmental foot printing and not only carbon foot printing was critical and needed an intergovernmental interaction on this. A number of governmental departments were meant to have environmental plans in place. Clarity was needed on whether these were in place and if the departments monitored this initiative. A further question was asked on whether the department was involved in hotels receiving green grading as a star rating based on environmental factors. . The plastic bag levy was set at 4c and if 2 billion were sold, there should be R80 million in their budget, but according to the report, there was only R20 million. A question was raised about the matter of R60 million. In relation to this, a question was raised about the financial environmental levy which was not utilised by the department. . Members asked if the department could provide a workshop on global warming and climate change. It was important for legislators to fully understand this subject matter to impart the information to their constituents. . What was being done about reducing unpermitted waste disposal sites as there were people squatting on the dumping sites? . A question was raised about the way in which the department defined capacity constraints in relation to existent vacancies. The vacancy rate issue was a common one amongst many departments and director- generals should meet to discuss this. . If environmental learnerships were placed in national newspapers, how did the department transfer information to deep rural areas with no access to the print media? How did the department monitor the use of monies transferred to its agencies? . The department reflected a high figure on training of Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs), but clarity was required on whether this was dispersed or only concentrated in one province or region. Linked to this was a question on the extent to which SMME training reached rural areas. . What compliance and regulatory measures were in place against industries emitting greenhouses gas? . With reference to the employment of people with disabilities, clarity was sought on the marketing mechanisms used by the department to employ people in this category. 3. Responses