Chairperson, in respect of the first question, assimilating all of the recommendations of the indaba last week, it is clearly too early to be able to answer that with any candour.
However, the issues on the operations of local government, the kind of support system, the responsibilities and powers that they have, the split between categories A, B, and C, understanding all of these trends, are covered by the evaluation. And I am sure that within the next six to eight months, Minister Shiceka would be able to put a set of recommendations about this before Parliament for its consideration.
Number of state departments employing outside consultants, and costs associated with this 229. Mr J H van der Merwe (IFP) asked the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:
(a) How many state departments employ outside consultants to assist them in executing their duties and (b) how much does the government spend per annum on employing outside consultants?