Minister, the question arising from your response is that it seems to me that what CDWs are saying on the ground and the information you are getting are two entirely different things. In a recent oversight visit, every CDW we spoke to, including their co-ordinators, indicated the fact that they were not really recognised. One of them said that when they were employed they received one pencil and one writing pad and that was it.
I think there must be more co-ordination and more interaction between the department and local government in order to make sure that the reports they bring receive attention. They said that they were being discredited on the ground on the basis that they were not getting any feedback on what they have been taking to the Ministers or people up there.
People said to us that there was no basis for us to be asking them questions because they have been telling us things and there has been no response. Is there a commitment, Minister, that there is going to be an institutional arrangement to be put in place in order to ensure that these matters that are being raised by CDWs receive the necessary attention at the level that government requires? What action will be taken?