ATC180314: Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration as well as Planning Monitoring and Evaluation on the report of the Third Quarter Performance for Budget Vote 8: Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation: Dated 14 March 2018

Public Service and Administration

Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration as well as Planning Monitoring and Evaluation on the report of the Third Quarter Performance for Budget Vote 8: Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation: Dated 14 March 2018

1. BACKGROUND

The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration as well as Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) having considered third quarter performance of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and National Youth Development Agency, reports as follows:

1. INTRODUCTION

Parliament through its Committees has a constitutional responsibility to oversee quarterly programme performance information of the departments and their entities throughout a particular financial year. Quarterly performance reports are a vital tool used by parliamentary Committees to ensure accountability and transparency to assess both financial and non-financial performance of the departments. In terms of the Public Finance Regulations, departments and their entities are expected to prepare quarterly report within 30 days after the end of each quarter.

On February 21, 2017, the Committee considered the third quarter performance of the Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation and the National Youth Development Agency for 2017/18 financial year. The performance information was in accordance with their Strategic Plans, Annual Performance Plan and Medium Term Strategic Framework. The report provides an overview of the presentations made before the Committee, which was mainly focusing on the achievements, output in respect of the performance indicators and set targets for the above mentioned financial year. The report outlines the findings/observations of the Committee in relation to the Department and Agency’s performance. 

 

1. PROGRAMME PEFORMANCE
   1. Overall Performance

The Department was allocated R923.5 million in 2017/18 financial year. The Department has on the third quarter spent R661.1 million. The Department has achieved 80% of their predetermined targets. The main reasons for the Department not achieving 100% were related to the vacancy rate, which was at 25.6%, delays in implementing new structure and the identification of the suitable office accommodation.

1. Programme 1: Administration

The main objective of the programme is to provide strategic leadership, management, administrative, financial and human resource services to enable the Department to achieve its strategic and operational goals. The programme’s objective is to co-ordinate planning, monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the Departmental plans, to promote internal and external communication on the work of the department, to achieve an unqualified audit opinion on financial statements, to hire, develop and retain the right people in the right positions for the department throughout the planning period, to successfully implement and realise benefits from ICT solutions in doing the work of the department and to promote good corporate governance practices and management.

Programme 1 has 17 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, 8 targets were achieved and only 2 were not achieved. Only 1 target was partially achieved and 1 was not achieved.

1. Programme 2: National Planning Coordination

The main purpose of this programme is to advance the strategic priorities of the department by developing and implementing the outcomes system, monitoring and reporting on its progress, and evaluating its impact. The main objectives are to ensure effective outcomes planning, monitoring and evaluation through facilitating the development of plans of the Delivery Agreements for priority outcomes with government departments, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Delivery Agreements and making recommendations for corrective action on an ongoing basis. In addition, the Department aims to provide advice and technical support to the Presidency, establish and support an effective national evaluation system to inform the government’s work on a continuous basis.

The programme has 8 predetermined targets for the financial year and 3 targets for the third quarter. In the third quarter, 2 targets were achieved and one was not achieved.

1. Programme 3: Institutional Sector Monitoring  

The programme is responsible for promoting good M&E practices in government, conducting management performance assessment and support, frontline service delivery monitoring and support and government-wide planning and M&E capacity development and learning. The branch will also be responsible for the proposed Regional Offices. Whereas the OME Branch’s focus is on the management of the outcomes system and the achievement of government’s priorities, the focus of the IPM&E branch is on what can be done to make the organisation function better.

The programme has 4 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, all 3 targets were achieved.

1. Programme 4: Public Sector Monitoring and Capacity

The purpose of this programme is to develop the country’s long-term vision and national strategic plans and contribute towards better outcomes in government through better planning, better long term plans, greater policy coherence and a clear articulation of long term aspiration. The main responsibilities of the programme is to institutionalise and strengthen planning in government by facilitating the development of sectoral plans, ensuring coherence between plans, policies and service delivery across government, ensuring high-level priorities are fed through into plans across all spheres of government and engaging stakeholders on the output of the planning process to ensure buy-in.

The programme 4 has 4 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, 3 targets were achieved and 1 target was not achieved. The target not achieved relates to the delay due to the revision of the MPAT standards.

1. Programme 5: Frontline and Citizen Based Service

The purpose of the programme is to facilitate service delivery improvements through frontline and citizen-based monitoring and effective resolution systems. The programme is made of the following Sub-Programmes: Citizen-Based Monitoring, Executive Support Monitoring and Presidential Hotline. 

The key focus of the department in this financial year is to expand and maintain frontline monitoring system capable of verifying government performance and implementing strategic interventions to improve performance. Furthermore, the Department will facilitate the implementation of strategic interventions to improve service delivery. Establishing, coordinating and enhancing citizen and community monitoring and complaints resolution system will be pursued.

Programme 5 has 4 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, 1 target was exceeded and 3 were partially achieved.

1. Programme 6: Evidence Knowledge Systems

The purpose of the programme is to coordinate and support the generation, collation, accessibility and timely use of quality evidence to support performance monitoring and evaluation across government.

The Department will coordinate and support a national evaluation system that ensures the use of evidence from regular and quality evaluations of priority government policies, programmes and systems. Planned is providing centralised research and knowledge management support to develop and maintain an evidence base to inform planning, policy development, implementation, monitoring and review. In addition, providing quality, timely and verified data and analysis of data to support planning, monitoring and evaluation will be the focus

Programme 6 has no targets for the third quarter in the 2017/18 financial year.

1. Programme 7: Youth Development

The purpose of the programme is to develop and implement youth policy and to provide oversight over funds transferred to the National Youth Development Agency. The programme will champion the development and implementation of the youth development policy and integrated planning in government. The programme will be a conduit for the budget of the National Youth Development Agency.

The programme 7 has 3 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, 2 targets were achieved and one target was not achieved.

 

1. NATIONAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (NYDA)

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) is an agency established primarily to tackle challenges that the nation’s youth are faced with. The Agency was established by an Act of Parliament, act no 54 of 2008. The NYDA Act (2008) mandates the Agency to develop an Integrated Youth Development Strategy for South Africa, and initiate, design, coordinate, evaluate and monitor all programmes that aim to integrate the youth into the economy and society in general. The Act mandates the Agency to promote a uniform approach to youth development by all organs of state, the private sector and non-government organisations (NGO’s).

1. Summary and Budget Allocation

The Agency has achieved 96% of its year to date targets for the quarter under review. The Agency is on track to meet 100% of all targets for the financial year 2017/2018. The Agency has spent an estimated 74% of its annual budget and 98% of its quarterly budget. The Agency has entered into a partnership with the Kwa-Zulu Natal Provincial Government whereby the province provided the Agency with six outreach vehicles to increase the Agency’s visibility reach to young people in the province. Additional offices will be opened in Newcastle and Richards Bay in collaboration with local municipalities.

The NYDA welcomed the announcement of fee-free higher education and will work together with National Student Financial Aid Scheme to provide joint support in terms of a collaborative youth development approach. The NYDA currently provides NSFAS with access to its branch network to receive and process student applications and this partnership has seen a substantive amount of success in its first year of implementation. The Agency is currently undertaking consultations with young people on the Integrated Youth Development Strategy (IYDS). Once completed, the IYDS shall provide a blueprint and all-encompassing youth development approach. It is proposed that it also places the Agency at the forefront of the Monitoring and Evaluation of youth development in South Africa.

 

Table below show budget spent per programme:

Key Programmatic Area	Q3 budget	Q3 Actual	Percentage
Economic Participation	R 55,642,098	R 55,735,776	100%
Education and skills development	R 57,224,203	R 53,684,145	94%
National Youth Service	R 27,761,310	R 24,264,132	87%
Service Delivery Channel	R 16,240,662	R 14,562,397	90%
Research and Policy	R 4,066,200	R 2,357,965	58%
Administration	R 58,887,378	R 61,671,339	105%
Employee costs	R 119,125,000	R 119,510,888	100%
CAPEX	R 8,250,000	R 8,369,791	101%
Total	R 347,696,851	R 340,156,433	98%

 

1. Programme 1: Economic Participation

The main goal of the Economic Participation programme is to enhance the participation of young people in the economy through targeted and integrated programmes. This programme aims to facilitate and provide employment opportunities for young people; to enhance their participation in the economy, aimed at increasing job creation, entrepreneurship and skills development and the provision of business support to young people. 

The Agency had 11 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, all targets were achieved. The Agency had added two new targets in the third quarter such as concept documents on the establishment of the Youth and Skills Funds.  

 

1. Programme 2: Education and Skills Development

The main purpose of the programme is to promote, facilitate, and provide education and skills development opportunities to young people to enhance their socio-economic well-being, with the objective of facilitating education opportunities. The aim is to improve access to quality education and to facilitate and implement the Youth Build, job-preparedness training, the provision of scholarships and assistance to young people who are rewriting their matric.

The programme has 10 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, all 9 targets were achieved. However, only 1 target for facilitating and implementing education opportunities was not achieved aimed to improve the quality of education for the youth.    

1. Programme 3: Policy and Research

The main purpose is to create a body of knowledge and best practice in the youth development sector, and to inform and influence policy development, planning and implementation. The fundamental aim of this area is to ensure that policies and frameworks that drive youth development are developed, based on a body of knowledge and facts that are relevant to the developmental needs of the youth of South Africa.

The programme has 3 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, all 3 targets were achieved.

1. Programme 4: Governance

The purpose of the programme is to achieve efficient and effective utilisation of resources through provision of judicious governance, technology and systems, business operations, human capital, financial management systems that adhere to relevant legislative requirements for public funded entities.

The programme had 5 predetermined targets for the financial year. In the third quarter, 3 were achieved and 2 not achieved. Among targets not achieved include reviews of the Human Resource strategy and roll out of the training plan.

 

1. FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS

The Portfolio Committee made the following observations and findings:

1. The Committee commended the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the National Youth Development Agency about their third quarter performance reports. The DPME achieved 80% of targets whilst the NYDA achieved 96% of the targets. However, the Committee was satisfied with overall performance about the Department and Agency but wished two institutions to redouble their efforts in achieving 100% of predetermined targets in the fourth quarter of 2017/18 financial year.

 

1. The Committee welcomed announcement of the approval of the Organisational Structure of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation by the Department of Public Service and Administration. Approval of the Organisational Structure will assist the Department to strengthen its capacity to be in line with additional mandate.

 

1.  The vacancy rate was another major factor the Department should consider reducing in the fourth quarter. The vacancy rate was at 25,5% from 29% in the second quarter of the financial year. The Committee noted the reason for the delay in filling vacancies which are caused by the search for the new office building to accommodate all staff members stationed in two different buildings.

 

1. The Department working together with the Departments of Basic and Higher Education should consider tracking school children from primary to tertiary education in order to account for the number of dropouts and how that impact on the economy.

 

1. The Department of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation should fast track the finalisation of the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Bill within appropriate time if the department wishes the fifth parliament to process it. The Department should furnish the Committee with a road map of the Bill before the end of March 2018.

 

1. The National Youth Development Agency should provide the Committee with detail information about its programmes.  The Committee appealed to the NYDA to ensure transparency and openness of the awarding of its programmes for the purpose of ensuring fairness and access to information in its processes for the benefit of young people. The NYDA advised the Committee that such information will be made available on their website.

 

1. The NYDA was further advised to speed up the process of the amendment of the National Youth Development Agency Act. The Committee requested the NYDA to provide the road map on the amendment of the Act by end of March 2018.

 

1. The Committee was concerned with the fact that the KwaZulu Natal province seemed to be the only province responded positively and assisted the NYDA with the mobile trucks. The NYDA were encouraged to pursue other provinces to seek to enter into the same partnership with other Provincial Government and South African Local Government Association.

1. The Portfolio Committee recommends as follows:

6.1       That the House adopts and approve the third quarter performance of the Budget Vote 8 of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the National Youth Development Agency.

 

Report to be considered