Department Budget: briefing

Meeting report

CORRECTIONAL SERVICES AD HOC COMMITTEE
14 June 2004
DEPARTMENT BUDGET: BRIEFING

Chairperson:

Department presentation
National Expenditure Estimates: Correctional Services

SUMMARY
Deliberations were focused on six questions of the Committee following the Department's budget report. The Department had made allocations to seven programmes including security, care, corrections, development, administration, facilities, and after-care. Rehabilitation of offenders - their core aim - embraced all of these programmes. The meeting was also attended by Mr N Balfour, Minister for Correctional Services, and Mr L Mti, Commissioner for Correctional Services.

MINUTES
The Minister indicated his interest in attending Committee meetings frequently. He would like to see a good working relationship between the Department and the Committee to forestall any unnecessary tensions. The Chairperson assured him that the Committee would not stray from its oversight role.

Discussion
Mr D Bloem (ANC) could not understand why it was necessary to have a second briefing on the budget since this had been done earlier. The Chairperson responded that this would be the final briefing.

Mr N Mthethwa (ANC) suggested that the deliberations be focused strictly on the questions articulated in the programme. Ms S Seaton (IFP) concurred, as did the Chair.

QUESTION: Please indicate the budget allocations for each of the key Departmental objectives, as outlined in the 2004/05 strategic plan.

Mr T Motseki (Department Deputy Commissioner) answered that there had been a slight amendment to the budget but it was still aligned to the Department's seven strategic programmes.

Mr J Selfe (DA) questioned why there was not enough allocated to core goal of rehabilitation. There was a lack of specificity in relation to measurable objectives.

Mr Mthethwa added that rehabilitation was all-embracing; it should not be restricted only to development and care.

The Commissioner stated there would be an improvement in relation to allocations to the new programmes in the future. Mr Bloem expressed his satisfaction with the explanations by the Department in the document.

The Minister considered that most comments related to the re-alignment taking place within the Department. They had suffered the loss of some professionals like psychologists, but plans had been put in place to address this problem.

Mr V Mbethe (Chief Director, Treasury) presented excerpts from the Estimates of National Expenditures as a response to the question on measurable objectives.

QUESTION: What is the budget allocation for the Centres of Excellence pilot? Has provision been made for retraining, facilities modification, etc. If so, please provide a budget breakdown for each area in which funds are required in order to pilot the concepts of the White Paper.

Ms J Sishuba (Department Chief Deputy Commissioner) responded that allocations had been made to each of their seven programmes. Specific Centres of Excellence had been selected from each region in a benchmarking exercise. Each of these would be closely monitored. Where the budget was not sufficient, the Department would supplement funding, following the requirements set out in the White Paper.

QUESTION: What is the budgetted overtime for the 2004/05 financial year?

Mr V Petersen briefly gave the figure as 645 224 000.

The Commissioner expressed his dissatisfaction at the way the question was answered. He thought that more background information would have given clarity to the huge figure allocated to overtime.

The Minister said that he was not thrilled with the way the Department was handling the overtime budget. To avoid spending unnecessarily, the Department should consider re-adjusting the salaries of their employees.

QUESTION: What mechanism is in place when Treasury allocates funds?

The Commissioner responded that the process was political and he invited comments from the Treasury.

Mr Bloem asked if the Treasury knew what went on in the Department since they had been slashing the Department's budget.

Mr Mbethe replied that the process was political. He had submitted a document on how the Treasury operated and he praised them for compleing their accounts and budgets in good time.

QUESTION: Please provided details on the briefings between the Treasury and Department.

The Commissioner indicated that this question was not clear and as such would not receive a useful answer.

Ms Seaton added that the question had been so phrased because the Department had not interacted with the Committee in developing their budget.

The Minister reassured that his Department was resolved to co-operate with the Committee to chart a way forward.

QUESTION: Please provide details regarding the overall salary increase of 5% for public servants, when the Department motivated for a 10% increase.

The Chairperson urged that this question be ignored owing to its sensitive nature.

The Minister appreciated his Department's presentation and restated his readiness to attend most of the Committee's meetings. He urged his Department to accept invitations to give accounts of their stewardship to the Committee at any time with a free and open mind.

The meeting was adjourned.