Adult Basic Education & Training Bill, Education Laws Amd Bill & Higher Education Amd Bill: briefing

Meeting report

FINANCE SELECT COMMITTEE
15 June 2000
SUPPLEMENTARY ESTIMATES 2000/2001

Acting chair: Mr G Lucas (ANC)

Documents handed out:
Slide Presentation of Supplementary Estimates 2000/2001 - text outline

Mr Du Plessis and Mr N Marais took the member of the committee through the supplementary estimates of 2000/2001 (see document).

Questions
An ANC member noted that in the integrated HIV/Aids plan proportionately more money was allocated to provinces in the education budget than in the health budget. He asked Mr. Du Plessis to comment on this.

Mr Mahlungu (ANC) asked if there were plans to put more resources into the clinical treatment of HIV/Aids.

Mr Lucas (ANC) asked how the money would be allocated to the different provinces. He noted that some departments have large amount of funds being rolled over. He asked why they are receiving additional funds when they were unable to spend the amounts allocated to them in the previous year.

A DP member commented favorably on the amount spent on HIV/Aids. He asked when the money allocated to the school programmes would start being spent.

Answers
Mr Du Plessis directed the members' attention to the explanatory memorandum put out by the different departments. On the question of the proportions of funds allocated to the provincial and national governments he replied that a large proportion of the education budget allocated to national government had been allocated towards training provincial personnel.

He said that the R75 million allocated to HIV/Aids was over and above funds already allocated in the 2000 budget.

Mr Du Plesis said that R300 million had already been allocated towards flood relief in the 2000 Budget. The R227 million in the supplementary budget would be paid out after requests by the provinces had been received and accepted by national departments. He noted that the estimated costs of replacing infrastructure had risen to R2,5 billion. In light of these estimates the allocated amount for flood relief was likely to be insufficient. Any further funds needed would come out of the contingency reserves which stood at about R2 billion.

The Appropriation Bill was accepted unanimously by the Committee.