Question NW3473 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
22 September 2015 - NW3473
None to ask the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services
(1) What is the official policy with regard to travel undertaken by regional court presidents (a) domestically and (b) internationally in respect of the (i) number of trips which may be undertaken and (ii)(aa) number and (bb) position and/or status of persons forming part of such delegations; (2)(a) how many (i) domestic and (ii) international trips were undertaken by each regional court president in the past 12 months and (b) what (i) number of persons formed part of the delegation, (ii) was the position and/or status of each person in the delegation and (iii) was the total cost of the trip?
Reply:
1. Regulations in terms of the Magistrates Act, 1993 (Act No 90 of 1993) does not prescribe the number of trips that may be undertaken domestically or internationally. Furthermore neither does the said regulation advocate the number as well as position and/or status of persons forming part of such delegations.
Regulation 47 reads as follows:
(i) All official journeys of which itineraries are submitted shall be authorised by the head of office who shall ensure that the journeys are necessary and in the interest of the administration of justice”
(ii) The head of office referred to in subregulation (1) shall consider each application for an official journey, having regard to costs, availability of transport, route, timespan and any other relevant circumstances.
With the exclusion of the Director-General, Deputy Directors-General and persons holding equivalent ranks, paragraph 8.4.10.5.1 of the Departmental Financial Instructions (DFI) limits the number of employees travelling on official duty to address the same matter to three (3).
In addition paragraph 8.4.10.12 of the DFI specifies the following with regards to international travel:
“International travel must be limited to meetings or events that are considered absolutely critical and the number of employees attending such meetings or events must be limited to those employees that are directly involved in the subject matter related to such meetings or events”.
Paragraph 8.4.10.5.3 prescribes that prior approval from the Minister is required for magistrates’ travelling abroad.
2. (i) domestic trips: please see attached.
(ii) The Magistrates Commission only dealt with one application by a Regional Court President to travel abroad in the past 12 months from Regional Court President J Wessels. She received an invitation by UN: Women And UNFPA In Partnership With UNDP And UNODC To The Global Technical Consultation On The Police And Justice Sector’s Response To Violence Against Women And Girls - Marrakech, 1 to 4 July 2014.
Travel to and accommodation in Marrakech were carried by the organisers.
The Magistrates Commission also indicated that Ms Wessels took no delegation with her. There was therefore no expenditure by the Regional Court Presidents on overseas trips
END