Question NW657 to the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
17 August 2020 - NW657
Powell, Ms EL to ask the Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation
(1)What number of advisory committees do her respective departments have in (a) her office and (b) the Departments of (i) Human Settlements and (ii) Water and Sanitation; (2) what are the (a) names, (b) remuneration packages and (c) qualifications of each of the members serving on all committees in her office and each of her departments?
Reply:
Department of Human Settlements:
The Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation has one (1) Ministerial Advisory Panel that is attached to the Department of Human Settlements. It consists of six members and was appointed in terms of the Housing Act, 107 of 1997.
The remuneration of the Ministerial Advisory Panel (MAP) is based on section 20 of the Treasury Regulations for departments, constitutional institutions and public entities of 2001. The remuneration rates of the MAP members is set on category S as provided for in the 2019 Remuneration Levels: Service Benefit Packages for Office-Bearers of Certain Statutory and Other Institutions.
Department of Water and Sanitation:
Section 76 (1) of the Water Services Act, 1997and section 99(1) of the National Water Service Act, 1998 empowers the Minister to establish advisory committees. These Committee are established to inter alia advise the Minister and Director General on the stabilisation and efficient functioning of the Water Sector.
The Department of Water and Sanitation has a total of three advisory committees as follows:
- Water Advisory Committee;
- Water Stabilisation Committee; and
- Water Services Committee.
Honourable Member, I am constrained and prohibited by the document titled “Guide to Parliamentary Questions in the National Assembly” from providing the names of each person serving in the Panel of Advisors as requested. The document referred to states that:
“Questions are to be framed as concisely as possible. All unnecessary adjectives, references and quotations are omitted. Names of persons, bodies and, for example, newspapers are only used in questions if the facts surrounding the case have been proven. As the mere mention of such names could be construed as publicity for or against them, it should be clear that this practice is highly undesirable. If a question will be unintelligible without mentioning such names, the Departments concerned are notified of the name (-s) and this phrase is used: ".......a certain person (name furnished)”.