Question NW751 to the Minister of Environmental Affairs
10 April 2017 - NW751
Van Dalen, Mr P to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs
(1)When will the centralised national electronic permitting system of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which her Department has said that they have been working on for almost 20 years, be implemented; and (2) will the implementation of the system enable the public to (a) be informed about the regulations that affect them, (b) access notices of receipt of application, (c) view the proposed rules and notices of availability of documents, such as permit applications which are published to provide the public an opportunity to comment; and (d) access the final version of regulations once public comments have been considered; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
(1) The Department will pilot the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora permit system in the 2017/18 financial year, and the final national implementation of the system will depend on the adjustments to be made based on the pilot phase.
(2) (a) The permit system is based on the requirements in the regulations. These regulations that affect the public are made available in the Government Gazette, a national newspaper and on the Department’s website.
(b) Yes. The system will generate an acknowledgement of receipt of the application and the applicant will be able to track the status of the application.
(c) No. Public participation processes relating to new legislative provisions will not be done through the permitting system, but will be done in terms of Section 100 of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No. 10 of 2004). Permit applications and the processing thereof will not be published for public comments.
(d) The final versions of regulations are published in the Government Gazette. The final versions of regulations will not be published through the permit system.
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