Departmental Budget Votes
Parliamentary committees will be meeting in the coming weeks with departments and entities to pore over their Strategic Plans, Annual Performance Plans and proposed budgets for 2021/22.
This forms part of Parliament's consideration of the annual budget. The annual budget sets out what funds an institution is allocated to deliver services.
The Money Bills Amendment Procedure and Related Matters Act (Act No. 9 of 2009), provides for the National Assembly, through its committees to assess and report on the budget votes of departments and its entities with their respective strategic and annual performance plans. Portfolio Committees must lobby the Standing Committee on Appropriations if they want to introduce budget amendments.
Annual performance plans identify the performance indicators and targets that the institution endeavours to accomplish in the upcoming budget year. The annual performance plan shows funded service-delivery targets or projections.
Strategic Plans identify strategically important outcome orientated goals and objectives against which public institutions medium-term results can be measured and evaluated by Parliament.
Check full link for all departments and entities Annual Performance Plans and Strategic Plans
Check the schedule regularly to find out when a Portfolio Committee will be meeting with their respective department and its entities
As Committees scrutinise these plans and budgets, what questions should they be posing to the Executive? What matters need to be prioritised? What recommendations and changes should be made? Share your views and help the Committee:
Write to the relevant Portfolio Committee.
Write to an MP serving on the Committee.
Check full link for all departments and entities Annual Performance Plans and Strategic Plans
Following the scrutinisation of APP documents, Budget vote debates will ensue- which provide an opportunity for MPs to discuss, and then formally adopt, the budgets of government departments and entities that are funded through a parliamentary vote. The debates will allow for Parliament, and the public, to be updated about what departments are doing, how they are performing and exactly how public money is being used.