Questions and Replies

Reply:

(1) The Department has identified 17 districts as TB hotpsots for enhanced intervention (See Table 1).

Table 1: TB hotspots

Province	TB Hotspots Districts
Eastern Cape	Buffalo City
	Cacadu
	Chris Hani
Free Sate	Lejweleputswa
Gauteng	Johannesburg Metro
	West Rand
KwaZulu Natal	eThekwini
Limpopo	Sekhukhune
	Waterberg
Mpumalanga	Ehlanzeni
North West	Bojanala
	Dr Kenneth Kaunda
Western Cape	City of Cape Town
	West Coast

(2) The following criteria were used to identify TB hotspots:

1. Number of people diagnosed with TB (exceeding 5,000 per year);
2. Treatment success (below 80%);
3. Defaulter Rate (exceeding 6.2%);
4. Death Rate (exceeding 5.6%);
5. Transferred Out Rate (exceeding 2.4%);
6. Drug resistant TB burden;
7. High concentration of (especially gold) mining

END.

Reply:

1.  Public Hospitals use the following regulations as stipulated in the National Health Act No. 61 of 2003 to dispose of foetuses:​

(i)   ​R. 177 Regulations relating to the use of human biological material Section 2. In terms of section 68 of the Act, - regulates who should remove human biological material from health institutions.

(ii)   R. 180 Regulations regarding the general control of human bodies, tissue, blood, blood products and gametes, Section 68(1) – regulates handling of deceased bodies/human biological material.

(iii)  R. No. Regulations relating to health care waste management in health establishments – the Environmental Health Directorate within the National Department of Health has developed the above mentioned regulation and it has just been approved.

2.  (a)-(b) Contracted companies for disposal of foetuses in both public hospitals and abortion clinics are:

Province	Company
Eastern Cape	Compass Waste Management Services
Free State	Solid Waste Management Services
Gauteng	Buhle Waste Management Services
KwaZulu-Natal	Compass Waste Management Services
Limpopo	Buhle Waste Management Services
Mpumalanga	Buhle Waste Management Services
North West	Buhle Waste Management Services
Northern Cape	Tshenolo Waste Management Services
Western Cape	Solid Waste Management Services

3.   (a) The Department of Health is currently guided by the following regulation:

• R. 180 Regulations regarding the general control of human bodies, tissue, blood, blood products and gametes section 68 (1) in conjunction with section 90 of the National Health Act stating

“Any person who acquires the body of a deceased person or any tissue, blood or gamete by virtue of any provision of the Act and these regulations, shall, subject to any restrictions in terms of the Act or any other law and provided she or he uses the body, tissue, blood or gamete for the purposes for which it has been donated, handed over or supplied to her or to him, on receipt of that body, tissue, blood or gamete acquire exclusive rights in respect thereof.”

(b)  The National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC) is a statutory body established in terms of The National Health Act (NHA) to set norms and standards for conducting research on humans, to monitor and institute appropriate disciplinary actions in cases of violation of ethics and human rights. It monitors ethical conduct in research, including the use of fetuses for experimental purposes. Section 72(7) particularly makes provision for “clinical trials” which includes experiments involving human subjects for research purposes. (NHA s 73(1)) requires that every organisation/institution, health agency and health establishment at which health and health-related research involving human participants must have access to a registered Human Research Ethics Committee (REC) that review research involving human participants must be assessed and register with the NHREC (NHA s 73(1)). The NHA (s 72(1)) requires that proposals to conduct ‘health research’ must undergo independent ethics review before the research is commenced.

• Section 3.3.5 of the 2015 Ethics Guidelines relates to Restrictions on collection of biological materials. The document highlights certain persons who are specially protected. The guidelines explains that without Ministerial permission, biological materials may not be taken from mentally ill persons; biological materials that are not naturally replaceable may not be taken from a minor; no gametes may be taken from a minor; and no fetal biological material except for umbilical cord progenitor cells may be collected from anyone. These restrictions are absolute which means that research with the categories of person mentioned requires special permission. RECs must satisfy themselves that the necessary special permission has been obtained, where appropriate.

Furthermore, the Department has established a National Health Research Database (NHRD) to register and monitor all research being conducted in the country. All research studies have to be approved by the Ethics committee and registered in the database before commencement.

END.

Reply:

1. (a) A total of 127,830 tests were conducted from October 2013, the time the Department of Health got involved with the management of TB in Correctional Services, until August 2015. Those confirmed with TB were 6,273 (4.9%) of whom, 263 (4.2%) had MDR-TB. The yearly breakdown is indicated in the Table below.

(b) There are 8 Management Areas with the highest number of inmates with TB disease. The list of these management areas by region are shown in the table below.

Region	Department of Correctional Services Management Areas with highest number of inmates infected with TB
Eastern Cape	St Albans
	Mthatha
Free State	Groenpunt
Northern Cape	Kimberly
Gauteng	Kgoši Mampuru
	Johannesburg
KZN	Durban Westville
	Pietermaritzburg
Western cape	Pollsmoor
	Allandale

(2) The Department of Health, in collaboration with the Department of Justice and Correctional Services, has conducted infection risk assessments in selected correctional facilities to determine the risk for the spread of TB infection. There is routine screening of inmates for TB. Inmates with TB are isolated until they are non infectious. Inmates are also provided with education/information about TB, including information on how TB is spread and the symptoms of TB.

(3) Information about inmates with TB is contained in relevant TB registers kept at the respective correctional facilities.

(4) The National Department of Health developed “Guidelines for the Management of Tuberculosis (TB), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Correctional Facilities” and were launched by the Deputy President in March 2013.

(5) The following interventions are implemented in correctional facilities to combat tuberculosis and MDR-TB:

1. Infection control measures;
2. Preventive therapy is provided to inmates who are at high risk of developing the TB disease, especially those living with HIV;
3. Screening all inmates for TB at least twice a year and testing those with TB symptoms using GeneXpert;
4. All inmates with TB are retained on treatment until completion;
5. Inmates living with TB and HIV are initiated on ARVs.

END.

Reply:

We are indeed aware of the findings. This investigation was in fact initiated by the National Department of Health. The investigations you refer to forms part of a more holistic assessment of the project. The initial phase of the investigation, focussed on technical issues, has been concluded. The team is now busy with an assessment of procedural and contractual issues. For obvious reasons, we cannot at this stage discuss the detail of the findings, as this will jeopardise the balance of the investigation.

END.

Reply:

Patients with Tuberculosis are diagnosed and started on treatment in all public sector hospitals and clinics as well as 154 facilities in the private sctor and 243 owned by the South African Military Health Services and NGOs. Patients with MDR and XDR TB are treated in 9 specialised central hospitals and 298 decentralised sites and 272 satellite sites. There are also 150 injection teams that manage some of the patients at home (on an ambulatory basis).

END.

Reply:

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is an international facility with South Africa holding a 33% share. In 2012, the SALT Board resolved to start a R75m Development Fund for the purpose of providing the resources necessary for continued development of the telescope and its instruments. Each of the partners in the telescope consortium had committed to pay a pro-rata share of the fund in proportion to its shareholding in the telescope and the contributions are meant to be made by May 2016. South Africa’s contribution amounts to R25m and this amount has already been paid. To date approximately R33m, both in-kind and in cash, has been received from the SALT partners, and this matter is raised at each meeting of the SALT directors. The DST is using its bilateral inter-governmental engagements with the relevant countries to solicit higher levels of government support to the respective consortium partners so that they may contribute their outstanding share to the development fund. In addition, the DST and NRF are actively seeking new partners to extend and recapitalise the consortium.

Reply:

1. (a)-(c) The latest data for maternal mortality ratio was published in 2013, by the Medical Research Council in the Rapid Mortality Surveillance Report. The maternal mortality ratio in 2011 was estimated to be 197 per 100,000 live births.

The National Committee on Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths monitors maternal deaths that occur within health facilities. The most recent data from this Committee is reflected below.

Institutional Maternal Mortality Ratio (Saving Mothers report 2011-2013)

	PROVINCE	2011	2012	2013
	Eastern Cape	164.74	153.71	172.73
	Free State	246.84	149.34	185.08
	Gauteng	136.44	163.67	114.99
	KwaZulu-Natal	197.60	170.19	146.54
	Limpopo	196.40	192.89	201.21
	Mpumalanga	199.74	177.39	150.25
	North West	173.05	164.80	168.48
	North West	193.62	166.53	158.32
	Western Cape	62.64	81.81	83.91
	South Africa	174.56	157.81	153.50

2. Yes the causes are known through the work done by National Committee on Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Death (NCCEMD) established by the Minister of Health.

a) The main causes of Maternal Mortality according to the latest NCCEMD triennial, 2011-2013 report are as follows:

• HIV/AIDS which accounts for 50% of the deaths;
• Obstetric Hemorrhages;
• Hypertension;
• Health professional training;
• Health system strengthening

(b) Interventions to address the main causes of maternal deaths being implemented include:

(i) Option B plus to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV

This policy was adopted and implemented from 01 January 2015. The policy stipulates that all HIV pregnant and breastfeeding women must be initiated on lifelong antiretroviral treatment (ART) for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV and their own health regardless of CD4 count and on diagnosis.

(ii) Essential Steps in the Management of Obstetric Emergencies (ESMOE) and Emergency Obstetric Simulation Training (EOST)

• ESMOE are trainings for doctors and midwives to improve their skills to manage, among others, hemorrhage and hypertension and are currently being done in all facilities rendering maternity care;
• EOST are fire drills to simulate the real obstetric emergency situations to refine and reinforce the clinical skills;
• To date, 1937 doctors and 5110 professional nurses have been trained on ESMOE. This has led to a 30% decline in maternal mortality due to improved health care providers’ skills in the management of mothers, neonates and children in the districts that we have conducted ESMOE training in;

(iii) Community mobilization efforts

• Mom-Connect services which is an electronic cellular system to give health messages to pregnant women to help them access care early in pregnancy as well as post delivery. Currently over 508 000 women have been registered and receive weekly messages about their pregnancy and care for the infant post delivery;

(iv) Efforts of Health System Strengthening

• The District Specialist Teams (DCST’s) include specialists in maternal, newborn and child care, have been appointed in all 52 districts. This team is responsible for clinical governance within all public facilities and specifically focusing on Maternal Neonatal and Child Health;

​(v) Efforts to address access to services

• Maternity waiting homes: Currently there are 81 maternity waiting homes + 18 on site beds nationally;
• Nationally there are 241 dedicated obstetric ambulances to improve access to health facilities;

(vi) Family planning

The launching of the family planning campaign in 2014 and introduction of sub-dermal implant as a long term method of family planning had a positive impact on family planning practices. The Couple Year Protection Rate has improved from 37.7% in F/Y 2013/2014 to 52.7% in F/Y 2014/15. Improvement of family planning strategies assists in preventing unwanted pregnancies as well as teenage pregnancies which may lead to maternal mortality.

END.

Reply:

1. (a) In the NHI Pilot Districts 16 clinics and 5 CHCs will be built in accordance with the relevant infrastructure plan.

(b) The clinics are located as follows: Limpopo Province (Magwedzha, Makonde, Mulenzhe, Thengwe and Kutama), Free State Province (Borwa, Clocolan and Lusuka) and Eastern Cape Province (Lusikisiki, Sakhele, Nolita, Genqe, Lutubeni, Maxwele, Lotana and Nkanga). The CHCs are located in Mpumalanga (Mkhondo, Msukaligwa, Nhlazatshe 6, Vukuzakhe, Balfour).

(c) Relevant timeframes for building clinics range from 12 to 18 months.

2. (a) The Department of Health is busy with the repair and upgrade of Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in the Pilot Districts of the NHI programme. The first phase currently of the programme includes the implementation of a multi-disciplinary building condition technical assessment and to establish the status-quo of the relevant services and installations, recommend appropriate remedial interventions, where required, prioritise these in terms of criticality, and determine the associated cost estimates. This will put the Department in a position to appoint contractors to do repairs to PHC facilities and to plan any facility upgrades and/or replacements within annual allocated funding.

(b) The Department intends to repair and upgrade all the health facilities in the NHI pilot districts to a set standard.

(c) Relevant timeframes for the refurbishment of each clinic can range from 1 to 12 months.

END.

Reply:

Advanced Quality met all the specifications for award as per the advert. This included two pre-qualifications by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

END.

Reply:

1.   The National Health Insurance pilot districts are significantly varied in terms of institutional and organizational capacity. This variability is partly due to the selection methodology that was applied but also reflective of the geographic areas within which they are located.
​
​a)   Nonetheless, many of the programmes that have been piloted in the past few years have recorded significant successes such as establishment of fully functional Primary Health Care (PHC), namely Municipal Ward-based Outreach, District Clinical Specialists and Integrated School Health teams; strengthening of monitoring and evaluation capacity through appointment of key personnel; improved coordination and oversight of district planning through appointment of the provincial NHI coordinators; improved infrastructure maintenance and planning through involvement in the Operation Phakisa Ideal Clinic Realisation project; innovation dispensing and distribution of chronic medication as well as making steady progress towards e-Health-based patient registration systems, among many others.

b)    Given the nature of the pilot districts, it is anticipated that challenges will exist in some districts, such as OR Tambo and Pixley Ka Seme, the ability to attract key health personnel to form part of the District Clinical Specialist Teams. Weak supply chain management systems and unforeseen delays in procuring key items is a key challenge that characterizes majority of the districts.

2.   To date, 307 health practitioners have been contracted to render health services in public clinics across the pilot districts.

END.

Reply:

(1) a) The total amount that the department spent on air travel between Gauteng and Cape Town for employees attending Parliament business in the 2014-15 financial year is R1, 442,598.01.

(b) The total number of return trips that were undertaken was 68.

(2) (a) The total amount spent by the department on accommodation in Cape Town for employees attending Parliament business in the 2014-15 financial year is R257, 626.03.

(b) The total amount spent by the department on car rental in Cape Town for employees attending Parliament business in the 2014-15 financial year is R107, 251.02.

 

Approved by the Minister on
Date: 22/09/2015

Reply:

The Department of Energy’s processes are subject to due diligence that is informed by the Public Financial Management Act of 2000, The Treasury Regulations and the National Treasury instruction notes. These are to ensure transparency, accountability and compliance and cannot be regarded as bureaucratic processes.


END

Reply:

REPLY:

1(a) The total amount her department spend on air travel between Gauteng and Cape Town for employees attending Parliament business in the 2014-15 financial year were as follows:

• 2014/2015: R 439 893.90

1(b) the total number of trips that were undertaken was as follows;

• 2014/2015: 75 Trips

 

2(a) the total amount that her department spent on accommodation was as follows:

• 2014/2015: R 210 542.21

2(b) the total amount that her department spent car rental in Cape Town for employees attending Parliament business in the specified financial year were as follows

• 2014/2015: R 115 795.21

END

Reply:

The Office of the Chief Justice received its own budget vote with effect from 1 April 2015. I can report that to date the employment equity rate for the employment of persons with disabilities in the Office of the Chief Justice is at 1.2% which is below the national target of 2% by 0.8%.



END

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available within the Department. We have, however, since requested the uMshwathi Local Municipality to provide this information.

The Honourable Member will be provided with the requested information as soon as it is submitted to us.

END

Reply:

The information on international visits undertaken by both the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans and the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans are contained in the Annual Report that was tabled in Parliament.


END

Reply:

(1)(a) The Cybersecurity Awareness Implementation Plan was developed internally by DTPS. It must be noted that Cybersecurity Awareness Implementation Plan is informed by the Cybersecurity Awareness Strategy of 2012 which was developed in consultation with stakeholders that included academia, the Internet Service Providers’ Association, the Wireless Application Service Providers Association and civil society.

(b) The Plan was developed in-house utilising internal skills and resources. Other than the internal resources, the Cybersecurity Awareness Implementation Plan did not have any additional costs.

(c) The details of the Plan focuses on the following four broad channels: Public Relations, Advertising, Stakeholder Communication and Social/Community mobilisation.

(d) The strategy will be implemented in phases. The strategy entails mass communications.

(e) The Department will leverage GCIS’s bulk buying power to maximise the impact of the rollout of the Cybersecurity Awareness Programme.

(f) The budget for this media strategy is R1 869 600.00 for this Financial Year.

(g) (i) In line with the JCPS Cluster outcome 3, the objectives of the media plan are to ensure that all people in South Africa are and feel safe; to influence South Africans to be vigilant about practicing safer online habits; and to provide the public with resources, tips and tools to adopt safer online behaviour. ii) Deliverables over the Medium Term Expenditure Framework are subject to budget availability. The primary target will be private sector, public sector and communities (school children, youth, and parents).




END

Reply:

1. (a) (i) Spent on travel                          R184 543.72

              (ii) Trips undertaken                        27 trips

          (b) (i) Total amount spent on hotel       R0.00

              (ii) Total amount spent on residential or other accommodation:

                     (aa) Cape Town R0.00

                     (bb) Pretoria R0.00

 

     2.   (a) (i) Deputy Minister spent on travel    R160 358.38

               (ii) Trips undertaken                         25 trips

           (b) (i) Total amount spent on hotel         R0.00

               (ii) Total amount spent on residential or other accommodation:

                        (aa) Cape Town R0.00

                        (bb) Pretoria R0.00

END

Reply:

The information requested by the Honourable Member is not readily available within the Department. We have, however, since requested the North West Provincial Government to provide this information.

The Honourable Member will be provided with the requested information as soon as it is submitted to us.
 

 

END

Reply:

The Minister of Public Works

(1)(a)(i) There are 507 housing units at the three Parliamentary villages.

(ii) There are 155 apartment units at the three parliamentary villages.

(b)(i) 621 units are in a condition for habitation.

(ii) 41 units are not available for use currently.

(2)(a)(i) 347 housing units have been allocated to Members of Parliament.

(ii) 160 housing units have been allocated to other persons or entities.

(b)(i) 2 of the 155 apartment units have been allocated to Members of Parliament.

(ii) 127 apartment units have been allocated to other persons or entities.

(3) There are currently no Members of Parliament (MPs) who have requested accommodation and who have not been allocated units within the Parliamentary villages.

(4)(a) Persons allocated accommodation in the Parliamentary villages include Sessional Officials, Public Works Officials who are servicing the Parliamentary Villages, Party Support Staff, Aides to disabled Members of Parliament, domestic workers and a former Member of Parliament’s dependents residing in the parliamentary villages.

(b) Sessional Officials employed by the following Government departments are accommodated at the parliamentary villages:

1. Ministry of Public Enterprises

2. Ministry of Social Development

3. Ministry of Health

4. Ministry of National Treasury

5. Ministry of Water Affairs

6. Ministry of Communications

7. Ministry of Defence and Military Veterans

8. Ministry of Arts and Culture

9. Ministry of Rural Development

10. Ministry of Trade and Industry

11. Department of Energy

12. Ministry of the Presidency

13. Ministry of Human Settlements

14. Ministry of Public Works

15. Ministry of Police

16. Ministry of State Security

17. Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities

18. Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries

19. Ministry of Labour

20. Ministry of Tourism

21. Ministry of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs

22. National Youth and Development Agency

23. International Relations and Co-operation

24. Ministry of Sports and recreation

25. Ministry of Science and Technology

26. Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services

27. Ministry of Higher Education

28. Ministry of Economic Development

29. Ministry of Home Affairs

30. Ministry of Small Business Development

31. Ministry of Basic Education

32. Ministry of Environmental Affairs

33. Ministry of Mineral Resources

34. Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services

35. Ministry of Water and Sanitation

(c) The rationale for accommodating the categories mentioned above, is as follows:

• Sessional Officials designated by the Heads of their Departments for a Parliamentary session are accommodated at the Parliamentary villages.
• Officials employed by the Department of Public Works who perform standby duties at the parliamentary villages are accommodated at the parliamentary villages.
• Party Support Staff / Aides to disabled Members of Parliament: Special ministerial approval was granted for aides to disabled Members of Parliament to be accommodated at the Parliamentary villages.
• Domestic workers who are registered by a legal tenant at the Parliamentary villages and approved by the Department of Public Works.
• Former MP’s dependents: Extension of stay was granted after the commencement of the Fifth Parliament, as the dependents were still attending school. Subsequent notices to vacate were ignored. A final notice to vacate is being processed, where after the case is to be handed over to the office of the State Attorney for eviction, should the subjects ignore the final notice to vacate.

(5) No members of the newly established Chamber Support Unit within the Parliamentary Protection Services have been allocated units within the Parliamentary villages.

___________________________________________________________________

Reply:

REPLY: MINISTER OF COMMUNICATIONS

The Department has no knowledge of support received by Tshwane TV from the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.


END

Reply:

 

MINISTER’S REPLY

1. The certain person is not on suspension and as such the question in its entirety is not relevant.
   
   
   
   END

Reply:

(1) (a) The Department spent R2 424 728 on air travel for a total of 62 employees attending Parliament business on different occasions during that financial year.

     (b) Undertook 31 trips.

(2) (a) Spent R339 663 on accommodation

     (b) Spent R41 200 on car rental

 

END.

Reply:

No, the Department has not yet met this target. However, the Department has disabled people who refuse to be classified as such. Hence the Department dropped below 1% on this target.

END.

Reply:

(a) (i) The department spent R275, 905 on travel costs between Gauteng and Cape Town in the 2014-15 financial year for the Minister.

(ii) The Minister undertook 27 trips between Gauteng and Cape Town in the 2014-15 financial year

(b) (i) (aa) Not applicable.
(ii) (aa) Not applicable.

(i) (bb) Not applicable.

(ii) (bb) Not applicable

Approved by the Minister on
Date: 18/09/2015

Reply:

a)     The Commercial Crimes Investigation Units are currently investigating Common law and Statutory Crimes relating to Fraud, Electronic Banking Crimes , Municipal Fraud, Theft ,Corruption ,Money Laundering ;Counterfeit Goods Act , Prevention Of Organised Crime Act; Exchange Control Regulations Act ;Companies Act; National Credit Act; Forgery and Uttering; Advanced Fee Fraud ;Copyright Act; Customs & Excise Act, Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, Income Tax Act, Tobacco Control Amendment Act, Tobacco Products Control Act, Value Added Tax Act ;Social Assistance Act.

b)      A total of 4726 cases are currently in court.

Reply:

MINISTER RESPONSE:

The Department and Entities reporting to the Minister have, to the best of my knowledge, not officially complained or reported any red tape.


END

Reply:

This question can better be responded to by Rural Development and Land Reform as the competent authority.





END

Reply:

Departments of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

a) Red Tape refers to unduly strict regulations that often make it difficult for small emerging enterprises to thrive and hinders aggressive competition with medium and macro enterprises that do business with government. It also refers to rules, regulations, and I or bureaucratic procedures and processes which are excessively complex and which impose unnecessary delay(s), inaction and I or costs which exceed their benefits, and I or is no longer effective in achieving the purpose for which they were originally created. Red tape results in undesirable economic, business and I or social impacts or outcomes as a result of negatively impacting on productivity.

(b) (i) The department has implemented key actions to facilitate a progressive improvement in the payment of suppliers, within the prescribed 30-day period, such as the centralisation of the receipt and recording of invoices as well as an integrated order and payment tracking system.

In addition to the above, the Departments are currently implementing parts of the Shared Services Model between DCOG, OTA and MISA and are working together with National Treasury's Technical Assistance Unit to enhance and refine the model. Lastly, the department is also implementing the automated submission system, which will improve efficiency in decision making processes within the departments.

South African Cities Network

1. The South African Cities Network (SACN) (ii) defines red tape as an expression used to describe rigid conformity to formal rules that may hinder or slow down the decision-making process.

(b)(i) The SACN believes in early submission of documentation that requires approval to allow enough time for the recipient to thoroughly engage with the documentation without compromising the deadlines

(ii) The Annual Performance Plan assists in forward planning and eventual execution of tasks and this is reviewed on a monthly basis to ensure we are still working within the correct timeframes.

South African Local Government Association (SALGA)

1. (ii) Red tape refers to excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making.

(b)(i) Development of an automated procurement system to eliminate the lengthy manual processes to ease decision-making and action or implementation.

(c) (ii)(aa)(bb) Systems implemented to enhance efficiencies without compromising on compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Automated requests, workflows, approvals and reporting have been implemented to ensure effective service delivery.

Municipal Demarcation Board (MOB)

1. (a)(ii) Defines Red tape as the excessive regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents action or decision-making.

(b)(i) No specific interventions have been implemented;
(b)(ii) (aa) and (bb) Systems and processes have been implemented to enhance efficiency without compromising on compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Applicable work processes, public and stakeholder consultation forums, reporting and approval structures have been implemented to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.

The Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission)

(1)(a)(ii)

The CRL Rights Commission defines red tape as the duplication of processes that lead to waste of resources and strict adherence to official rules and formalities.

(b )(i)(bbb)

The Commission has streamlined its internal process and developed Standard Operating Procedures with the view of improving efficiency. Furthermore, these were processed through internal governance structures of the Entity and communicated to general staff.

The CRL Rights Commission utilise the strategic plan and annual performance plan to ensure that there are no duplication in functions and that every program deliver on a unique specialisation in the mandate of the Commission. In planning ahead it helps the Commission to be able to reach its goals without having to deal with unplanned and other issues that just crop up.

Reply:

The Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) standard on assessment of Policies and Systems to ensure Professional Ethics seeks to promote:

• compliance with chapters 2 and 3 of the Public Service Regulations, 2001;
• chapter 9 of the SMS Handbook (2003);
• Financial Disclosure Framework;
• section 6 of the Public Sector Integrity Management Framework;
• section 195 of the Constitution; and
• the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, Act 3 of 2000.

The elements that are assessed in the standards are on:

• whether members of the Senior Management Service (SMS) in departments are complying with the requirements to submit their financial disclosures by 31 May of each financial year; and
• whether disciplinary action is taken against SMS members who do not comply with these requirements.
• In addition, the standard assesses whether departments have mechanisms of communicating sections or provisions of the Public Service Code of Conduct to new and existing employees on an annual basis.
  
  a)   Whilst the 2014 MPAT assessment results are still being finalised, the results show that there was a notable improvement between 2012 and 2013 assessments, with the average compliance moving from 1.8 in 2012 to 2.8 in 2013. The total number of departments that complied with this standard are 118 out of a total of 152 departments.
  
  b)   90 departments (24 national and 66 provincial) met the level 3 requirements of the standard whilst 28 departments (9 national and 19 provincial) exceeded the requirements.
  
  END

Reply:

1. (a) R 723 000.00

    (b) 120 Trips

2. (a) R 92 000.00

    (b) R 44 000.00

END

Reply:

 

The Annual Report of the Department that I tabled during September 2015 provides information on the expenses incurred by the Department including travelling and accommodation both locally and abroad by all our officials. The Auditor General audited all this information. The Annual Financial Statements format did not however allow us to provide a breakdown of this information in the manner that the Honourable member requires.

Reply:

I wish to refer the Honourable Member to the unqualified Annual Report (2014/2015) and audited clean Financial Statements of my department that were tabled in Parliament on 28 August 2015 and published in the ATC dated 28 August 2015, wherein travel costs are reflected under the item ‘Travel and Subsistence’.

In regard to accommodation, I wish to remind the Honourable Member that accommodation of Ministers and Deputy Ministers in Cape Town and Gauteng is provided through the Department of Public Works.

 

END

Reply:

	(a) How much was spent	(b) Purpose of the Visit	(c) Destination	(d) (i) Flights	(d) (ii) Accommodation	(d) (iii) Daily allowances
(i) Deputy Minister	Total: R 191 764.88	To attend the China Incentives. Business Travel & Meetings (CIBTM) in China and World Youth & Student Travel Conference (WYSTC) in Dublin.	China: Beijing Date: 17 - 19 September 2014 Ireland: Dublin Date: 22 - 25 September 2014	Flight: R 114 212.00	Accommodation: R 51 917.79	Allowance: R 25 635.09
	Total: R 73 390.97	To attend the Indian Ocean Rim Association(IORA) First Tourism and Travel Mart in Seychelles	Seychelles: Mahe Date: 21 - 22 November 2014	Flight: R 59 603.39	Accommodation: Complementary	Allowance: R 13 787.58
	Total: R 73 291.04	To attend the World Exhibition for Incentive Travel. Meeting and Events (IMEX) 2015 and to participate in the IMEX Politicians Forum to be held in Villa Kennedy Hotel in Frankfurt	Germany: Frankfurt Date: 19 - 21 May 2015	Flight : R 67 436.72	Accommodation: Complementary	Allowance R 5 854.32
	Total: R 122 651.19	To attend a South East Asia Tourism Trade Roadshow in Malaysia. Singapore and Indonesia.	Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur Date:16 - 17 August 2015 City: Singapore: Date: 17 August 2015 Indonesia: Jakarta Date: 18 - 19 August 2015	Flight: R 84 960.72	Accommodation: R 28 600.00	Advance: R 9 090.47
(ii) Director General	Not applicable	The DG did not travel overseas for the period 1 May 2014 - 1 September 2015	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
(iii) Deputy Director-General Policy and Knowledge Management	Not applicable	The DDG: PKS did not travel overseas for the period 1 May 2014 -- 1 September 2015	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
(iii) Deputy Director General Domestic Tourism Management	Total: R 97 842.95	To attend the 5th Carnival International de Victoria in Seychelles	Seychelles: Mahe Date: 22 - 27 April 2015	Flight: R 49 904.72	Accommodation: R 33 120.00	Allowance: R 14 818.23
	Total: R 73 338.01	Attended the Home Stay Study Tour in Malaysia	Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur 15 - 22 August 2015	Flight: R66 341.72	Accommodation: R 2000.00	Allowance: R 4 996.29
(iii) Deputy Director General International Tourism Management	Total: R 99 856.37	To attend IMEX and related side meeting	Germany. Frankfurt 17 - 23 May 2014	Flight: R 61 624.00	Accommodation: R 30 462.07	Allowance: R 7 770.30
	Total: R 24 879.70	To attend the SADC Meeting	Zambia: Livingstone 17 - 21 June 2014	Flight: R 6 924.00	Accommodation: R 13 616.00	Allowance: R 4 339.70
	Total: R 105 135.84	To attend the World Youth Student Conference where South Africa was announced as the host for the 2015 Conference	Ireland. Dublin 21 - 28 September 2014	Flight: R 68 966.00	Accommodation: R 17 500.85	Allowance: R 18 668.99
	Total: R135 193.82	To attend the World Travel Market	United Kingdom: London 02 - 07 November 2014	Flight: R 84 475.39	Accommodation: R 37 999.98	Allowance: R 12 718.45
	Total: R 76 984.48	To attend and present a paper at the 13th Global Forum on Tourism Statistics and UNWTO Special Workshop on Tourism Statistics	Japan: Nara 14 - 21 November 2014	Flight: R62 385.39	Accommodation: R 6 115.47	Allowance: R 8 483.62
	Total: R 18 618.15	To attend the Extra Ordinary SADC Meeting	Zimbabwe: Victoria Falls 25 - 29 November 2014	Flight: R 7 122.39	Accommodation: R 7 530.89	Allowance: R 3 964.87
	Total: R 97 927.03	To attend the ITB and visit SA Tourism’s offices	Germany: Berlin Italy. Milan 02 - 08 March 2015	Flight: R 65 358.39	Accommodation: R 23 996.76	Allowance: R 8 571.88
	Total: R108 888.15	To attend the 100th UNWTO Executive Council meeting. South Africa through the National Department of Tourism was elected to serve on the Executive Council of the UNWTO for the period 2014- 2017.	Croatia: Rovinj 25 - 29 May 2015	Flight: R 83 938.72	Accommodation: R 17 564.99	Allowance: R 7 384.44
	Total: R 26 064.40	To attend the 54th RETOSA Board and Annual General meetings	Malawi: Lilongwe 28 July 2015	Flight: R 14 520.72	Accommodation: R 8 920.00	Allowance: R 2 623.68
(iii) Deputy Director General/ Chief Operations Officer	Not applicable	The COO did not travel overseas for the period 1 May 2014 -1 September 2015	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable

Reply:

1. Submitted to Parliament on 6 September 2015.
2. Submitted to Parliament on 6 September 2015.
3. Submitted to Parliament on 6 September 2015.
4. The following replies are provided based on the information retrieved:

(4)(a) Complaints against SAPS members regarding:

(4)(a)(i) Assault complaints:

(4)(a)(i)(aa) 2012/2013 = 1

(4)(a)(i)(bb) 2013/2014 = 13

(4)(a)(i)(cc) 2014/2015 = 2

(4)(a)(ii) Abuse of suspected sex workers:

(4)(a)(ii)(aa) 2012/2013 = 2

(4)(a)(ii)(bb) 2013/2014 = 4 (including unlawful arrest)

(4)(a)(ii)(cc) 2014/2015 = 8

(4)(b) Investigations and outcomes:

(4)(b)(i) Outcomes of the specified investigations:

Of the 32 allegations/complaints against members, seven criminal cases were registered. Of the seven cases registered against members, three were withdrawn in court, two were still being investigated by IPID, one was finalized as nolle proseque while the remaining one is still on the court roll.

(4)(b)(ii) Action has been taken against the specified SAPS members:

One member received a written warning (Mufuleni - DR 32/2014) and findings against other two members were that departmental steps were not required (Cape Town DR 308 and 309/2014).

END

Reply:

The Management Performance Assessment Tool (MPAT) standard on prevention of Fraud and Corruption assesses whether department have measures and requisite capacity in place to prevent and combat corruption. Elements that are assessed in the standard are on:

• whether departments have fraud prevention plans and whistle blowing policies minimum anti-corruption capacity to prevent fraud and corruption;
• whether departments are providing feedback on anti-corruption hotline cases to the Office of the Public Service Commission (OPSC); and
• whether disciplinary and criminal procedures are being instituted where fraud and corruption occurs.
  
  a) Whereas the 2014 MPAT assessments results are in the process of being finalised, the 2013 results showed a total number of 55 departments (25 national and 30 provincial) are compliant with this standard.
  
  b) The 2013 results also shows that twenty five (25) departments (11 national and 14 provincial) met the level 3 compliance requirements, whilst 30 exceeded the requirements (14 national and 16 provincial).
  
  
  END

Reply:

Currently there is no legal instrument that links the non-payment of tolls to the renewal of vehicle licences.

I am not aware of any instances where vehicle licenses have not been renewed for the non-payment of toll. I urge the honourable member to bring all such instances to the attention of the relevant authority.

However, as the honourable member is aware it is an offense as stated in Act No 7 of 1998 not to pay toll fees.




END

Reply:

MINISTER OF LABOURS RESPONSE:

No, I will not consider abolishing Affirmative Action (AA), in the Public Service as the Affirmative Action is not a Public Service Sectoral Determination but a National dispensation. If the Public Service is broadly representative, that should be an inspiration to other sectors and not the reason to abolish the policy.

The preamble of the Constitution sums up the constitutional rationale of the need for Affirmative Action.

END

Reply:

(a)   (i-ii) The immigration officials working on the borders of Lesotho and Swaziland have not reported any cases specifically relating to human trafficking in the mentioned financial years.


END

Reply:

The Department and its entities do not sit and define “red-tape”. However, they have mechanisms to deal with unnecessary delays in their operational processes such as regular reviews of rules, regulations, protocols and legal framework to improve effectiveness and efficiency in achieving our outcomes.

Amongst others, I would like to refer the member to annual reports, strategic plans and quarterly reports of the entities and the Department.



END

Reply:

 

1.     Yes, The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is aware of international trade in tiger and tiger products from South Africa. The following table, obtained from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Trade Database (http://trade.cites.org) reflects the exports from South Africa from 2004 till 2014:

Taxon	Term	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Panthera tigris	bodies					1			1	1
Panthera tigris	claws								1
Panthera tigris	live	8	18	5	4	11	25	32	29	33	21	4
Panthera tigris	skins		1	1	1			2	2	2
Panthera tigris	skulls		1							1
Panthera tigris	trophies	4		2			6	3	4	3	1
Panthera tigris altaica	live						4			2
Panthera tigris altaica	trophies						1

It is clear from the above that the majority of trade is in live specimens. Trade in tiger specimens is regulated in terms of the CITES Regulations, promulgated in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No 10 of 2004). It should be noted that due to the fact that tiger is listed in CITES Appendix I, import permits are issued by importing countries before an export permit can be issued by South Africa. The import permit must specify the purpose of the transaction and because commercial trade is not allowed in Appendix I specimens, the international trade authorised in terms CITES will be for non-commercial purposes only and this will be reflected on both the import and export permits. Compliance with the CITES Regulations and requirements are monitored by the Environmental Management Inspectors, who are responsible for the inspection of consignments and the endorsement of permits prior to export.

2.      The CITES Regulations, 2010 are implemented by all provinces as well as the Department of Environmental Affairs and provides a uniform regulatory framework to implement and enforce the provisions of the Convention. In terms of these regulations a captive breeding facility or a person who trades internationally in CITES Appendix I species (tiger) must be registered with the relevant provincial CITES Management Authority.

The Department identified the need to strengthen regulatory provisions relating to the activities involving CITES Appendix I listed specimens that are imported to South Africa and in this regard the following provisions have been included in the draft Threatened or Protected Species Regulations that was published for public participation in terms of Section 100 of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act No 10 of 2004) on 31 March 2015:

Specific circumstances relating to the prohibition to possess and trade in listed protected species that are also included in Appendix I of CITES

74. (1) A person may not possess—

     (a) an imported specimen of a listed protected species that is also included in Appendix 1 of CITES; or

     (b) The off-spring of a specimen contemplated in paragraph (a);

     unless such person is authorized by a permit issued in accordance with these Regulations to possess such imported            specimen or the off-spring of such imported specimen.

(2) A person may not sell or donate an imported specimen contemplated in subregulation (1)(a), unless—

(a) such imported specimen originates from a commercial captive breeding facility that has been registered with the CITES Secretariat; and

(b) the selling or donation of such specimen is authorized by a permit issued in accordance with these Regulations.

(3)   (a) The regulatory provisions referred to above address the possession of tiger specimens as well as the captive breeding of tiger.

(b)    Illegal activities should be reported to the Department through the Hotline number: 0800 205 005. Concerns relating to the Transvaal Nature Conservation Ordinance No 12 of 1983 should be addressed to the relevant provincial legislature.

 

 

 

 

END

Reply:

(a) Yes, the Vredefort Interpretation Centre was designed to include a reception area for visitors. An amount of R11,7 million was budgeted for the Vredefort Interpretation Centre but was not completed due to the structural defects on the building and a budget shortfall. According to an independent engineer, the main building (interpretation centre) started to show cracks, leaks and structural defects as a result of the weak panels supporting the structure which would endanger the lives of any person entering the building.

The project proposal was prepared in 2004 and the cost norms and standards applicable at the time were used to determine the project budget. The actual construction work only commenced in 2006 which under normal circumstances would have included escalation to accommodate increased costs. The allocation of budget by the department did not take into account the time lapses and associated cost escalations.

The project was implemented in two phases and the building in question was one of the many deliverables. The building was done in phase 1 and the budget for the project included other deliverables such as stalls, kitchen, ablution block, fencing, bulk electricity and water supply.

(b) No, the Department of Tourism is in the process of completing the project.

(i) Falls away

(ii) Falls away




END

Reply:

(1)&(2) The information requested is depicted in the Table hereunder:

Defence Attaché Residents	Total Expenditure FY 14/15	Rental	Household Furniture	Municipal Services
43	32 228 545.00	27 143 511.00	105 480.00	4 979 554.00

 

 

END


 

Reply:

 

 

(1) & (2) The information requested by the Honourable member is provided in the 2014/15 annual report of the Department which has already been tabled in Parliament on 28 August 2015.

 

 

END

Reply:

The Advisory Panel as announced in 2010 met formally on 25 May 2010, 14 July 2010 and 16 January 2011 to provide advice and information relevant to the conclusion of the New Growth Path policy document of government as well as on ways to step up industrial funding, promote the green economy and develop pro-employment measures.

After the completion of this first phase of the Panel’s work, from which we benefitted in a number of ways, I engaged with individual members of the Panel on an ‘as needed’ basis on matters connected to economic development.

These included engagements on a number of occasions with Professor Joseph Stiglitz on matters as diverse as global economic developments relevant to South Africa; and on the terms of the final submission of a competitor supplier fund proposal to the Competition Appeal Court in the Walmart merger. In this latter instance, this contributed to the final decision of the Court to impose a R240 million Fund to promote the Walmart local and small-business supply chain.

In addition, I have benefitted from the insights of Michael Power on the emergence of new economic powers; the changing role of China and its impact on the global economy; and the trade-offs inherent in different exchange-rate policies, among others.

Other members of the Panel provided their insights on contemporary economic policy matters as requested from time to time.

-END-

Reply:

1. Yes Honourable Member, the Department has definitely made serious strides in the war against TB. The treatment success was 76% in 2009 and it is 89% now. By 2009 70 000 people were dying of TB per annum but now the figure has dropped to 40 000. However, TB still remains the biggest killer in our country.

2. Yes the measures are doing well but we need to do more to eradicate TB. Hence the President announced in the State of the Nation Address this year that we are going to focus on TB.

The Deputy President launched a massive TB screening campaign on 24 March this year, focusing on high prevalence districts, the mineworkers and the inmates in Correctional Service facilities.

We used to have only 9 centralised treatment centres to treat MDR-TB and XDR-TB. Now we have 298 decentralised sites, 272 satellite sites and 150 injection teams to help decentralise management of MDR-TB and XDR-TB.

We have trained 1 700 nurses to manage MDR-TB and 230 of them can even initiate treatment of MDR-TB in the absence of a doctor.

3. According to Stop TB Partnership, the measures in South Africa are far ahead of many countries, for instance there are 700 patients globally who are on Bedaquiline treatment. A total of 400 of these are in South Africa alone. The remainder is scattered all over the world. We are now putting 3 000 on Bedaquiline this financial year.

END.

Reply:

MINISTER OF LABOUR REPLIED:

Both the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Labour are handling this matter in terms of applicable legislations, viz; Section 189A of the Labour Relations Act and Section 52 of MPRDA. The CCMA is also fully engaged on this matter.

END

Reply:

All citizens have the responsibility to report cases of fraud and crime to the South African Police Services. The Honourable Member is encouraged to do the same. The Police will investigate and if there is sufficient evidence, they will arrest those who commit these crimes. The Courts are tasked with the responsibility to test the evidence and pass judgement regarding those who are found guilty.

END

Reply:

Red tape is typically defined as rules, regulations and/or official procedures and processes which are excessively complex and which impose unnecessary delays, inaction and/or costs which exceed their benefits and/or is no longer effective in achieving the purpose for which they were originally created.

There are three areas of red-tape reduction relevant to the Department:

• Internal red-tape
• Red-tape in the Department that affects members of the public and
• Red-tape outside the Department (entities and other government bodies) that affect the public and indeed the effectiveness of government itself.

To address internal red-tape that back-office functions (eg IT, Finance, Supply-chain or Human Resources sections) impose on front-line parts of EDD, a user-survey has been introduced in the current financial year and it is helping to reorient the back-office sections to becoming outcome-driven. Unnecessary requirements are being eliminated.

Because the Department does not render a range of public services that require adherence to regulations and rules, the scope to decrease red-tape for the public is limited.

To address red-tape outside the Department, EDD has undertaken the following:

a)     Training to officials in Tshwane, Nelson Mandela Bay and Ekurhuleni Metros on red-tape reduction and the implementation of the new impact-assessment tool, namely the Social and Economic Impact Assessment (SEIAS)

b)     Ministerial engagement with entities to review their internal processes and make these simpler and more effective. These have assisted to set maximum timeframe targets for consideration of applications and a dashboard against which entities report on their adherence to these targets

c)     Support to unblock regulatory approvals by other Departments, for example on expediting water-use licences and environmental impact assessments.

The Industrial Development Corporation has revised its internal processes to address and finalise decisions on non-complex funding applications. This has assisted to bring down the waiting periods considerably.

ITAC has reviewed its tariff investigations regulations and redrafted its questionnaires to make them clearer and reduce the burden of unnecessary information. Turnaround times for tariff applications have been redesigned and these are now much swifter that before.

The Competition Commission has set performance targets to expedite consideration of mergers and cartel investigations.

The Competition Tribunal has simplified its procedures for non-lawyers, including through a ‘frequently asked questions’ section on its website, a consolidation of rules and procedures for easy reference and by making facilities available to unrepresented individuals at hearings (including through advice from Tribunal members on procedure and a pro bono arrangement negotiated with one of the Law Societies).

-END-

Reply:

REPLY:

 

The Department is not involved in research regarding the new nuclear build programme in the country since the nuclear technology option/choice is yet to be decided on.  However, there are existing initiatives in support of nuclear energy industry that the Department of Science and Technology (DST) is involved in for the development of know-how and technologies in the nuclear technologies fields.

 

These include the Nuclear Engineering Research Chair at North West University; Carbon Materials and Technology Chair at the University of Pretoria; Advanced Materials Initiative (AMI); South African Nuclear Human Asset Research Programme (SANHARP); Masters in Accelerator and Nuclear Science (MANUS) and Masters in Material Science (MatSci) programme, involving the University of Zululand, the University of the Western Cape and iThemba Labs.

 

The focus of the work is as follows:

• Nuclear safety, which includes radiation effects of mining and routine discharges of Koeberg nuclear power station and also radiation standards and regulations;
• Nuclear materials beneficiation;
• Carbon technologies research with emphasis on nuclear graphite technology to support nuclear power generation;
• Reactor technology research on modelling and simulation of nuclear reactors and their associated power plants and process applications. These models are applied in the analysis, design and optimisation of pressurised water reactors and high temperature reactors;
• Nuclear project management, nuclear energy economics; and
• Collaborative research on system analysis of passive safe small modular high temperature gas cooled reactors.
  
  
  
  
  END