Question & Repiles No 1651 to 1675

2009-11-04

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[PMG note: Replies are inserted as soon as they are provided by the Minister]

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO: 1675

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO: 20 OF 09 OCTOBER 2009

Mr K S Mubu (DA) to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation:

Whether since her appointment in May 2009 any renovations or alterations were done at state owned and private residences of her, her Deputy Ministers or any other specified official of her department; if so, (a) where she and the occupants of each residence were accommodated during the renovations and (b) at what cost to his department in each case?

REPLY

In respect of part (a)

Yes, only the state-owned residence of the Minister in Cape Town was renovated. The residence was under renovation from 15 August – 9 October 2009

In respect of part (b)

The Minister resided in hotel accommodation, due to the renovations, on the following dates:

25-27 August 2009

9-13 September 2009

13-15 October 2009

Expenses incurred in this regard are in line with the guidelines provided in the Ministerial Handbook.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 1673

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 16 October 2009

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 22 OF 2009

Mr M Mnqasela (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

Whether, since her appointment in May 2009 any renovations or alterations were done at state owned and private residences of her, her deputy minister or any other specified official of her department; if so, (a) where she and the occupants of each such residence were accommodated during the renovations and (b) at what cost to his department in each case?

NW2129E

REPLY

Please, refer the question to the Minister of Public Works.

QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 16 OCTOBER 2009

QUESTION 1672

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/10/2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 22-2009)

Dr W G James (DA) to ask the Minister of Higher Education and Training:

Whether, since his appointment in May 2009 any renovations or alterations were done at state owned and private residences of him, or any other specified official of his department; if so, (a) where he and the occupants of each such residence were accommodated during the renovations and (b) at what cost to his department in each case? NW2128E

REPLY:

(a) N/A

(b) N/A

(i) Not applicable

(ii) Not applicable

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

ORAL REPLY

QUESTION NO: 1671

Mr J.J McGluwa (ID) to ask the Minister of Human Settlements:

(1) (a) What is the 2009-10 (i) business plan and (ii) budget breakdown for the Housing Development Agency (HDA) and (b) what projects were assigned to the HDA for 2009;

(2) whether there was a handover from Thubelisa to the HDA; if not, why not; if so, what projects were handed over;

(3) what are the details of the salaries paid to the HDA management staff?

ANSWER

(1). (a)(i) The Strategic Plan for the HDA for the period 2009/10 financial year, which was approved by the former Minister of Human Settlement (then Housing) in or about April 2009.

(ii) Based on the aforementioned provisional approval, an allocation of R49m for operational costs (establishment, resourcing and capacity building of the HDA staff) was made to undertake the mandate of the entity as approved by the Minister of Human Settlement.

Operational Budget For the year ended 31 March 2010

	50,850,000.00
Operational Grant	49,650,000.00
Interest Income	1,200,000.00
	50,850,000.00
Accounting Other Services	1,450,000.00
Administration Fee	24,000.00
Advertising	965,000.00
Audit Fees	850.000.00
8ank charges	10,000.00
Communications	487,000.00
Catering	360,000.00
Community Develop. Programmes	500,000.00
Computer Expenses	2.356,010.00
Consulting Fees- Bus Consultants	940,000.00
Consulting Fee -legal Fees	2,850,000.00
Consulting: Fee. Public Relations	500,000.00
Consulting Fee- Technical Support	2,280.000.00
Consulting Fees - Outscurced Services	460,000.00
Consulting Fees. Strategic Plan	500,000.00
Consulting Fees Payroll Admin	150,000.00
Consulting Fees - Project Management	1,900,000.00
Corporate Social Investment	100,000.00
Depreciation	849,000.00

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION 1670

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 16 October 2009

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 22 OF 2009

Mr J J Mc Gluwa (ID) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

Whether the forensic audit into the "Who am I online" tender process has been completed; if not, why not; if so, (a) what has been the reason for the delay in making the report of the audit available and (b) when will the report be made available?

NW2126E

REPLY

No. The reason is that I do not have the report. The Auditors have not, yet, given it to us.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION 1667

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 04 DECEMBER 2009

1667. Mr L W Greyling (ID) to ask the Minister of Energy

(i) Whether she will consider raising the renewable energy target of 10 000Gwh by 2013; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) Whether she intends takings any steps to achieve this target; if not, why not; if so, what steps? NW2123E

REPLY

(1)The target will not be increased in relation to 2013. The Department intends to meet the 2013 target in the short term while reviewing the Renewable Energy White Paper to determine medium term and long term targets. This review process is underway and inputs from stakeholders and the general public will be considered. Out of this process, the target beyond 2013 will be determined.

(2)Yes, steps are being taken to achieve the target. New Generation Capacity Regulations were promulgated in August 2009 and they seek to regulate the entry by a buyer and an Independent Power Producer (IPP) into the Power Purchase Agreement. It further clarifies the procurement processes and procedures of the Renewable Energy under the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (REFIT) programme. The REFIT provides incentives that make the programme very attractive to investors.

This regulation defines the institutional arrangement within which this procurement must be controlled. The afore-mentioned regulation is expected to expedite the procurement process of the IPPs as well as ensure that all future electricity plans are aligned to correspond with the country's policy on primary energy mix in general (the integrated resource plan).

NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES

WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO 1666

(Internal Question Paper No 29 - 2009)

Mrs P de Lille (ID) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

1. Whether a delay to buy land from the Ekurhuleni Municipality, (details furnished) was experienced by a certain person (name furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what was the reason for the delay, (b) how can the person expedite the process and (c) what are the further relevant details;

2. whether he will take any steps to ensure that the said person will receive the required assistance to purchase land in the Vosloorus area; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

3. whether the municipality intends selling the plots through a public tender process; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

4. whether the municipality has dealt with the matter in accordance with its policy; if not, why not;

5. Whether he will take steps to ensure that the public is assisted by municipalities; if not, why not; if so, what steps? NW2122E

Answer

1. The matter of the person who made an offer to purchase a land from the municipality of Ekurhuleni Metro was never brought to the department attention and therefore the department is unable to confirm the details as required.

2. The details as provided by the member will be forwarded to the municipality for confirmation and response.

3. The department is not aware of the municipality intend to sell plots. However, as indicated below the municipality is obliged to follow its land disposal policy to deal with the selling of plots.

4. All municipalities are required by law to adopt policies for land disposal whichhas to be done within the Supply Chain Management framework. The policy must be informed by the relevant Town Planning Scheme, Regional Spatial Development Framework, and Integrated Development Plan (lDP) which provides for the municipality to either retain the piece of land for its planning and strategic purposes or release it for sale.

5. As indicated in point 2, all municipalities are encouraged to strengthen communication with communities to close the gap. Various public participation processes are in place and will be re-enforced through the Local Government Turn-Around Strategy.

QUESTION 1665

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [No 22-2009]

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 October 2009

1665. Mrs P de Lille (ID) to ask the Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform:

(1) What has been the delay regarding the land claim of a certain group against a certain farm (details furnished);

(2) what were the reasons for the alleged delay in the publication of the Government Gazette regarding this land;

(3) whether the Limpopo Land Claims office have dealt with the matter in accordance with the land claims policy; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(4) whether he will take any steps to expedite the matter; if not, why not; if so, what steps? NW2121E

THE MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LAND REFORM:

(1) The land claim in question involves four overlapping claims and a large number of land portions including the Kruger National Park, mining land, game farms, towns and villages, all of which required extensive research. In addition to explaining the restitution process to all stakeholders, these stakeholders had to be consulted in the conducting of in loco inspections and feasibility studies. While this in itself was a time consuming process, further delays were caused by some uncooperative land owners who refused to permit officials to enter their farms in order to conduct feasibility studies. There were also community conflicts which had to be resolved before the land claim could be processed further. In addition, there is a court challenge in respect of the validity of the claim by the Majeje Tribal Authority, the outcome of which will ultimately impact on the finalisation of the claim.

(2) The delay in the publication of the gazette notice resulted from the overlapping claims that necessitated extensive research, as well as the time taken to resolve the disputes amongst the claimant communities. The strike at the government printers further delayed publication.

(3) Yes. The claim has been processed in accordance with the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994 (Act No 22 of 1994) and the Rules of the Land Claims Commission.

(4) Yes. The Regional Land Claims Commissioner: Limpopo has been requested to expedite the resolution of any matters hampering the processing of this claim, and to ensure the completion of the feasibility study and valuations so that the negotiation process can commence. The appointment of a panel of assessors in the Land Claims Court has been concluded, which, it is hoped will contribute to more expeditious processing of cases.

QUESTION 1664

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16/10/09

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 22-2009)

Mrs P de Lille (ID) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:

(1) (a) How many (i) quintile 1 and (ii) 2 (aa) primary and (bb) high schools are on the National Feeding Scheme (NFS) and (b) what percentage of these schools receive it in each province;

(2) how many NFSs have been rolled out in quintile (a)(i)1 and (ii) 2 schools in each province in each year during the past five years up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) at what cost in each case;

(3) whether she intends rolling out the NFS to more quintile 1 and 2 schools; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(4) whether the roll-out of the NFS has been experiencing any delays; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what delays? N2120E

REPLY:

A total of 6 769 (100%) Q1 and 4 571 (99.5%) Q2 primary schools as well as 2 902 (99.7%) secondary schools are currently on the programme. The numbers provided on Table A are based on national quintiles as gazetted.

Table A: Quintile 1 and 2 primary schools and Q1 secondary schools coverage

Province	Q1 Primary schools		Q2 Primary schools		Q1 Secondary schools
Province	Number of schools	% receiving	Number of schools	% receiving	Number of schools	% receiving
Eastern Cape	1 770	100	1 402	100	1 402	100
Free State¹	856	100	140	95	89	100
Gauteng	202	100	378	100	42	100
KwaZulu-Natal	1 576	100	1 040	100	487	100
Limpopo	997	100	790	100	574	100
Mpumalanga²	438	100	389	100	76	97
Northern Cape	208	100	124	100	90	100
North West	461	100	203	100	132	100
Western Cape	261	100	105	100	10	100
Total	6 769	100	4 571	99.5	2 902	99.7

Explanatory notes for variances:

^1. Free State

Seven Q2 primary schools are not covered. Two are former technical schools that have recently been converted to primary schools; two are schools that were closed in previous years and were reopened in 2009; two schools, whose quintile status was not stated, have been ranked Q2 in 2009; one school is a newly- built school. All these schools will be included in the 2010/11 financial year.

^2. Mpumalanga

Two Q1 primary schools in Wakerstroom have been excluded upon request by Regional Management. The schools are fee-paying boarding schools that predominantly cater for learners from foreign countries.

According to the Conditional Grant Framework, it is a required that Q1-3 primary schools and Q1 secondary schools be included in the programme in terms of the official national quintiles as gazetted by the Minister. There are variances between provincial and national quintiles. As a result, provinces provide meals to more schools over and above national quintile

Number of learners in quintile 1 to 3 primary schools as at April 2009

The table below shows statistics on the number of quintile 1 to 3 primary and quintile

1 secondary schools that benefited from the programme from 2005/06 to 2009/10 financial years and the costs (expenditure) incurred.

Table B: Q1 to 3 primary and Q1 secondary schools and budget from 2005/06 to 2009/10

Province	2005/6		2006/7		2007/8		2008/9		2009/10
Province	Schools	Cost (R'000)	schools	Cost (R'000)	Schools	Cost (R'000)	Schools	Cost (R'000)	Schools	Budget (R'000)
EC	5 144	211 769	5 046	166 642	4 978	291,488	4 986	472 149	5 039	362 291
FS	1 416	60 628	1 643	80 078	1 472	68,004	1 472	80 907	1 427	87 082
GP	1 025	91 580	1 122	98 262	1 143	116,656	1 491	115 742	1 491	189 141
KZN	3 090	198 975	3 453	254 404	3 619	242,430	3 808	341 943	3 924	408 404
LP	2 753	191 072	2 711	212 363	2 622	192,901	2 601	253 199	2 601	287 065
MP	1 366	76 577	1 321	83 100	1 478	110,504	1 490	121 753	1 357	161 392
NC	311	28 706	445	29 199	440	37,132	440	58 991	440	41 147
NW	1 465	107 072	1425	120 635	1 154	88,254	1 092	117 093	1 057	115 562
WC	859	49 318	873	45 956	993	53,074	992	81 285	998	87 229
TOTAL	17 429	1 015 697*	18 039	979 324	17 899	1,200,443	18 372	1 643 062	18 334	1 739 313

* An adjusted budget of R200 million was received in the 2005/06 financial year, making the expenditure higher than 2006/07.

Table C: Quintile 1 Secondary schools as at 2009/10

Province	2009/10
	Schools	Budget (R'000)
	Schools	Budget (R'000)
Eastern Cape	182	81 420
Free State	90	23 221
Gauteng	42	38 329
KwaZulu-Natal	451	94 992
Limpopo	560	90 973
Mpumalanga	78	46 177
Northern Cape	60	9 357
North West	148	30 211
Western Cape	114	14 652
Total	1 725	429 332

3. Based on National Funding norms the programme has been rolled out to all quintile 1 to 3 primary schools and quintile 1 secondary schools. In the current financial year (2009/10), provinces received funds for preparation to extend feeding to quintile 2 secondary schools. Feeding will start in the next financial year.

4. The Department did not experience any delays in extending feeding to quintile 1 secondary schools, except for Free State Province which could not start feeding in April 2009. However all the provinces are currently feeding the required quintiles as planned.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO. 1662

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16 OCTOBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 22)

Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) Whether any (a) operations, (b) procedures or (c) dispensing of medicines was interrupted or stopped in the Free State in the past 12 months; if so, (i) why, (ii) what was interrupted or stopped, (iii) at which facilities, (iv) how many patients did it affect and (v) what was the length of the interruption or stoppage;

(2) whether he will launch an enquiry into the state of health care in the Free State; if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b) who will serve on the task team;

(3) whether any action was taken in the past 12 months against officials with regard to the Free State Department of Health limiting its services; if not, why not; if so, (a) what action and (b) against which officials;

(4) whether he has considered placing the Department of Health in the Free State under administration; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1895E

REPLY:

According to the Free State Provincial Department of Health, the cost-containment measures introduced in 2008/2009 lasted from September 2008 to February 2009.

(1) (a) and (b)

(i) There were institutions that could not operate or do certain procedures continuously because of interrupted supply of medical consumables and shortages of personnel.

Due to financial constraints, some of the suppliers could not be paid on time within the 2008/2009 financial year and the Department could also not appoint the necessary personnel.

(ii) The interruptions affected different orthopedic and surgical operations. Those that were very critical were referred to the private sector for treatment with an arrangement for the Department to pay at a later stage.

(iii) The interruptions mentioned above happened in Regional Hospitals in the Free State;

(iv) It has not been possible to quantify the number of patients affected;

(v) The interruptions would occur for a day or two in a particular hospital and alternative arrangements would then be made.

(i) Financial challenges experienced by the Department resulted in suppliers not being paid. The general shortage of medication affected Health facilities provincially;

(ii) The Department sought an internal redistribution plan assisting facilities to have access to medication of other facilities depending on the dire needs of the other;

(iii) It is estimated that 20% of the patients that visited facilities between January and April 2009 in the province were affected as they could not get all the medication they needed.

(2) Several visits were made to the Free State to assess the challenges and a number of interventions implemented including arranging with development partners to provide ARVs to the Province. In addition, the Premier of the Free State hosted a Health Summit in July 2009 to investigate the causes of the challenges faced by the Free State Department of Health. At the Summit a Programme of Action was adopted.

(3) The Provincial Treasury has put measures in place for the Free State Department of Health to comply with in 2009/2010 financial year.

QUESTION NO: 1661

DATE SUBMITTED:

MR JH VAN DER MERWE (IFP) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

(1) Whether she retains any shares or other financial interests in Dyambu; if so, what are the relevant details; if not, when were her shares or financial interests listed in the 2008 Register of Members' Interests relinquished;

(2) What is Dyambu's relationship with Bosasa; and

(3) Whether she knows of any vested interest she may have in the awarding of Correctional Services's contracts to specific services providers? NW1874E

REPLY

(1) The Minister is a founding member of Dyambu and she has always declared this in the Register of Members' Interests. She has not received any dividends from Dyambu, due to financial problems faced by the company, since its inception and has declared this in either the public or private part of the Register of Members' Interests over the years.

(2) There is no relationship between Dyambu and Bosasa.

(3) The Minister has no vested interest, whether directly or indirectly, with regard to any service provider that conducts business with the Department of Correctional Services.

QUESTION NO: 1659

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 9 October 2009

QUESTION PAPER NO: 20

DATE OF REPLY: 16 October 2009

Mrs J D Kilian (Cope) to ask the Minister of Communication:

(1) a) What are the terms of reference of the task team that was appointed to investigate the operations of Sentech, (b) when is the task team due to complete its report and (c) who are the members of the task team;

(2) whether the task team will consider compliance with Treasury regulations and the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether proper coordination between entities such as the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) and Sentech will be part of the investigation; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2067E

REPLY:

(1) (a) The terms of reference of the task team that was appointed to investigate the operations of Sentech is to undertake a full business review of Sentech's business and to advise the Minister on possible interventions required to sustain Sentech's business, based on its mandate and government's expectations.

(b) The Task Team will complete its report by the end of November 2009.

(c) Considering the sensitive nature of the work of the Ministerial Task Team the on SABC and Sentech businesses, and also to keep the independency of the individuals involved in the project, I will release the names once the project is complete.

2 Yes. The work at hand involves a review and advice on funding model and to conduct such, cross-referencing to existing legislations such as the ECA Act, PFMA to ensure compliance will be a primary requirement. It is also equally correct to state that should there be any policy matters that are a barrier to Sentech business growth and sustainability, they will be flagged and the Minister will be advised accordingly.

3. The mandate of the appointed Ministerial Task Team is only limited to Sentech and SABC.

QUESTION 1658

Ms L.D. Mazibuko (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

(a) In what capacity is a certain person (name furnished) employed in her department and (b)(i) on which compensation level and (ii) at what notch is his salary? NW2066e

REPLY

(a) Dr P.M. Ngobeni is employed in the Department of Defence and Military Veterans as a Special Adviser (Part-time) to the Minister.

(b) (i) He is remunerated on compensation level IV.

(II) .He is on R601761 per annum (i.e. 50% or half the remuneration of a full-time Special Adviser calculated at R1203522/2).

QUESTION NO 1655

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 9 OCTOBER 2009

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 20 - 2009)

Date reply submitted : 7 December 2009

Mr V B Ndlovu (IFP) to ask the Minister of Police:

What is the reason for the (a) increase in the number of murders as compared to attempted murders from the 2003-04 to 2008-09 financial years, (b) acceleration in this trend in Limpopo and the North West, (c) reverse in the trend in the (i) Eastern Cape in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 financial years and (ii) Western Cape in the 2008-09 financial year and (d) higher rate of murder than attempted murder in the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape, contrary to other provinces, since the 2004-05 financial year?

NW2062E

REPLY:

(a) According to "Annexure A" of the SAPs website www.saps.co.za (relevant tables are here: Annexure A ). Murder decreased by -8,5% and attempted murder decreased by
-39,2% from 2003/2004 to 2008/2009. As no increase occurred as implied by the member, we cannot provide a reason for the non-existent increase.

(b) The response to this section of the question is dependent on (a), since it refers to this trend of "…increase in the number of murders as compared to attempted murders from the 2003/2004 to 2008/2009 financial years", but this specific trend does not exist as indicated in (a) above. Over the period 2003/2004 – 2008/2009 attempted murder decreased in all nine provinces and murder only increased significantly in Limpopo (by 8,8%) and very marginally by 0,7% in the Free State. In the North West it remained stable at 0%. Everywhere else it decreased.

(c) Again the trend that is referred to, namely of an increase in the murders compared to attempted murders, does not exist. Decreases in murder and attempted murder were recorded in both the (i) Eastern Cape and (ii) Western Cape in 2008/2009.

(d) The murder ratios (rates per 100 000 of the population) over the period 2003/2004 to 2008/2009 are indeed higher in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape than in the rest of the provinces, where the attempted murder ratios are higher than the murder ratios. A whole range of possible explanations may exist for this pattern and it will be difficult to provide a definite response without proper research. Some of the possible explanations can inter alia be the following:

- The nature of the generators of and conditions conducive to the violence that underlay murder and attempted murder. Recent docket analysis of murder cases again revealed that in some provinces social violence is more dominant than, for example, violence associated with vigilantism, the taxi industry, gangsterism and robberies. Some of these phenomena are also more deadly than others (the intention to kill/eliminate is more intense).

- The kind of weapons/instruments used to commit the violence. It is a known and tested fact that firearm-related violence is much more likely to be fatal than that associated with sharp or blunt objects; and that violence committed with sharp instruments is often more deadly than that committed with a blunt object. It should be kept in mind that both murder and attempted murder relate to an intention to kill, which may very much depend on the type of weapon used in violent incidents.

- The distance to or availability of emergency services. When people are wounded or injured and emergency services (e.g. paramedical assistance and hospitals) are virtually immediately available, the victims of attempted murders may not succumb to injuries. If they die, they become murder victims.

- Vulnerability to mortality may vary across provinces, e.g. as a result of the presence of more elderly people with existing health conditions (e.g. high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiac conditions) in some provinces than in others - which may increase the risk of murders resulting from violence (successful attempted murders).

- The degree of validity of population figures may vary among provinces, which could have a significant influence on the crime ratios.

Reply to question 1655 approved by Minister

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Question 1653

Mr N Singh (IFP) to ask the Minister of Trade and Industry:

(1) Whether any progress has been made with the investigation of exorbitant bank charges: if not, why not; if so, what was the outcome;

(2) Whether his department has taken or intends taking any action against the implicated banks; if not, why not; if so, what action? NW2D60E

Response:

(1) The Competition Commission ("the Commission") has not initiated any investigations into the retail banking sector in terms of section 49 B (1) of the Competition Act ("the Act"). In August 2006 the Commission did, however, conduct an Inquiry into the market for personal transaction accounts and associated payments services under section 21 of the Act This Inquiry was conducted in response to widespread public concern regarding the degree of competition between banks in the provision of personal transaction accounts, and between banks and other providers of payment services.

The Inquiry handed its research and 28 recommendations to the Competition Commissioner for his consideration in June 2008. The full non-confidential report was released in December 2008. Both sets of documents are available on the Commission's website (www.compcom.co.za/banking ). The Commission has since been working on the implementation of the recommendations, in conjunction with National Treasury and the dti.

The Inquiry made various different types of recommendations. The three main categories are those recommendations aimed at improving consumer protection in this market; those aimed at improving access for non-banks to the National Payments System: and those aimed at addressing the anti-competitive outcomes of certain interbank arrangements. Industry participants have been encouraged to implement the recommendations they can implement on their own. Some have responded more enthusiastically than others. For the most part, however, implementation requires cooperation between the Commission, other parts of Government, and various industry stakeholders and representatives.

The Commission, established a Steering Committee, chaired by National Treasury, to review and devise plans for the implementation of the Inquiry's recommendations. The work of the Steering Committee is on-going and where necessary interaction with industry associations on certain recommendations takes place.

(2) The Commission is responsible for the investigation of anticompetitive practices and refers them to the Competition Tribunal for adjudication. As indicated above in (1), there has not been an investigation but an Inquiry. The Steering Committee Is expected to advise government on the implementation of the recommendations arising from the inquiry.

Question no 1652 /NW2059E

Mr. Joe McGluwa to ask the Minister of Labour;

1. What is the number of people who have applied to claim from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), for unemployment over the past three annual financial years to current?

2. Has the number of people applying to claim UIF for the unemployment increased over the past few years?

3. If there has been an increase, does the Minister believe that it has been a result of the current financial recession;

4. (a) What monetary reserves does the UIF have?

(b) Are these reserves sufficient to meet the number of applicants, if not, what is the

Department going to do to ensure all those eligible for UIF can claim it?

The Minister of Labour:

(1) TOTAL NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CLAIMED

Year	Unemployment	Illness	Maternity/ Adoption	Dependants	Total
2006/07	421,000	30,000	96,000	25,000	572,000
2007/08	397,000	25,000	89,000	16,000	527,000
2008/09	474,793	25,648	94,336	15,959	610,736
April to September 2009	340,884	13,542	55,122	8,224	417,772

(2) In the financial year 2006/2007, 421000 applications were received, which decreased to 397000 in the next financial year 2007/2008. In 2008/2009, the number of applications received increased to 474793, which is a 19.5% increase.

(3) Yes, the increase in the number of unemployment applications can be attributed to the economic crisis. In the current financial year 340884 unemployment claims were received from 1 April 2009 to 30 September 2009, which is an indication that the number of unemployment claims this year will exceed that of the previous year.

(4a) The UIF has a technical reserve which comprises out of an unearned premium reserve and an outstanding claims reserve, apart from its accumulated surpluses. As at 31 March 2009, the balances were as follow:

Technical reserve – Unearned premium reserve R 11,053 million

Outstanding claims reserve – included in benefits payable R 2,401 million

Accumulated surplus R 23,508 million

(4b) Yes, apart from the UIF's accumulated surplus, the technical reserves held by the UIF are based on actuarial valuations which take into account current economic trends and UIF claim data. The UIF is confident that its reserves are sufficient to meet the increased number of applicants.

QUESTION NUMBER: 1657

DATE FOR PUBLICATION: 2 NOVEMBER 2009

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 13 NOVEMBER 2009

MS S P LEBENYA-NTANZI (IFP) TO ASK THE MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY: PERFORMANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION AND ADMINISTRATION:

(1) What has been the (a) progress of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) regarding youth empowerment since its establishment and (b) constraints in this regard;

(2) Whether the NYDA intends having any specific projects aimed at school leavers; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW2065E

REPLY:

1.a) Progress of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) regarding youth empowerment since its establishment:

· A total of 14,968 jobs were created through the NYDA's interventions since its establishment in June 2009. The majority of these jobs were created in the National Youth Service Programme, Micro Finance Programme, and Business Consultancy Services Voucher Programme.

· The NYDA hosted Young Women's' Dialogue to identify appropriate programme interventions for Young Women as they have been identified as a priority target group by the National Youth Policy.

· An NYDA discussion document on the review of the National Student Financial Assistance Scheme (NSFAS) was developed, the document was presented at the Student Youth Colloquium.

· The NYDA hosted its first Interdepartmental Committee meeting at which the NYDA Chairperson presented the Agency's strategy to national government departments.

· The Lobby & Advocacy Unit is mobilising youth from various sectors, primarily through the South African Youth Council to participate in the NYDA provincial consultative sessions with civil society youth. The aim of arranging meetings with the youth chambers and civil society organizations was to address the problem area of fragmentation in youth development. Thus facilitating the creation of platforms as we are doing now seeks to better co-ordinate the various youth sectors thereby improving the impact of interventions.

· A Rural Youth Development Strategy has been completed. This strategy will inform NYDA's approach towards service delivery in rural areas.

· The NYDA is in the process of scaling up the Cooperatives Support Programme. The Co-operatives Programme supports co-ops through the provision of financial support, business development services, access to markets, skills development and training as well as mentorship.

· The NYDA has recently launched the Buy Youth Campaign. The purpose of the Buy Youth Campaign is to provide a linkage between youth owned enterprises and potential clients as well as to raise awareness and importance of investing in emerging youth companies.

· The NYDA has established six group lending sites across the country to expand the reach of funding beyond individuals and urban areas. To date 18 groups have been assisted.

· See Annexure 1 below for the June – September 2009 Statistical Report with further details on the NYDA's progress to date.

1. b) Constraints in this regard;

· The NYDA is experiencing cash flow challenges that have an adverse impact on service delivery. This is largely attributable to NYDA establishment related expenses which were not budgeted for by either the Umsobomvu Youth Fund or the National Youth Commission, decline in the performance of the loan portfolio due to the economic crisis; and partial disapproval by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) of UYF's Value Added Tax (VAT) claim. A funding request that had been made by the NYDA to National Treasury for funding of transitional costs through the Adjusted Estimates of national Expenditure(AENE) was not successful and thus exacerbating our financial situation

(2) Whether the NYDA intends having any specific projects aimed at school leavers; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

The NYDA responds to the needs of school leavers through a range of different programmes and services that attempt to do the following:

A) Prepare school leavers to access existing jobs. Through our JOBS programme young people can load their CV's on our jobs database. The NYDA sources job opportunities with public and private companies and institutions based on their recruitment criteria. Based on these criteria the NYDA matches the opportunities with the appropriate young person and provides the link to the job opportunity. In addition the NYDA provides Job Preparedness Workshops to youth through our branches and municipalities.

B) Designing and implementing skills programmes. The NYDA designs appropriate skills programmes based on scarce skills needs. These programmes range from training young people in furniture making; construction related trades etc. The programmes are implemented by specialised training providers including FET colleges.

C) National Youth Service (NYS) programmes. The NYS programmes are based on 3 categories. Category 1 programmes target out of school, unemployed and unskilled youth. In these programmes young people undergo technical training and apply the training in a community service activity, e.g. building roads and houses; maintaining and upgrading public buildings; providing home based care; providing ICT education and support to communities. Category 2 programmes target students in higher and further education institutions and graduates. In these programmes students are given an opportunity to serve their communities whilst studying with the aim of encouraging service learning. Category 3 programmes are aimed at all youth and encourage voluntary service including clean up campaigns; mentoring vulnerable youth; voter education etc.

D) Career guidance programmes. The NYDA provides career guidance services to young people through our branch network. These services include career planning; access to relevant fields of study and training; information on bursaries and scholarships and career counselling.

E) Matric 2^nd Chance Project. The NYDA is currently designing a project that will give 30 000 learners who have failed matric an opportunity to rewrite their examination. The project will target learners who have failed three or less subjects. The learners will receive targeted tuition and preparation in 58 sites across all nine provinces enabling them to rewrite their examination. The project will include the Department of Education and other public sector and private sector roleplayers.

Annexure 1; Statistical Report June – September 2009

Business Development Services
Product/Service		Indicator	Annual Target	Year to Date Target	Year To Date Actual
1	Business Consultancy Service (Voucher)	Voucher recipients	10,000	5,000	4,767
		Voucher issuance	10,000	5,000	3,741
		Jobs created/ Sustained	10,000	5,000	3,019
		Value of business opportunities accessed	R 160,000,000	R 80,000,000	R 16,754,334
		Loans/Funding	R 125,000,000	R 62,500,000	R 13,246,392
2	Business Opportunities Support Services	Value of opportunities Sourced	R 150,000,000	R 75,000,000	R 71,040,000
2	Business Opportunities Support Services	Value of opportunities operationalised	R 15,000,000	R 7,500,000	R 1,700,000
3	Volunteer-In-Action Mentorship Service	Mentees accessing mentorship service	3,000	1,500	1,177
3	Volunteer-In-Action Mentorship Service	Jobs created/ Sustained	1,000	500	344
4	Out of School Entrepreneurship Education	Entrepreneurial Training	2,000	1,000	1,295
Enterprise Finance
Product/Service		Indicator	Annual Target	Year to Date Target	Year To Date Actual
1	Micro Enterprise Finance	Value of Loans	R 26,000,000	R 13,000,000	R 15,500,000
		Number of Loans	9,750	4,875	6,265
		Jobs created/ Sustained	14,600	7,300	6,175
		Portfolio at Risk	20%	20%	28%
2	Small Medium Enterprises (SME)	Value of Loans	R 50,000,000	R 25,000,000	R 19,303,000
		Number of Loans	50	25	21
		Jobs Created/Sustained	350	175	221
		Portfolio at Risk	10%	10%	34%
Skills Development &Transfer
Product/Service		Indicator	Annual Target	Year to Date Target	Year To Date Actual
1	National Youth Service (NYS) Category 1 & 3	Youth in Registered projects		0	0
		Youth in funded projects		0	0
		Youth in existing NYS projects		9,725	41,982
2	Entrepreneurship Education (EE) & NYS Category 2	Out of School EE	2,000	1,000	1,295
		In School EE	42,350	21,175	30,803
		Supplier Development	500	250	0
		NYS Category 2	5,000	2,500	2,049
3	Jobs and Opportunities Database (JOBS)	Jobs created	1,000	500	364
3	Jobs and Opportunities Database (JOBS)	Young people Accessing Jobs preparedness Workshops	5,000	2,500	2,900
Service Delivery Channel
Product/Service		Indicator	Annual Target	Year to Date Target	Year To Date Actual
1	New Youth Advisory Centres (YACs)	8 YACs	8	4	0
	Existing YACs	13			13
2	Dissemination of information to young people through YACs,YAC Points & YAC Mobiles	1m provided with information	1,000,000	500,000	288,564
3	Call Centre Interactions	140 000 interactions	140,000	70,000	62,260

QUESTION NUMBER: 1651

DATE FOR PUBLICATION: 9 OCTOBER 2009

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 15 December 2009

MRS D ROBINSON (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF WOMEN, CHILDREN, AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES:

(1) Whether all (a)(i) offices and (ii) sites of her department and (b) entities reporting to her adhere to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act 85 of 1993; if not, (aa) why not, (bb) which facilities fail to adhere to the Act, (cc) where are they situated, (dd) what (aaa) aspects of the Act does each such facility not comply with and (bbb) action has been taken in each case; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) (a) how often should each facility be inspected and (b) when last was each facility inspected? NW2057E

Response

The Presidency fully complies with the above act.

2009-11-04

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