Question & Replies No 851 to 900

2008-11-27

[PMG note: Any gaps in the numbering are due to the replies not being provided yet]

QUESTION NO. 851

(Internal Question Paper No 15 – 2008)

Mr W P Doman (DA) to ask the Minister for Provincial and Local Government:

(1) Whether his department has conducted an audit to determine the (a) successes and (b) failures of Project Consolidate; if so, (i) what were the findings and (ii) where is it available; if not,

(2) whether such an audit will be conducted in the future; if not, why not; if so, when?

ANSWER

(1) The department conducted a preliminary assessment of the impact of Project Consolidate at the end of 2006, which was part of a wider review of local government performance.

(a) & (b) (i) The key findings may be summarised as follows:

Considerable success has been achieved in the mobilisation of resources, both financial and human, to directly support service delivery within municipalities, namely:

· support, direct and indirect, has been mobilised from provinces, national government, development finance institutions, donor agencies and the private sector;

· Project Consolidate resulted in the deployment of service delivery facilitators, and introduced a new culture and method of working with municipalities, in the form of localised, direct and sustained interaction. Project Consolidate resulted in the deployment of 281 experts and professionals to 85 Project Consolidate municipalities by the end of 2006. It should be noted that by the end of April 2008, deployments had increased to 1 134 experts in 268 of the 283 municipalities (95%);

· the participatory Izimbizo Programme created a national platform for communities to directly interact with both the political and administrative leadership across all spheres of government on persistent service delivery challenges; and

· there is now a keener appreciation across all spheres of government, the non-government sector and the private sector of the dynamics and the context of the challenges faced by the local government sector.

Other key findings covered in the 2006/7 report were:

· the municipal profiling exercise that was undertaken early in 2004 on municipal capacity and performance correctly reflected the capacity challenges faced by local government;

· the intergovernmental response to support local government would require a targeted and hands-on approach to focus on those factors causing poor performance;

· efforts by other spheres of government to support local government are often provided in an ad hoc manner;

· some municipalities are experiencing significant capacity challenges as a result of a lack of resident expertise; and

· support to municipalities must be structured and undertaken by all organs of state, by making use of resources at government's disposal in partnership with other sectors.

(ii) This report was submitted to the Cabinet Lekgotla held in January 2007.

(2) In 2006, government adopted the Local Government Strategic Agenda (LGSA) (2006 – 2011), that was aimed at mainstreaming the lessons from Project Consolidate, and ensuring that all municipalities benefit from the hands-on-support approach. Through the monitoring and evaluation mechanism set up at the dplg for the monitoring of the LGSA, regular reports are provided to the Cabinet Makgotla and Local Government MINMEC on all the 5 key performance areas for local government.

QUESTION NO: 853

QUESTION PAPER NO 10: 21 AUGUST 2009

DATE SUBMITTED:

MR J SELFE (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES

Whether she or her department engages the services of information technology consultants; if so, (a) which company/ies , (b) at what cost as at the latest specified date for which information is available, (c) how many staff are employed as such consultants, (d) what services do they provide and (e) for how long have such consultants been providing such services? NW1003E

REPLY

a) SITA (SITA tender 569)

Consultants used within DCS are appointed by SITA. The department procure these services through SITA from Tender 569 which is the latest one being used within the government. Through this tender the department can either procure direct from the Service Provider listed on it or can procure through SITA.

b) Cost FY 2008/9

The cost of consultants to the latest date of the Financial Year 2008/9 is:

· Systems Development R 36,702,067.44

· Customer Relation Management R 11,711,310.87

· National Contact Centre Project R 12,793,689.90

c) Number of Consultants:

· Systems Development - 57

· Customer Relation Management - 23

· National Contact Centre Project - 15

d) The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) requested SITA to provide them with a solution in terms of their information technology requirements for their application projects and support thereof.

· The services provided by SITA include:

· System maintenance services

· System support services

· Project management activities

· System development life cycle activities/services

· Software configuration management

· Programme administration services

· Resource management activities

· Skills transfer to DCS members

· Skills retention

· Research and development

· Cost reduction strategy.

e) SITA is providing the above mentioned service to the Department since April 2002.

QUESTION NUMBER 854

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30 MAY 2008

Dr S M van Dyk (DA) to ask the Minister of Finance:

Whether his department is planning to revoke the electricity levy of 2 cents per kWh which would have contributed R4 billion to the State coffers; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, when will it be revoked? NW1545E

REPLY:

The decision to implement a 2 cent per kWh tax on electricity was announced in the 2008 Budget on 20 February 2008 and preparations for the implementation of this tax, as from 1 September 2008.

The objectives of this tax are clearly spelled out in the 2008 Budget Review and in my budget speech.

Environmental considerations and in particular the challenge of c limate change necessitate that governments should make greater use of fiscal measures to encourage both producers and consumers to reduce their reliance on carbon-intensive fuels. The imposition of an electricity tax, by increasing the cost of electricity derived from fossil fuels, shifts the price signals confronting producers of electricity in favour of renewable sources and will similarly encourage households to invest in renewable energy alternatives.

To the extent that some of the larger electricity consumers (very energy intensive users) are partially protected from electricity price increases through their tariff agreements with Eskom, the imposition of an electricity tax serves as an alternative (or additional) price signal to encourage energy efficiency.

I should also add that government requires revenue from various taxes to fund its spending programmes, including the R60 billion package earmarked for Eskom to assist it to expand its electricity generation capacity.

QUESTION 855

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [NO 15-2008]

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30 May 2008

855. Dr S M van Dyk (DA) to ask the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs:

(1) Whether land claims were instituted on a certain subdivided farm in the Thabazimbi district, Limpopo; if so, with reference to each part of the subdivisions, (a) by whom, (b) by what date and (c) what are the further relevant details;

(2) whether the owners were separately informed of these claims being instituted; if not, why not; if so, (a) by whom, (b) when were the claims instituted and (c) in which document was it declared;

(3) whether, if any land claims were instituted on either part of the farm, any measures are in place by Government to make a purchase offer to the owner(s); if not, why not; if so, when will it be executed? NW1546E

THE MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS

(1) Yes. A land claim for the farm Doornpoort 21 JQ was lodged in terms of the Restitution of Land Rights Act, 1994. The claim was lodged on the Remaining Extent (Portion 0) measuring 528 hectares and on Portion 1 measuring 939 hectares.

(a) The claim was instituted by Chief Kobete Ramokaka on behalf of the Baphlalane Ba Ramokoka community.

(b) 2 September 1998.

(2) Yes. Letters were delivered by hand to the landowners on 12 September 2005; posters of the Gazette Notices were placed in mid September 2005; a general stakeholder meeting was held on 19 October 2005; and joint in loco inspections with landowners were conducted over the period 25 to 28 March 2006.

(a) Officials of the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, North West Province.

(b) 2 September 1998.

(3) No. The validity of the claim for Doornpoort 21 JQ is being challenged in the Land Claims Court by the landowners. The finalisation and settlement of this claim is dependant on the processes of the Land Claims Court.

QUESTION 856

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30/05/2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 15-2008)

Mrs D van der Walt (DA) to ask the Minister of Education:

(1) Whether Afrikaans-speaking students may apply for the funza lushaka bursary scheme; if not, (a) what is the position in this regard and (b) how many applications of such students were nevertheless received; if so, how many of these students received bursaries;

(2) whether she will review the criteria of this bursary scheme as a matter of urgency to allow for students of all languages to apply and qualify; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1547E

(1) Yes, Afrikaans-speaking students can apply for funza-lushaka bursaries. We do not know how many bursaries have been awarded Afrikaans-speaking students, but as seven of the twenty-two higher-education institutions use Afrikaans as a medium of instruction we can assume that there are a considerable number of Afrikaans-speaking beneficiaries (see table 1).

Table 1: Funza Lushaka bursaries at Afrikaans-medium universities, 2007, 2008

University	Bursary allocation 2007	Bursary allocation 2008	Number of bursaries awarded 2008
University of Stellenbosch	R 7,200,000	R 10,800,000	274
University of the Western Cape	R 4,000,000	R 6,000,000	150
University of Pretoria	R 7,200,000	R 10,800,000	270
University Johannesburg	R 7,200,000	R 10,800,000	199
University of the Free State	R 7,200,000	R 10,800,000	279
North West University	R 7,200,000	R 10,800,000	219
UNISA	R 6,000,000	R 8,000,000	472
Total	R46,000,000	R 68,000,000	1,863

(2) The Department of Education reviews the priority areas for the bursary scheme annually and will do so again this year. The policy encourages students of all languages to apply.

QUESTION NO 857

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15/2008)

Date reply submitted: 18 June 2008

Ms D Kohler‑Barnard (DA) to ask the Minister of Safety and Security:

(1) In each of the past 14 years up to and including 26 May 2008, how many (a) violent and (b) peaceful demonstrations have taken place in each province;

(2) whether his department has any early warning systems in place with regard to public demonstrations that are at risk of turning violent; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) what training do non‑specialist SA Police Service members at station level receive with regard to crowd management;

(4) how regularly, in terms of (a) basic and (b) refresher training, are non‑specialist functional members at station level trained in crowd management techniques?

NW1548E

REPLY:

(1) Owing to the alignment of the current database with the new dispensation and regulatory framework of the Regulation of Gatherings Act, 1993 (Act No. 205 of 1993), promulgated in 1996, the requested data is only available from 1997. This is because crowd management incidents are no longer viewed as illegal, but are rather defined as either peaceful or unrest‑related crowd management incidents.

Since 1997 until the present, (a) 8695 violent or unrest‑related crowd management incidents and (b) 84 487 peaceful demonstrations or peaceful crowd management incidents took place.

See attached statistics for the incidents per category, per province and per year.

(2) All of the units specialized in crowd management (ie the Crime Combating Units (CCU) or Public Order Police (POP) units as they have been renamed) have an information/intelligence capacity at the unit with officers and members specifically dedicated to monitoring and policing all gatherings and demonstrations. This capacity ensures that all information on gatherings and demonstrations is obtained beforehand in order to ensure that effective planning takes place to manage these incidents. However, it often happens that spontaneous or unplanned incidents take place. In this regard, these units have a reserve capacity which can be mobilized and deployed as soon as a request is received from a local police station.

In this regard intelligence on crowd management incidents is also available from the Division: Crime Intelligence in the SAPS, and the National Intelligence Agency.

(3) The national office initiated the establishment of a crowd management capacity at 169 priority stations. This process began in 2006, with the identification of the priority stations most in need of this training. The process of training station members is still ongoing. Members from Mamelodi, Sebokeng, Thabong and Alexandra have already been trained.

In some provinces such as the North West, the Provincial Commissioner has also taken the initiative to expand the province 's crowd management capacity by training station members in Potchefstroom, Mmabatho and Rustenburg.

(3) Currently only members at units specialized in crowd management undergo basic training on arrival at the unit and refresher training annually thereafter. Station members at Mamelodi, Sebokeng, Thabong and Alexandra have undergone basic crowd management training but no refresher training.

Crowd management incidents 1997 to 2008 (Peaceful and unrest‑related)

Prov	1997				1998		1999		2000		2001		2002		2003		2004		2005		2006		2007		2008
	P			UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR	P	UR
GP	890			156	1808	228	1353	132	1368	161	1450	126	1492	121	1728	120	1769	119	1966	193	1797	252	1339	190	552	153
		-680WC	499	88	974	151	1060	117	970	112	696	95	525	87	522	99	561	88	591	141	499	167	658	114	231	72
NW	638			69	950	100	1364	97	1154	71	904	70	970	73	784	55	1183	53	1181	77	1156	47	1311	165	464	52
FS	762			138	711	224	586	75	459	80	543	39	352	24	433	16	369	68	590	169	676	57	400	50	134	38
KZN	1099			137	1339	114	1217	102	973	94	1191	76	1200	65	1585	68	2028	103	2110	97	2179	117	1111	49	308	35
EC	896			115	1445	191	1602	122	1622	109	1574	118	915	55	964	66	840	32	1163	123	1700	89	716	46	138	19
LIM	202			118	389	95	342	38	305	23	517	20	410	70	417	40	648	35	777	33	773	33	590	36	218	15
NC	131			26	148	13	163	16	220	34	205	68	182	50	215	41	242	29	428	46	446	9	381	41	110	11
MP	180			34	338	69	284	37	183	29	201	20	141	25	163	21	358	35	424	53	492	79	120	17	25	6
Tot	5308			880	8102	1185	7971	736	7074	713	7281	632	6187	570	6811	526	7998	562	9230	932	9719	850	6626	708	2180	401

QUESTION NO 858

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15/2008)

Ms D Kohler-Barnard (DA) to ask the Minister of Safety and Security:

(a) What is the current capacity of the (i) SA Police Service National Intervention Units (NIU) and (ii) SAPS Crime Combating Units (CCU) in respect of total numbers in each (aa) province, (bb) gender and (cc) rank, (b) what is the average size of teams of the Crime Combating personnel that have been allocated to station level, (c) how often are members of the CCU trained in crowd management tactics and skills, (d) how do the CCU and the NIU equipment and methods compare with international trends on crowd management, (e) how frequently are the crowd management equipment and methods used by the CCU and the NIU reviewed and adjusted, (f) what are the relevant details of the CCU and the NIU policies for crowd management in respect of (i) methods used, (ii) equipment used and (iii) on-site chain of command and accountability for actions taken and (g) what are the current challenges faced by the CCU and the NIU in respect of (i) skills and (ii) equipment?

NW1549E

REPLY:

(a) CURRENT CAPACITY

(i) 435 NIU operational and support members

(ii) 2 595 CCU operational and support members

(aa) TOTAL NUMBERS PER PROVINCE

NIU - Gauteng - 160

KwaZulu-Natal - 84

Western Cape - 74

Eastern Cape - 117

TOTAL 435

CCU - Gauteng 594

KwaZulu-Natal 475

Western Cape 156

Eastern Cape 464

Free State 346

Limpopo 218

Mpumalanga 0

North West 249

Northern Cape 93

TOTAL 2 595

(bb) GENDER

NIU Males 370

Females 65

TOTAL 435

CCU Male: 2 310

Female: 285

TOTAL 2 595

(cc) NIU SNR SUPT - 4

SUPT - 6 Operational 3 Support

CAPT - 23 Operational 12 Support

INSP - 122 Operational 18 Support

SGT - 24 Operational 4 Support

CST - 219 Operational

Total = 398 37

CCU Officers 105

Inspectors 2 064

Constables/Sergeants 193

Civilians 233

Total 2 595

(b) Number of members deployed to stations per province

Gauteng 1 025

Mpumalanga 263 (Members of all units deployed to stations)

Limpopo 369

North West 588

Free State 270

KwaZulu Natal 1 017

Eastern Cape 623

Northern Cape 60

Western Cape 417

Total 4 632

(c) Members of CCUs undergo training in crowd management tactics and skills annually, they go for shooting exercises at least twice annually, and crowd management training once a year.

(d) NIU - The NIU is responsible for volatile public disorder situations, eg taxi violence, gangsterism and urban terrorism. Our equipment meets international standards.

CCU - CCUs crowd management methods compare favourably with those of our international counterparts. CCU instructors have trained police services in a number of countries in Africa, such as Botswana, the DRC, Ethiopia, Comores, and Lesotho. CCUs still have links with a number of European counterparts, like the French and Belgian Gendarmerie, and the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Northern Ireland. The CCUs even have a marked advantage over many of their international counterparts as a result of a well-regulated crowd management environment provided by the Regulation of Gatherings Act 1993 (Act No 205 of 1993).

(e) NIU - As the NIU stabilizes, the equipment used for dealing with incidents of serious and violent crime is reviewed and adjusted regularly. Continuous research is conducted and equipment is aligned with the current operational standards.

CCU - Crowd management equipment and methods are reviewed and adjusted on an ongoing basis. In the last five years additional equipment has been introduced to crowd management situations as a less lethal option in the progression of force, such as pepper spray and the deployment of the awaited new water canons due to arrive in September 2008. In terms of methods, aspects such as the use of force and application of rubber rounds are constantly reviewed.

(f) (i) NIU - Situational appropriateness

CCU - The CCU is guided by the Regulation of Gatherings Act, the crowd management policy, and Standing Order (General) 262 on Crowd Management at gatherings and demonstrations.

The CCU's methods are based on the principles of crowd management and are transferred to the action modes entrenched in the current CCU training curriculum.

(ii) NIU - Proportionally

CCU - The equipment used by the CCU is based on Standing Order (General) 262 on Crowd Management which clearly indicates the use of force and equipment that can be used in crowd management situations as well as equipment that is restricted and equipment that is prohibited.

(iii) NIU - The team leader in the action zone is accountable for actions and report to the relevant authorities.

CCU - In terms of the on site chain of command, the senior member trained in crowd management must have operational command and accountability over all the members at the scene.

(g) (i) NIU - Skills must continuously be adjusted to deal with new threats.

Shortage of trainers.

The need for new recruits.

(ii) NIU - The equipment used is manufactured internationally and the process to acquire it takes long.

CCU - There is a need for cost effective armoured vehicles.

There is also a need for new crowd management equipment that is lighter in weight.

QUESTION NO 859

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15/2008)

Date reply submitted: 24 June 2008

Ms D Kohler‑Barnard (DA) to ask the Minister of Safety and Security:

(1) Whether he appointed a certain company (name furnished) to effect a Litigation Due Diligence pertaining to litigation in respect of his department; if so, on what date was the appointment made;

(2) whether the accounting officer of the SA Police Service approved the appointment; if not, what was the exact written mandate for the Litigation Due Diligence; if so, (a) what amount was approved by his department, (b) on what dates in each case, (c) what amount was paid to the said company upon completion of the Litigation Due Diligence and (d) when was the Litigation Due Diligence completed;

(3) whether the prescribed procurement process was done as stipulated in the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, and Treasury Regulations; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(4) whether any fee structure and timeframe was agreed upon by the time the mandate was given; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(5) whether the said company provided him with the report containing findings and recommendations; if not, why not; if so, (a) when will the report be made available, (b) what were the (i) findings and (ii) recommendations in respect of the Litigation Due Diligence, (c) what steps has he initiated to address the findings and recommendations and (d) what are the further relevant details?

NW1550E

REPLY:

Yes. The subject matter is currently being audited by the Auditor‑General as part of the normal auditing process and responses in reply to the questions raised will be provided once the auditing process has been finalized

QUESTION 865

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER [NO 15–2008]

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30 MAY 2008

865. Mr M J Ellis (DA) to ask the Minister for Agriculture and Land Affairs:

(1) Whether her Department has conducted an energy audit to determine its (a) use of energy and (b) opportunities for reduction of energy use; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether her Department has any plans to reduce energy consumption; if not, why not; if so, what plans;

(3) whether her Department has made any material reduction in energy use since 1 January 2008; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1556E

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND LAND AFFAIRS:

(In respect of the Department of Land Affairs)

(1)(a) and (b) No. However, the Department of Public Works appointed Chapman Facility Managers, a registered Energy Service Company (ESCO) to conduct preliminary and detailed energy audits during 2005/06. The said ESCO investigated energy management opportunities, and monitored and verified energy savings on a monthly basis. The ESCO implemented the lighting upgrade of the new Co-operation building at a cost of R1, 478,220.00. It was estimated that energy savings would exceed R212, 351.00 per annum with a further saving of R135, 000.00 per annum on materials and labour. The expected saving represented a minimum of 20% savings in the energy consumption of the facility.

(2) Yes. The following energy consumption measures have been implemented:

- lights are switched on only when necessary and optimum use of natural light is encouraged;

- spaces such as parking garages, corridors and kitchens are not over-lit;

- arrangements have been made with the Security Management Unit to patrol the building, and switch off all power not required during the day and after close of business;

- cleaning services are restricted to day light hours;

- circulars and posters on energy savings are issued to all DLA offices.

In addition to the measures implemented by the Department of Land Affairs, the Department of Public Works will, amongst others, ensure:

- replacement of incandescent lamps with Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL's);

- replacement of fluorescent lights with LED tube replacement lights;

- increase the current emphasis on incorporating energy efficiency into building design, construction, operation and maintenance;

- develop ways to ensure that buildings leased for the State's use will be compliant with the requirements, standards and regulations governing energy efficiency in buildings.

(3) Yes. The Department has made significant material reduction in energy use since 1 January 2008 as indicated by the municipal bills hereunder:

January 2007 January 2008

R2,454,733.00 R 456,916.00

February 2007 February 2008

R 874,928.00 R 750,028.00

March 2007 March 2008

R 931,301.00 R 984,947.00

April 2007 April 2008

R 473,408.00 not yet available

May 2007 May 2008

R 756,101.00 not yet available

QUESTION 866

Mr M J Ellis (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Enterprises:

(1) Whether his department has conducted an energy audit to determine its (a) use of energy and (b) opportunities for reduction of energy use; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether his department has any plans to reduce energy consumption; if not, why not; if so, what plans;

(3) whether his department has made any material reduction in energy use since 1 January 2008; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1557

Reply:

(1)(a)(b) Yes, an audit of energy consumption in the department was conducted and measures implemented to ensure reduction in electricity consumption, for example, an Energy Saving Monitoring System was installed to monitor reduction in energy consumption - various energy saving initiatives will still be explored.

(2) Yes, the department has developed an Electricity Consumption Reduction Strategy approved in February this year.

The Strategy includes the following:

· Energy saving chokes with override switches for lights.

· PLC's that is programmed to ensure downtime for air conditioners and lights at night

· Motion switches for lights in Boardrooms

· Hot water in bathrooms disconnected

(3) Table 1: Energy savings per month since the implementation of energy initiatives in March 2008.

Month	Total Consumption in kWh	Savings in kWh	@ average of R0.34 kWh	Savings
March 2008	80 267.6	-	-	-
April 2008	62 518.79	17 748.81	X R0.34	R6 035.00
May 2008	49 843.78	30 423.82	X R0.34	R10 344.00
June 2008	57 091.68	23 175.92	X R0.34	R7 879.81
The total saved to date is 71 348.55 kWh to the value of R 24 258.81

QUESTION NO. 868 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30 May 2008

Mr G R Morgan (DA) to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism:

(1) Whether his department has conducted an energy audit to determine its (a) use of energy and (b) opportunities for reduction of energy use; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether his department has any plans to reduce energy consumption; if not, why not; if so, what plans;

(3) whether his department has made any material reduction in energy use since 1 January 2008; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1559E

MR G R MORGAN (DA) SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

868. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

(1) (a) and (b) Yes. These are particularly efficiency savings on lighting systems and computers, amongst others.

(2) The Department has energy efficiency plans aimed at the reduction of electricity consumption. The following practical energy efficiency measures have been implemented:

§ Rolling out of Energy Efficiency Campaign aimed at reducing energy consumption at work place and at home on the efficient use of electrical appliances at work and home.

§ All our light fittings have been replaced / retrofitted with energy efficiency accessories

§ The lights are switched off at 22:00 and switched on at 06:00 daily. Only emergency stairs / corridors / security linked points remain lit at all times for security reasons.

§ Dedicated light switches were installed for specific areas /sections for easy control by users

§ Geysers have been switched off and alternative cheaper and energy efficient water heaters have been installed.

§ Users are continuously encouraged to shutdown their PC's, notebooks, printers, radios, fans and fax machines and other electrical appliances before the leaving the office at the end of each business day.

§ The communal air-conditioners have been adjusted accordingly to switch on at 06:30 and off at 22:00 daily. The split unit air-conditioners in boardrooms and offices are switch on only when it is necessary by users

§ All IT equipment had been adjusted to a "hibernate" mode.

(3) The Department cannot currently supply information in this regard. Information on the reduction in energy use for 2008/9 financial year will only be available at the end of the year after comparison processes for the energy consumption levels with the previous financial year has been concluded.

QUESTION 869

DATE OF PUBLICATION: FRIDAY, 30 May 2008

869: Mr M J Ellis (DA) to ask the Minister of Minerals and Energy:

(1) Whether his department has conducted an energy audit to detennine its (a) use of energyand (b) opportunitics for reduction of energy use; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

The Department of Minerals and Energy, conducted an Energy audit as part of its energy efficiency audit more than 4 years back. following this audit and its findings, a program was undertaken to install energy efficiency light bulbs in all its offices. This was because the audit findings indicated that retrofitting of the light fittings is the most cost effective energy efficiency intervention, as other interventions will have cost substantial amounts of money. The ultimate challenge with the current DME building is that it is an old building and to do a retrofitting of the air conditioners, sealing the windows and making improvements on the walls will cost large amounts and the payback period related to the retrofit of this old building does not justify these investments

The DME is in a process of moving out of the current building as the lease has expired and we are not interested in renewing the lease. As a policy depanment we experience difticulties in implementing our policies and programs around energy efficiency particularly in the rented building like the one we currently occupy and this often results to us failing to lead by example. A new process is currently underway to acquire an energy efficient building through the Public Works Department,

(2) whether his department has any plans to reduce energy consumption; ifnot, why not; if so,
what plans;

Answer

Yes. The Depamnent has an energy efficiency program to reduce energy consumption which is monitored on a daily basis. In terms of this policy lighting within the department is centrally controlled by security component. On a daily basis the DME lights are swhched off between 20:00pm and 6:00 am and thisprogram is managed by the security personnel. Report on compliance are lodged on a daily basis and supervised by the responsible manager and if need be these are presented to the Executive Management Committce(EXCO) on a weekly basis or as and when required. Despite having this program it isstill hard to implement a full scale energy efficiency program In the building as old as the one we are currently occupying.

(3) whether his department has made any material reduction in energy use since I January 2008;
if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Answer

The electricity billing and payment in government building is centrally controlled through the Department of Public Works (DPW) and it is often difficult to get the electricity accounts to see the actual savings that have been achieved, however there is a. plan as part of the energy efficiency program in the Public Sector, for which a Cabinet memo has already been approved to ensure that each and every department takes full responsibility for its electricity accounts and metering. The planned program will assist the department to monitor energy consumption on a monthly and continuous basis.

NWISS7E

QUESTION NO. 870 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30 May 2008

Mr G R Morgan (DA) to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism:

(1) Whether (a) systems and (b) technology are in place in (i) Table Bay and (ii) in the vicinity of Koeberg Power Station to respond to the challenge of an oil spill; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether his department has the required personnel to deal with such a challenge; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether there are particular challenges in this area when responding to an oil spill; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1561E

MR G R MORGAN (DA) SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

870. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

(1) Yes. Response equipment managed by the Department is stationed at Paarden Island in Cape Town. An aircraft is also available to conduct aerial assessments. The Department's Environmental Protection Vessels are available to disperse oil slicks mechanically, or chemically if necessary. Response equipment is further available at the ports of Cape Town and Saldanha, and there are specialized service providers available in the area to assist if necessary. The Koeberg Power Station has developed its own spill response plan and has acquired equipment to prevent the ingression of oil into the station's Cooling Water Intake Basin.

(2) Yes. An oil spill response unit is based at the Branch: Marine and Coastal Management (Cape Town), and is capable of implementing or coordinating response operations in accordance with well-established contingency plans. Depending on the cause and extent of the spill, assistance may be requested from local authorities, the oil and petroleum industry itself, or specialized maritime service providers.

(3) No. However, as is the case with any other coastal zone in South Africa, there are a number of interested and affected parties that could potentially have a role to play in combating an oil spill, ongoing communication and liaison are critical to ensure that such parties are fully conversant with predefined response procedures. The Department intends to review its Coastal Contingency Plan for the Cape Zone, as part of a broader process to update its entire suite of Coastal Contingency Plans in South Africa. Each review will be coupled with a local workshop to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are conversant with the contents thereof.

Question 871

Mrs J A Semple (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Enterprises:

(1) Whether a study has been conducted to assess the potential risk of an oil spill to the safety and integrity of the Koeberg Power Station; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether the abovementioned station would be required to close down in the event of an oil spill occurring adjacent to the station; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether systems are currently in place at this station to respond to an oil spill; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(4) whether it is in line with best practice technology or processes currently available; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1562

Reply:

(1) The design of the Koeberg power station took into account the threats of an off shore oil spill and the risk that this could pose to the safety of the station. An oil spill, if allowed to enter the cooling water intake basin could compromise the plant's cooling ability. Detailed studies were undertaken to assess this risk. Emergency procedures for this event were developed, involving a number of mitigating actions, including the deployment of an oil boom.

(2) In the event of a severe oil spill in the vicinity of the Koeberg intake basin, the emergency procedure would be activated, which could include the deployment of an oil boom. Further mitigating steps would include decreasing the power generated to reduce the flow of water in the intake basin. The power station could also be shutdown completely to protect the safety systems.

(3) Emergency procedures were developed to manage a possible oil threat to the intake basin. The procedures address power level and the deployment of an oil boom and associated equipment to protect the intake basin. Exercises are done annually to assure the ongoing capability to properly deploy the oil boom and associated equipment.

(4) The emergency oil spill procedure and oil boom equipment have taken into account world wide benchmarking exercises and operational experiences gained from international nuclear power utilities. The oil boom was selected as it meets the requirements of the intake basin in the event of an oil spill.

QUESTION NO. 872 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30 May 2008

Mr G R Morgan (DA) to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism:

(1) Whether his department's comments on the environmental impact assessment and environmental management plan regarding a certain proposed mining development (name furnished) were submitted to the regional director of the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) within the required time-frames of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (Act No. 28 of 2002); if not, why not; if so, how was this conclusion reached;

(2) whether the comments were submitted after the cut off date; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1563E

MR G R MORGAN (DA) SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

872. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

(1) The department was awarded, in terms of the provisions of the Minerals & Petroleum Resources Development Act of 2002, three opportunities to comment on Environmental Reports related to the Xolebeni Mining Development application, namely in May 2007 on Environmental Scoping Report, in September 2007 on the revised Scoping Report and in November 2007 on the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and Draft Environmental Management Programme (EMPR).

Comprehensive comments stipulating both the department's concerns and additional authorization requirements stemming from the National Environmental Management Act of 1998 were submitted to the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) on all three occasions. Whilst the comments on the Scoping Report and the Revised Scoping Report were submitted within the prescribed time frames, the comments on the draft EIR and EMPR were due to an administrative error not submitted by the due date, 21 December 2007.

(2) As indicated above, failure to submit on time was due to an administrative error. Whilst the response was signed by the Acting Chief Director: Environmental Impact Management and uploaded on the departmental electronic document management system on 20 December 2007 for the Director General's consideration, senior management was not alerted to the urgency of the matter due to staff being away over the festive season. Follow-up was only made after the due date.

In light of previous refusal by the DME to extend time frames or to accept late comments, the comments were only submitted to DME in March after verbal agreement was reached with the DME in this regard.

Corrective measures have however been put in place to prevent such an error from re-occurring.

QUESTION NO 873

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15)

Mr I F Julies (DA) to ask the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry:

(1) Whether her department has conducted an energy audit to determine its (a) use of energy and (b) opportunities for reduction of energy use; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether her department has any plans to reduce energy consumption; if not, why not; if so, what plans;

(3) whether her department has made any material reduction in energy use since 1 January 2008; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1564E

---00O00---

REPLY:

(1) The Department of water affairs and forestry has not conducted its own energy audit. Since the Department of Public Works is the designated lead department for the 'Intensive campaign on energy efficiency in government buildings' project, it will assign the audit to the relevant Energy Services Company (ESCO) on behalf of the Department.

(2) The Department is already implementing measures to reduce energy consumption in line with its Thirty Nine Point Plan on Energy Saving.

(3) Besides the energy reduction measures that are currently being implemented, security officials conduct inspections at specific times during the day and ensure that the Department reaches the target of 25% reduction set for all government buildings. These security officials also provide feedback to individual offices on their adherence to the Plan.

QUESTION NO. 875

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15)

Mr E W Trent (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(a) What was the total cost for restructuring the SA National Aids Council (Sanac) in 2003, (b) how much was (i) allocated, (ii) spent and (iii) overspent by Sanac in (aa) 2003, (bb) 2004 and (cc) 2005, (c) how many times did the Sanac executive meet in (i) 2003, (ii) 2004 and (iii) 2005 and (d) what was the actual cost of each meeting?

NW1566E

REPLY:

(a) South African National Aids Council (SANAC) was not restructured in 2003. In 2006, SANAC decided to conduct an internal review with a view to improve its efficiency. Building on the findings of that review, which encompassed strengths, weaknesses and challenges, SANAC was restructured into three tier structure in April 2007. SANAC met four times to discuss the restructuring, the cost of which was R559, 566.76 including the inauguration meeting and multisectoral consultations.

(b) Please see Table below

SANAC TOTAL COST

2003 (aa)
(i) Allocated	(ii) Spent	(iii) Overspent
There was no dedicated budget for SANAC. The budget that was used was from Directorate: HIV & AIDS and the allocated budget was R6,285,000	R786,289	Nil
2004 (bb)
(i) Allocated	(ii) Spent	(iii) Overspent
R2, 408,000	R2,083,916	Nil
2005 (cc)
(i) Allocated	(ii) Spent	(iii) Overspent
R2,281,000	R2,205,141	Nil

Since 2003 – 2005, SANAC executive met six times
2003: 2 meetings (i)
21 January 2003	(d) No dedicated budget. No Record
27 May 2003	(d) No dedicated budget. No Record
2004: 2 meetings (ii)
6 October 2004	(d) R28,011,00 was the actual cost of the meeting
11 November 2004	(d) R936,00 was the actual cost of the meeting
2005: 2 meetings (iii)
21 October 2005	(d) R4,101,00 was the actual cost of the meeting
27 October 2005	(d) R1,005,00 was the actual cost of the meeting

QUESTION NO. 876 INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15 of 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 30 May 2008

Mr I F Julies (DA) to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism:

Whether, with reference to the schedule for fishing harbour fees published in the Government Gazette on 25 April 2008, stakeholders were consulted in the formulation of these fees; if not, why not; if so, what (a) factors were taken into account when determining the fees, (b) was the total amount of fishing harbour fees collected in the past two financial years and (c) are the further relevant details?

NW1567E

MR I F JULIES (DA) SECRETARY TO PARLIAMENT

HANSARD

PAPERS OFFICE

PRESS

876. THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND TOURISM ANSWERS:

Yes.

(a) In the formulation of harbour fees, stakeholder meetings were held in 2000/2001 by an independent consultant to obtain inputs from harbour users on a new fee structure. The consultant also conducted a price comparison study in 2001 which compared harbour fees charged by other harbour management authorities such as Portnet, Namport, Port St. Francis, Yacht clubs and ski boat clubs. The fees published in the Gazette of the 25 April 2008 were based on a CPIX increase.

(b) 2006/2007 financial year, harbour fees collected = R4,2 million

2007/2008 financial year, harbour fees collected = R3, 8 million.

QUESTION NO. 877

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15)

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

(1) Whether any annual audits are conducted for all (a) private and (b) public hospitals or clinics; if not, (i) why not, (ii) how does she ensure that minimum standards are being applied at each hospital and clinic and (iii) when will annual audits be conducted at each hospital and clinic; if so, (aa) who conducts the audits in each case, (bb) what are their qualifications, (cc) how are they chosen to conduct the audit and (dd) what are the minimum standards laid down by her department that all hospitals and clinics have to meet;

(2) whether these minimum standards are in line with international best practice; if not, (a) why not, (b) what are such minimum standards and (c) in which aspects do these minimum standards differ from her departments; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether any (a) private and (b) public hospitals or clinics have failed their audits in the past five financial years; if so, (i) which hospital or clinic, (ii) what aspects of the audit did they fail, (iii) how long were they given to rectify the failure in each case and (iv) how many have been closed down?

NW1568E

REPLY:

The following is information as we obtained from the Provinces.

FREE STATE

(1) (a) Yes

(b) Yes

(i) Not applicable.

(ii) Internal control checklist, Free State Health Finance circulars and policies and Quality Standards eg. Clinical Governance, Patient Safety and Infrastructure.

(iii) Audits are carried out according to the annual plan, and takes into account the Auditor General plan to cover most hospitals.

(aa) Internal Audit unit, Auditor General and the Standard Compliance Unit.

(bb) B Com National Diploma Internal Auditing, National Diploma Cost Accounting, Government Finance, B Tech Internal Audit.

(cc) According to the internal control checklist, Free State Health Finance circulars and policies.

(dd) Quality Standards eg. Clinical Governance, Patient Safety and Infrastructure, Internal control checklist, Free State Health Finance circulars and policies.

(2) Yes

(a) Not applicable.

(b) they are in terms of the Public Finance Management Act,Treasury Regulations.

(3) (a) Yes.

(b) Yes.

(i) Beatrix Mine, Cairn Hall, Pelonomi Netcare, Praxmed Theatre and Bloemfontein Medi Clinic Food Service, Universitas, Pelonomi and FS Psychiatric Hospital.

(ii) Information Plan, UPS Uninterrupted Power Supply, Human Resources, Patient Safety: Use of resuscitation Equipment.

(iii) Three Months for Private Hospitals and Six Months for Public hospitals.

(iv) None.

GAUTENG

(1) Yes

(a) N/A

(i) By conducting inspections at each private health establishment;

(ii) They are being conducted annually and as necessary in private health establishments.

(aa) Designated Health professionals in the Gauteng Department of health;

(bb) Nursing, Intensive Care, Theatre, Midwifery, Nursing Education, Nursing Administration, Health Facilities Planning, Business Management, HR Management, Psychiatric Nursing and experience in patient care and in hospital environment;

(cc) Their qualifications and experience in health services;

(dd) Physical and Building services minimum requirements must be complied with.

Minimum standards are laid down in the audit tools which are used in annual inspections.

(2) (a) N/A

(b) Physical and Building Services Requirements such as ISO 14644 Standards

(3) (a) Yes

(b) N/A

(i), (ii) and (iii)

· Nazareth House Sub Acute had no emergency generator; they were given six months to comply with requirements. The facility subsequently opted to close down due to financial difficulties.

· Woodlands Convalescence Home. The facility was closed down in 2003 as it failed to comply with legal requirements for a sub acute facility.

· Observatory House Sub Acute; were given six months to comply with fire safety requirements; they were unable to comply with building services requirements and the facility was subsequently closed down in 2003.

· Life Sandton Surgical Center, the dental theatre was not compliant with minimum standards; they were given six months to correct the problem. The theatre was re-designed within four months and is now compliant with standards.

(iv) Three (3).

MPUMALANGA

(1) (a) Yes, Private facilities perform their own quality assurance measures (including audits) that conform to their institutional standards and policies. Annually in October the Departmental Quality Assurance unit conducts audits/inspections to the 14 private hospitals registered with the department for the purpose of renewal of a license to practice as required by legislation. The District Health Package is used to monitor the services.

(b) Public hospitals in the province hold monthly Peri-natal morbidity and mortality meetings as a means of saving mothers and saving babies. These meetings are held by the maternity multi-disciplinary teams;

(i) Not applicable

(ii) Not applicable

(iii) Not applicable

(aa) Annual private facility licensing inspection is conducted by the District Quality Assurance coordinator. Peri-natal mortality and morbidity meetings are conducted by audit committee as delegated by the facility. Client satisfaction survey and clinic inspections are coordinated by the Departmental Quality Assurance unit.

(bb) District Quality Assurance coordinators: Professional nurses. Facility audit committees are a multi-disciplinary team which includes doctors, nurses, and allied health staff. Client satisfaction survey: Professional nurses from quality assurance unit and departmental information officers. Clinic inspections: Professional nurses from quality assurance unit.

(cc) Annual licensing is done by the quality assurance unit as part of their functions and forms part of their job description. The Audit committee is chosen by the facility management and is decided based on the officers that work with Peri-natal patients, i.e Maternity and neonatal staff. Client Satisfaction survey and clinic inspections: This forms part of the quality assurance unit function.

(dd) Private facilities: All legislation on health care, R158 and the District Hospital Package.

Public Hospitals: All legislation on health care, R158, District Hospital Package. 33 hospitals in the province have undergone the (COHSASA) Council for Hospital Service Accreditation of South Africa facilitated accreditation process which is measured against International standards

Clinics: All legislation on health care, R158 and Primary Health Care Package.

(2) Yes, the standards are in line with international best practice for the model of health care used in this country.

(a), (b) and (c) Not applicable

(3) Yes, during the 2006 annual inspection Anglo Coal Highveld hospital was found constructing an extension without the necessary permission from the department. They were instructed to suspend construction until the permission was obtained.

In 2007 Cosmos hospital was inspected found not to comply fully with R158. They were instructed to comply, and when they were ready, to rearrange for another inspection. They were given a partial occupation certificate and a month and a half later an inspection was done and a full license awarded.

(a) Yes.

(i) Siyathuthuka Chronic Mental Health Facility;

(ii) Siyathuthuka Chronic Mental Health Facility was inspected in November 2006 and recommendations were made on staffing, equipment and process matters;

(iii) They were given a month to comply after which the license was renewed for the following year.

(iv) To date none have been closed down.

NORTHERN CAPE

(1) (a) Yes.

(ee) The clinical audit committee.

(ff) Members of the committee are registered nurses and trained tutors who only conduct the clinical audits.

(gg) The committee is selected on a voluntary basis and it is comprised of unit managers and a nursing representative from each ward.

(hh) - A target of 90% is set to maintain the best practice

- An audit instrument should be used to identify the risks and recommendations to rectify the gaps

- The clinical audit is ongoing and should be conducted monthly.

(b) No.

(i) Only Kimberley Hospital is consistent with conducting annual clinical audits. Other facilities in the districts, however, do not have the necessary manpower in the form of clinic supervisors, to conduct such audits.

(ii) Clinic supervisors visit clinics where they do Monthly Routine Reviews and the Red Flag checks, whereby they look into drug stock, equipment and staffing issues. They also do checks to see whether facilities are adhering to policies and guidelines and address the issue of clinic committees. Problems at clinics are referred to district level when necessary.

(iii) Kimberley Hospital – they were conducted in March 2008. Such audits won't be conducted at other facilities until such time as the capacity of staff who are capable of conducting such audits has improved.

(2) To be responded to by National.

(3) (a) No

(b) No

NORTH WEST

(1) The North West Department of Health's hospitals take part in a Continuous Quality Improvement Programme. This programme is led by the Department's Quality Assurance Directorate, and supported by the Council for Health Services Accreditation for Southern Africa (COHSASA). The Programme started in 1997 with only a few hospitals and has been gradually extended so that it now includes all hospitals. COHSASA's Programme is designed to assist hospitals to use quality improvement methods and ultimately achieve substantial compliance with standards that ensure hospitals have systems and processes in place required for safe, effective and efficient patient care. COHSASA provides training & skills transfer which will enable the Department's Quality Assurance units at all levels to eventually run the whole programme on its own. COHSASA also performs external accreditation surveys. All hospitals are assessed on a regular basis throughout the year – this year hospitals will assess themselves every 8 weeks, with COHSASA performing validation checks.

(2) COHSASA's programme and its standards are accredited by the International Society for Quality (ISQUA). The Cohsasa accreditation status is awarded at three levels – Entry Level (Pre-Accreditation), Intermediate level (Pre-Accreditation) and full accreditation. Any of these levels indicates that many of the systems required to ensure that the hospitals are safe, efficient and effective are in place. Full accreditation means that a facility substantially meets all of the standards required. An average score, in excess of 80, would indicate that the hospitals have implemented most of the systems required for safe, efficient and effective patient care, that were not in place at the start of the quality improvement programme.

(3) By early 2003, the majority of hospitals in the North West Province (23), had entered the COHSASA facilitated accreditation programme for the first time. Baseline surveys were completed by end 2003 and most of the hospitals scored less than 50 out of a possible 100.

The baseline survey includes a multidisciplinary assessment of all clinical support, technical, management, administration and hotel services using over 2,500 measurable elements.

The score achieved indicated that the majority of hospitals were performing poorly and over the years, the Province worked diligently to improve the situation despite severe resource constraints. It has established a Quality Assurance Unit to direct quality improvement initiatives, assisted by COHSASA. No hospitals needed to be closed down.

By 2007, the majority of the hospitals' progress scores had exceeded average standards compliance scores of 70 out of 100 that showed substantial improvement in all areas of the hospitals and indicated that the hospitals' overall performance had improved significantly.

In the same year, nine hospitals underwent independent, external surveys conducted by Cohsasa which showed that most of the hospitals had exceeded a score of 80/100 and two hospitals had exceeded a score of 90. Three hospitals have achieved full accreditation. Another eight hospitals are targeted for full accreditation by the end of 2008.

WESTERN CAPE

(1) (a) Yes, annual audits are conducted at each private health establishment registered or regarded as being registered with this Department in terms of Provincial Notice (PN) 187 of June 2001 (as amended), is subjected to at least an annual inspection a as prescribed in regulation 19 of PN 187.

(b) For Public Hospitals or clinics the National Department of Health has developed a framework for the assessment of health establishments which is being initiated in June 2008. Audits of specific aspects are conducted, some of which are at institutions and some provincially initiated depending on specific needs. These audits cover aspects of clinical care such as clinical audits; clients satisfaction surveys audits of physical facilities such as cloakroom audits etc., Facilities have a set of service standards which are audited on a quarterly basis.

(iii) As indicated above specific audits are conducted but an overall audit with specific norms and standards has not been conducted as the Province was awaiting the development of an audit tool and norms and standards from the National Office of Standards Compliance as set out in the Health Act. This has now been initiated.

(iv) The National Departments Assessment Document contains norms and standards.

(v) The National Assessment commences in June 2008.

(aa) Private facilities are inspected by duly authorized inspecting officers, appointed by the Head of the Department in terms of Regulation 19 of PN 187. Facility and province specific audits are conducted by multi-disciplinary health care teams with the exception of the Client satisfaction surveys which are conducted by external fieldworkers.

(bb) All inspecting officers are Professional Nurses with qualifications in General Nursing, Community Health, Psychiatry and Midwifery. With the exception of the Client Satisfaction Surveys the auditors are registered with the appropriate Health Professions Council.

(cc) For private health facilities - They are appointed as Inspecting Officers on a full time basis. Each Inspecting Officer is responsible for a specific geographic area and thus inspects all establishments within that area.They are chosen based on their expertise.

(dd) Inspecting Officers utilizes the standards prescribed in PN187 as well as a standard Inspection Tool, which incorporates standards of care, which is based on local and international standards. For public health facilities, the standard depends on the aspect being audited.The National Department Tool does however contain minimum norms and standards which is best responded to by the National Department. The Western Cape has however implemented the norms and standards for primary health care facilities as laid down by the National Health Department.

(2) Yes.

(a) Not applicable

(b) See response in 1(b)(iii)(dd) above. Dependent on the aspect being audited.

(c) There may be minor changes as the Western Cape regulations are different to the rest of the country. We use PN 187 and they use Regulation 158 of February 1980 as amended. A review of the National Norms and standards reflects that Provincial Standards are in line with national standards.

(3) (a) and (b) (i) Most establishments do not pass the annual inspection without recommendations to remedy defects or non-compliance. With each type of audit specific recommendations will be made where weaknesses were detected.

(ii) These defects or matters of non-compliance are normally not life threatening and almost in all cases relates to either structural defects or issues around quality assurance. Weaknesses relate mainly to physical infrastructure and are not life threatening.

(iii) Depending on the nature of the defect or matter of non-compliance, they are either instructed to remedy it immediately or within 2 weeks. This depends upon the nature of the weakness.

(iv) No private facilities have been closed down due to not complying with standards to date. No public facilities have been closed down to date.

QUESTION: NO 879

(Internal Question Paper No – 2008)

Mr S J Masango (DA) to ask the Minister of Sport and Recreation:

A. (1) Whether all sport federations have been recognised by his department and/or the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC); if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) (a)(i) how many and (ii) which sport federations have (aa) applied for recognition and (bb) are still waiting for approval in each of the past three years and (b) who has to determine whether sport federations should be recognised by his department or the SASCOC?

NW1570E

REPLY:

A. (1) My Department is developing recognition criteria for federations in line with the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Act of 2007. However, the following federations have been recognised:

Aerobics and Fitness, Archery, Athletics

Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Bowls, Boxing

Canoeing, Chess, Cricket, Cycling

Dancesport, Darts, Deaf Sport

Equestrian

Fencing, Figure Skating, Football

Golf, Gymnastics

Handball, Hockey

Ice hockey, Sport for the Intellectually Impaired

Judo, Jukskei

Karate, Korfball

Lifesaving

Mastersport, Mind Sports, Modern Pentathlon, Motorsport

Netball

Orienteering

Sport for the Physically Disabled, Pool, Powerboating, Powerlifting

Rollersport, Rowing, Rugby

Sailing, Shooting, Snooker & Billiards, Snow Sport, Softball, Sport Anglers, Squash, Surfing, Swimming

Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Tug of War

Volleyball

Waterski, Waveski, Weightlifting, Wrestling

SASCOC established its recognition criteria following the adoption of its memorandum and articles of association in November 2004. Currently there are some "federations" which are not members either as they do not meet the criteria or as they have been re-directed to an already existing federation for inclusion e.g. indoor cricket to Cricket SA and various shooting disciplines to the SA Shooting Sports Federation. The relevant details are below:

FEDERATION	Date of Application	RESPONSE
Ring ball South Africa	13 August 2007	Outstanding Documents
SA Fancy Pigeon Association	16 January 2008	Informed to seek affiliation to National Pigeon Organization
SA Natural Bodybuilding Association	27 November 2007	Waiting for response from SASCOC
National Cheerleading Association	24 April 2006	Informed to seek affiliation with Drum Majorettes
SA Tenniquoits Board	15 April 2007	Outstanding Documents
Professional Kick Boxing Council	16 January 2007	Informed to seek affiliation with Martial Arts
Baton Twirling South Africa	21 August 2006	Informed to seek affiliation with Drum Majorettes
Australian Football League South Africa	8 February 2007	Waiting for response from SASCOC
SA National Cheerleading Hip Hop Dance Association	28 August 2006	Informed to seek affiliation with Drum Majorettes
South African Transplant Sports Association	15 January 2007	The application was declined however is on hold until the General Meeting
Lowveld Hunting		The application was declined because they are a blood sport.

2. (a) My Department is facilitating the affiliation of Compak, Lowveld Sport Shooting, Practical Shooting, National Rifle Association, Hunters and Game Conservation to the SA Shooting Sports Federation.

(b) In line with the National Sport and Recreation Amendment Act of 2007 and specifically section 4, as Minister, I am responsible for determining " … the general policy to be pursued with regard to sport and recreation …". Further, in section 14, I may make regulations relating to the recognition of sport or recreation bodies and this is in process.

QUESTION: NO 880

(Internal Question Paper No – 2008)

(1) Whether Lottery funds allocated to sport federations are transferred to the federations in the same financial year; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether the Lottery has transferred funds to all sport federations in the 2007-08 financial year; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) which federations have not yet received their allocations and (b) what are the reasons for these federations not having received their allocations?

NW1571E

REPLY:

(1) From the attachment for 2007-2008, it is clear that funds allocated to sport federations are not transferred in the same financial year. The reasons supplied by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund are outstanding documentation from the sport federation, the grant agreement sent by the NLDTF to the sport federation but it has not been returned, a grant agreement still to be sent to the sport federation and financial reports outstanding.

(2) The details of the transfers done and those outstanding for sport federations and other grant recipients is attached for information.

QUESTION 882

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 30 May 2008

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15 of 2008

Ms H Weber (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1) (a) How many burglaries have occurred in her department's offices throughout the country in each of the past five years up to the latest specified date for which information is available, (b) how many (i) identity documents, (ii) passports,
(iii) computers and (iv) other equipment were stolen during such burglaries, (c) what was the total cost incurred by her department as the result of the burglaries and
(d) what is the total amount spent by her department on office security in each of these years;

(2) whether any of her department's officials were implicated in these burglaries; if so, (a) how many and (b) at which offices were they based;

(3) whether her department has taken any action against the implicated officials; if not, why not; if so, what action?

NW1573E

REPLY

(1)(2(3) The Department has had a series of burglaries in some of its offices, around the country, in the past, which caused so much inconveniences. The information, the Honourable Member is looking for, requires an enduring process of accessing information, spanning so many years that may require the extensive use of resources, so dearly required for the critical advancement of the challenges, and the undertaking of the immediate tasks of the Department.

QUESTION NO. 883

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15)

Mrs S V Kalyan (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) Whether radiographers in possession of an additional accredited postgraduate qualification will be required to perform mammography examinations from 1 July 2009; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether any consideration has been given to persons who currently carry out this service and who have developed extensive experience in this field, but would face difficulties in obtaining the new qualification requirement; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1575E

REPLY:

(1) Yes.

With effect from 1 July 2009 mammography examinations shall be performed by qualified Radiographers in possession of a recognised additional qualification (post graduate) in mammography.

In an effort to obtain mammograms of desired quality, to protect patients from exposure to unnecessary radiation and meet international norms, the Directorate: Radiation Control in consultation with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has announced that Radiographers involved in mammography procedures will in future be required to hold a post graduate qualification in this field.

(2) Yes.

The Professional Board subsequently developed criteria and guidelines for the recognition of prior learning (RPL) to prove competence, skills and experience in mammography. In terms of the guidelines, examinations will be conducted by the educational institutions for Radiographers with experience in the field of mammography without having to do the formal course.

QUESTION NO. 884

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15)

Mrs S V Kalyan (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) Whether guidelines relating to the accreditation of nurses in terms of section 42 of the Nursing Act, Act 33 of 2005, have been completed; if not, (a) what is the position in this regard and (b) when is it anticipated that they will be completed; if so, what is their current status;

(2) whether the SA Nursing Council has placed a moratorium on the accreditation of new nursing colleges in light of the fact that these guidelines are not yet available; if so, how many applications for the development of new training opportunities have been put on hold as a result of this moratorium?

NW1576E

REPLY:

(1) Section 42 of the Nursing Act 2005 (Act no 33 of 2005) relates to accreditation of institutions as nursing education institutions. An accreditation policy and procedure as well as accreditation criteria were developed and approved by council. Regulations relating to accreditation of institutions as nursing education institutions have been developed and approved by Council at the end of May 2008. Comments have been received from council members after the last Council meeting and are in the process of collation and finalisation. The draft regulations will be submitted to the Department of Health for further processing and publication by the Minister.

2. Yes.

114 applications were received between January 2004 and December 2007.

QUESTION NO. 885

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15)

Mrs S V Kalyan (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

Whether she has taken any steps to place the Department of Health in the Eastern Cape under administration as was done with the Department of Health in the Northern Cape in June 2007; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what steps have been taken?

NW1577E

REPLY:

I am sure the honorable member has already received my response on the matter, as her colleague Mr E W Trent asked me in his question 365 on 7 March 2008, to which I responded as follows:

No. I have not considered any intervention in terms of section 100 of the Constitution at this stage. I have only asked certain sections of the department to work with the province to improve certain areas. For example, our Maternal and Child Health Unit, together with the Committees I established on child deaths have been working with the province to analyse the causes of child deaths in some parts of the province and to develop steps to prevent further deaths.

QUESTION No. 887

Mr E W Trent (DA) to ask the Minister of Housing:

(1) Whether there has been a comprehensive physical inspection of housing projects by the various Provincial Authorities and/or her department to quantify accurately the number of houses with building defects; if not; why not; if so, in each province (a) how many units require repair work and (b) what is the total estimated cost thereof;

(2) whether any contracts have been rewarded for the repair of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses; if so, in each province (a) how many contracts, (b) what is the total number of units involved and (c) what is the estimated cost thereof;

(3) Whether there has been a comprehensive survey in each province to establish the number of persons who have taken occupation of their RDP houses, but have not yet received the deed of transfer, if not, why not; if so, how many of these transfers have been outstanding for a period (a) less than three months, (b) between three to six months, (c) between six to twelve months and (d) longer than 12 months;

(4) Whether there is a plan in place to rectify the situation; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

Reply

(1) Yes, Provincial Housing Departments did initiate a process to determine the number of housing units with building defects. Various methodologies such as surveys and requests for beneficiary applications were utilised to determine the projects and number of units with defects that have to undergo rectification. The services of the NHBRC are utilised to ensure that the same contractor who initially built the units, is not appointed to do the rectification and that contractors appointed adhere to the necessary requirements.

In terms of the information received from the Provincial Housing Departments, the Rectification Programme has been implemented in all nine provinces. Detail of the status quo in each Province is set out in the table below:

Province	Number of units	Total estimated costs - R' million	Status
Eastern Cape	19 953	99,7	Currently 150 units are at various stages of completion.
Free State	-	-	In a process of appointing a service provider to do a survey to identify the number of units to be rectified.
Gauteng	3 440	N/A	Rectification process in progress
KwaZulu-Natal	839	N/A	Rectification process in progress
Limpopo	2000	N/A	Rectification process in progress
Mpumalanga	9 701	N/A	Survey has been done and the appointment of contractors for the first 300 units is receiving attention through the normal procurement process
Northern Cape	1341	12,4	Currently 554 housing units have been rectified and the balance is in process.
North West	600	2,3	Programme is still in the planning stage and a contractor has not yet been appointed.
Western Cape	2473	82,4	Applications has been received for 2705 and are in process of being evaluated.

(2) The following provinces have already appointed contractors, namely: Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Western Cape.

PROVINCE	HOW MANY CONTRACTS	TOTAL NUMBER OF UNITS INVOLVED	ESTIMATED COST R' MILLION
Eastern Cape	26	5,145	99,7
Mpumalanga	3	N/A
Northern Cape	1	1341	12,4
Western Cape	6	2473	82,4

(3) Yes, various initiatives have been undertaken or are in the process to verify whether beneficiairies ocuppying their houses have received deed of transfer. Details of the status quo in the various Provinces are as follows:

Eastern Cape:

The survey is under way. A service provider has been appointed to conduct a door to door verification exercise of all people that received a subsidised house. The objective of the survey is to verify whether the occupant is the approved owner of the property and whether he/she has received a title deed. The survey only commenced in April 2008 and has not yet been finalised. Some of the transfers have been outstanding for longer than twelve months due to certain municipalities not having finalised the township establishment process.

The Eastern Cape Provincial Housing Department is in the process of appointing town planning experts to assist with the fast-tracking of the township establishment process in projects where this is an inhibiting factor. The latter projects have been identified. The Provincial Department is also currently beefing up its contract management capacity to assist municipalities to deal with slack conveyancers. In terms hereof, monthly meetings are held with the relevant municipalities and their conveyancers to iron out issues that have blockages.

Gauteng:

The Gauteng Provincial Housing Department has appointed a service provider, namely Servcon to undertake an audit of occupation of the housing subsidy scheme houses. Servcon has been instructed by the Provincial Housing Department to visit houses built by the province and ascertain whether the approved beneficiary is in occupation of the house. Servcon established to date that 25 053 beneficiaries are in occupation of their housing subsidy scheme house but have not received their title deeds. The Provincial Housing Department has mandated Servcon to regularize instances where the beneficiaries have not received their title deeds and to ensure that these beneficiaries are registered at the Deeds Office.

Limpopo:

According to a survey conducted, a total number of 10 473 beneficiaries have taken occupancy of subsidised houses without deeds of transfer being issued. The Provincial Department is planning to register 3000 of these properties during the current financial year, 4000 in 2009/10 and the balance of 3475 in the 2010/2011 financial year.

Mpumalanga:

The Provincial Housing Department is aware of the occupants of subsidised houses without title deeds. Problems are being experienced with registering title deeds because most of the townships were not proclaimed and developments are located in rural areas. As a result, conveyancers are struggling to register deeds. The Provincial Housing Department has initiated a process to proclaim all townships in order to be able to register title deeds which will assist in preventing beneficiaries from selling subsidised houses unlawfully. A service provider has been appointed to take the necessary steps and some documentation has already been submitted to the Office of the Registrar of Deeds.

Northern Cape

A total number of 2628 beneficiaires without title deeds was identified during an investigation in October 2007. Of this number 1136 registrations have already taken place and the particulars of the other have been forwarded to the relevant conveyancers for the necessary attention. Investigations are continuing and the number of registrations is updated every two weeks.

Western Cape

The Western Cape Provincial Housing Department has commenced with some surveys in this regard but no information is yet available of the extent or number of beneficiaries that occupy subsidised housing units which are not yet transferred to their names.

(4) As indicated in paragraph (3) above, most Provinces have already put some initiatives in place to address this matter. In addition, the National Department of Housing is also in the process of considering various options in this regard to assist Provincial Housing Departments in their efforts.

QUESTION 888

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 30 May 2008

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15 of 2008

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

(1) What is the current backlog as at 30 May 2008 for (a) identity documents, (b) birth certificates (c) asylum applications and (d) passports;

(2) whether her department has trained any staff members to implement the turnaround strategy; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1580E

REPLY

(1) As per the table below:

Type of application pending as at 30 May 2008

Identity documents

Birth certificates

Asylum applications

Passports

Number pending as at 30 May 2008

Currently there is no backlog

11610

89584

43 129

(2) Yes. The following training has already taken place as a direct result of the Turnaround Strategy:

· A total number of 1700 employees have been trained countrywide on the new procedure for Late Registrations of Births.

· 40 Call Centre consultants were trained on all of the aspects, or applications relating to Civic Services functions.

· 38 Team Leaders attended project management training.

· 33 newly appointed Refugee Managers underwent training in management.

· 32 employees at Refugee Reception Offices have received training on the new Refugee System.

· Training was also provided countrywide in respect of the "Track and Trace" system (Identity Documents).

· It must also be mentioned that within the different workstreams, there is a Team Leader, and a number of Team Members who also facilitate sessions of skills transfer to other staff members within Department of Home Affairs (DHA).

QUESTION 890

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 30 May 2008

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15 of 2008

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

How many officials of her department were (a) suspended, (b) fired and (c) prosecuted for corruption and fraud in each of the past five years up to the latest specified date for which information is available?

NW1582E

REPLY

(a) and (b) As per the tables below:

Financial year	Suspended	Dismissed
2003/2004	No information available	No information available
2004/2005	14	33
2005/2006	14	177
2006/2007	12	58
2007/2008	96	131
Total	136	399

(c) Statistics concerning how many officials were prosecuted are not readily available. Some cases would be referred to the South African Police Services (SAPS) to be dealt with, in terms of the criminal justice system. These would be cases that are criminal, in nature. The Department of Home Affairs does not receive feedback from the SAPS on the outcome of these cases.

QUESTION 891

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30/05/2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 15-2008)

Mr G G Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister of Education:

Whether her department is planning to schedule an extra five weeks of schooling after the World Cup in 2010 to assist learners to catch up for the time lost as a result of the closure of schools during the World Cup; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1583E

REPLY

No, we have no plans to schedule an extra five weeks of school. The draft school calendar for 2010, which has been published for comment, has the same number of school days as any other year.

This is in compliance with national policy, which requires that there should be between 195 and 200 school days per year.

Therefore, there is no need for any catch-up days to be scheduled.

QUESTION 892

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30/05/2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 15-2008)

Mr G G Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister of Education:

How many (a) qualified grade R educators have been trained to deal with grade R material in each of the past three years up to the latest specified date for which information is available, (b)(i) Grade R schools are currently operating across the country and (ii) what is the breakdown by province and (c)(i) Grade R children have graduated from these schools in each of the past three years and (ii) are currently enrolled in these schools?

NW1584E

(a) There are 15,966 grade R educators teaching grade R this year, and provinces have trained all of them on the curriculum. We are currently conducting an audit of grade R educators to gather detailed information on the status of their qualifications.

(b) (i) There are currently 13,941 schools offering grade R.

(ii)

Table 1: Number of ordinary schools offering grade R by province
Province	2005	2006	2007	2008
Eastern Cape	3,031	3,018	3,483	4,207
Free State	394	426	481	508
Gauteng	958	1,022	1,118	1,164
KwaZulu-Natal	2,118	2,585	3,189	3,423
Limpopo	2,045	2,223	2,107	2,221
Mpumalanga	364	635	792	911
Northern Cape	159	191	220	254
North West	265	406	440	568
Western Cape	683	709	650	685
Total	10,017	11,215	12,480	13,941

Sources: SNAP Survey Databases, conducted on the 10th school day, as published in: Education Statistics in South Africa at a Glance in 2005; Education Statistics in South Africa 2006; School Realities 2007; School Realities 2008.

Public primary schools offer grade R if they have space or as soon as the provincial education department is able to provide the infrastructure required to offer grade R. Community-based sites also offer grade R. In terms of the Norms and Standards for Grade R, these sites have to register with the provincial education department as Independent Schools. This will ensure that they receive support, and will also allow the Department of Education to keep accurate statistics on the sites and learners catered for in these sites.

(c) (i) We do not know the number of grade R learners who move into grade 1, but unless there is a particular reason for holding a child back all grade R learners progress to grade 1. We are in the process of establishing a national tracking system for all learners from grade R to 12. This will provide us with accurate information on the learners in the system, including the number who progress from one grade to the next each year.

Table 2: Number of grade R learners in ordinary schools, by province, from 2005 to 2007
Province	2005	2006	2007
Eastern Cape	105,231	106,045	112,889
Free State	18,449	20,046	22,429
Gauteng	41,073	48,774	49,931
KwaZulu-Natal	79,276	95,802	118,884
Limpopo	86,015	90,748	93,030
Mpumalanga	14,171	23,897	34,962
North West	9,737	13,663	16,143
Northern Cape	6,598	7,682	8,423
Western Cape	32,389	33,614	30,834
National	392,939	440,271	487,525

QUESTION 893

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 30 May 2008

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15 of 2008

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1) Whether, with regard to her department's refusal to issue an identity document (ID) to a certain person (name and details furnished) as a result of her disability, her ID has been issued; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether any action has been taken against those responsible for refusing to issue the said person with the ID; if not, why not; if so, what action;

(3) whether her department has introduced any measures to ensure that this type of discrimination does not occur in the future; if not, why not; if so, what measures;

(4) whether her department has any policy in place to treat persons with disabilities, especially those without hands to make up for the finger print requirements; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(5) whether her department consults persons with disabilities when deciding on policies and/or regulations; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1585E

REPLY

(1) Yes. An Identity Document (ID) has been issued on 5 May 2008, and it was hand-delivered to the said person by the Office of the Director-General. It must, however, be clearly stated that the Department of Home Affairs never refused to issue an ID to the said person, as she had, already, had an ID issued to her, before. The latest application, under question, was an application for the re-issue of an ID.

(2) As stated above, the Department never refused to issue an ID to the said person, and an ID was re-issued on 5 May 2008. However, disciplinary steps, pursuing the manner by which the applicant was handled, have been instituted, in terms of the Departmental Disciplinary Procedures, against the official who attended the said person.

(3) Yes. The Department will, again, make all of its officials aware of its policy relating to applicants with any type of disability. It will, furthermore, continue to ensure that the policy is correctly applied when persons without arms, or hands submit applications for IDs through ongoing training.

(4) Yes. The Department of Home Affairs has existing policy in place on how to attend to, and assist clients with such disabilities. The following policy is in place:

· If an applicant has a disability, such as no hands, fingerprints cannot be taken but an application (BI-9 application form – first application for an identity document) will be completed, photos of the applicant will be attached to the application form and on the demographic side of the BI-9 application form (where fingerprints are taken), space is provided for reasons why the applicant's fingerprints cannot be taken.

· With the new HANIS (Home Affairs National Identification System) system, the applicant's identity document number, personal particulars as well as a photograph of the applicant will be stored on its permanent database.

(5) Yes. For example, in 2007, the Department consulted with the Society for the Blind and stemming from these consultations, the Department was able to translate all application forms into braille. These application forms were then handed to the said society for assistance to its members when services or documents, from the Department of Home Affairs, are required.

QUESTION NO: 894

MR J SELFE (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES:

(1) Whether the Department of Correctional Services makes use of private security firms; if so, how much money was spent on such firms in 2007? ;

(2) Whether these firms are used on a contractual basis; if so, (a) how many contracts did the Department of Correctional Services take out in this regard in 2007, (b) with which firms were these contracts taken out, (c) for what specific purpose was each contract taken out and (d) what was the value of the contract in each case;

(3) Why is there a need for the Department of Correctional Services to use a private security firm as opposed to state security?

REPLY

(1) Yes, the Department of Correctional Services made use of one private security firm and an amount of R59, 371.798 was spent in the 2007/2008 financial year.

(2) Yes, the firm is used on a contractual basis.

(a) Only one contract was taken out in 2007 which will be valid for a four year period.

(b) The contract is with the company Sondolo IT.

(c) The contract makes provision for the staffing of security control rooms from where the integrated security systems are monitored.

(d) The value of the contract is calculated at R5,3 million per month or ± R64,2 million per annum. Over the four year period the contract value will amount to ±R256,9 million.

(3) The outsourcing of the staff manning the security control rooms was done for the following reasons:

Ø To minimize the possibility of the collusion by staff manning the control rooms and staff working at Correctional Centres.

Ø The transfer of risk in the case of the replacement of damaged equipment and dealing with personnel problems.

Ø The transfer of the risk of budgeting for fluctuating fees with regard to staffing issues. This option showed improved value for money.

QUESTION NUMBER: 895

DATE PUBLICATION: 30 MAY 2008

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 28 AUGUST 2008

MR M M SWATHE (DA) TO ASK THE MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY:

(1) Whether the Presidency makes use of private security firms; if so, how much money was spent on such firms in 2007;

(2) Whether these firms are used on a contractual basis; if so, (a) how many contracts did the Presidency take out in 2007, (b) with which firms were these contracts taken out, (c) for what specific purpose was each contract taken out and (d) what was the value of the contract in each case;

(3) Why is there a need for the Presidency to use a private security firm as opposed to state security?

NW1588E

REPLY:

(1) The Presidency does not make use private security firms.

(2) N / A

(3) N / A

QUESTION NO 896

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: WEDNESDAY, 25 JUNE 2008

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: FRIDAY, 30 MAY 2008 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15 – 2008)

Mr S B Farrow (DA) asked the Minister of Transport:

(1) Whether his department makes use of private security firms; if so, how much money was spent on such firms in 2007;

(2) whether these firms are used on a contractual basis; if so, (a) how many contracts did his department take out in 2007, (b) with which firms were these contracts taken out, (c) for what specific purpose was each contract taken out and (d) what was the value of the contract in each case;

(3) why is there a need for his department to use a private security firm as opposed to state security?

NW1589E

REPLY:

The Minister of Transport:

(1) Yes, the Department of Transport (DoT) made use of a private security firm in 2007. The amount paid to the security firm for the 2007/08 financial year is R1 094 126, 40.

(2) (a) and (b)

Yes, the DoT used one security firm, namely Protea Security Services, on a contract basis in 2007.

(c)

Protea Security Services rendered security services at the DoT's office building, i.e. the Forum Building at the corner Struben and Bosman Streets in Pretoria.

(d)

The amount paid to the security firm for the 2007/08 financial year is R1 094 126, 40.

(3) State Security Agencies are used for guarding selected government areas and properties.

It is not within the mandate of the State Security Agencies to provide and render guarding security services to the building of the Department of Transport, hence the private security firm was contracted.

QUESTION NO. 897

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 15)

Ms S J Loe (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) Whether her department makes use of private security firms; if so, how much money was spent on such firms in 2007;

(2) whether these firms are used on a contractual basis; if so, (a) how many contracts did her department take out in 2007, (b) with which firms were these contracts taken out, (c) for what specific purpose was each contract taken out and (d) what was the value of the contract in each case;

(3) why is there a need for her department to use a private security firm as opposed to state security?

NW1590E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, R356 309.84 was spent in 2007.

(2) Yes.

(a) two (2)

(b) Eldna Security Services and Peaceforce Security cc.

(c) To render access control and security services at our Forensic Chemistry Laboratories in Cape Town and in Johannesburg.

(d) (i) Eldna Security Services: R 624,000.00 for 2 years

(ii) PeaceForce Security: R 161 709.84 for 1 year

(3) The Cape Town and Johannesburg Forensic Chemistry Laboratories are a relative small institution and it is more cost effective to outsource the service than to render it in-house.

QUESTION NO 899

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 30 MAY 2008: INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15-2008

"899. Mr J H van der Merwe (IFP) to ask the Minister of Arts and Culture:

(1) Whether the Northern Flagship Institution has decided to change its name; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) whether any consultants were appointed to investigate the name change; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether the name change is being implemented; if so, what (a) is the total financial cost involved in this name change and (b) are the further relevant details?"

NW1592E

REPLY:

(1) The Northern Flagship Institution decided to change its name in 2004. The process involved consultation with staff and Council members. Once the process was completed, the proposed corporate identity was submitted to the NFI Council for approval. Council approved the new name in 2005, the name was National Museums of South Africa but using the acronym NMOSA as the main brand. Also changed were the names of the three NFI Museums: Transvaal Museum to Natural History Museum, National Cultural History Museum to Cultural History Museum and the South African National Museum of Military History to Military History Museum. All of these museums were going to appear under the brand NMOSA e.g. NMOSA Military Museum.

Other Institutions were consulted at different forums about the new corporate identity. A presentation was made to the Ministry of Arts and Culture as well as the Arts and Culture Portfolio Committee. However, when the Institution submitted the new brand to the Department of Arts and Culture, requesting that it be gazetted, other national museums objected to the new name. The National Museum in Bloemfontein, as an example, was of the opinion that they were already called a national museum and that it would cause confusion if the NFI changes its name to National Museums of South Africa.

The matter was subsequently referred to the Department to resolve. A deadlock was reached which resulted in a decision in April 2008 that the NFI should develop a new corporate identity.

(2) The Institution appointed a service provider to assist with the initial development of a full corporate identity in 2004. This was to ensure professionalism in the entire process by having people fully dedicated in the development of the brand. As most work was done during the initial name change process, the NFI was of the opinion that there was no need to appoint consultants in the second exercise; only staff and NFI Council were consulted by management.

(3) The name change has not yet been implemented.

(3)(a) The total financial costs involved will be known only after the alternative name has been finalized, this will include costs for the aborted name.

(3)(b) Currently the Institution is in the process of developing an alternative name. The NFI Council will consider the approval of the new name at its next meeting on 21 July 2008. The name will probably be submitted to the Ministry for approval in August 2008 and probably be gazetted during that month or in September 2008.

QUESTION 900

DATE OF PUBLICATION: Friday, 30 May 2008

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 15 of 2008

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister of Home Affairs:

(1) How many persons with disabilities are currently employed in (a) her department and (b) in the office where a certain person (name furnished) with a disability was refused to be issued with an ID;

(2) whether her department complies with the 2% disability employment target; if not,

(3) whether she intends taking any action to rectify the situation; if not, why not; if so, what action?

NW1594E

REPLY

(1)(a) The Department of Home Affairs currently employs 86 officials (1.08%) with disabilities. A breakdown where these officials are stationed is as follows:

· Eastern Cape: 8

· Free State: None

· Gauteng: 13

· Kwazulu-Natal: 14

· Limpopo: 11

· Mpumalanga: 2

· North West: 4

· Northern Cape: 2

· Western Cape: 9

· Head Office: 23

(1)(b) Two officials with disabilities are employed at the said office.

(2) At present, the Department of Home Affairs does not comply with the 2% disability employment target.

(3) Yes. The Department will be embarking on an awareness program this year in which it will engage all its officials with disabilities on the development of a properly transparent policy framework within the current Turnaround processes. The workstream dealing with the recruitment of new officials has, also, identified the recruitment, and successful employment of people with disabilities as a priority to address the non-compliance of employing people with disabilities, starting at Senior Management Services level to the lowest level.

Currently, the Department of Home Affairs is consolidating its disability program together with the establishment of a new specialised unit, regarding officials with disabilities, as required by the current Public Service prescripts. This newly created unit will ensure the Department's compliance and adherence to the implementation of the Integrated National Disability Strategy (INDS).

2008-11-27

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