Questions & Replies: Questions & Replies No 876 to 900

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2010-04-28

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QUESTION NO 876

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 26 APRIL 2010

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: TUESDAY, 23 MARCH 2010 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: NO 8 – 2010)

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

(1) Whether (a) the chief executive officer (CEO) of the SA Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) and (b) any other senior officials have been issued with a government or official credit card; if so, what are the relevant details for the CEO and each holder of a credit card in respect of the (i) name, (ii) job title, (iii) credit limit, (iv) outstanding amount as at the latest specified date for which information is available, (v) monthly expenses incurred for each month since receiving the credit card, (vi) reason for such persons being issued with a credit card and (vii) uses that such a credit card is intended for;

(2) whether any such credit cards are over their credit limit; if so, (a) whose credit cards are over the limit and (b) what is the reason for the credit cards exceeding the limit;

(3) whether any action has been taken against such persons for exceeding their credit card limits; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

NW1012E

REPLY:

The Minister of Transport:

(1) (a) (i) and (ii)

Commander Tsietsi Mokhele, Chief Executive Officer of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), is the only employee that has been issued with a credit card.

(iii) The credit limit is R250 000,00.

(iv) There is no outstanding amount on the credit card.

(v) Monthly expenses were as follows:-

Monthly expenses of the credit card

Apr-09

May-09

Jun-09

Jul-09

Aug-09

Sep-09

Oct-09

Nov-09

Dec 09

Jan-10

Travel and accommodation

-

4,379.15

22,055.02

11,129.58

-

-

-

6,487.19

-

1,812.99

External meetings

6,266.70

1,355.00

140.00

-

336.10

-

-

-

-

314.60

Parking

479.00

672.00

1,055.00

251.00

61.00

380.00

-

-

-

-

Other Costs

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

TOTAL

6,745.70

6,406.15

23,250.02

11,380.58

397.10

380.00

-

6,487.19

-

2,127.59

(vi) The card was issued to the Chief Executive Officer for, amongst others, travel to international conferences and meetings, local travel, business meetings, events and conferences and mobilisation for emergency maritime rescue operations.

(b) (i) and (ii)

Mr Saleem Modak, who was the General Manager: Operations, also had a credit card, but this was cancelled when he resigned in 2008. The mobilisation for emergency maritime rescue operations used to be on his card and have since been allocated to the CEO.

(2) (a) and (b)

No credit card has ever exceeded its credit limit.

(3) Falls away.

QUESTION NO 877

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 26 APRIL 2010

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: TUESDAY, 23 MARCH 2010 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: NO 8 – 2010)

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

(1) Whether the forensic audit into the financial affairs of the SA Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has been completed; if not, (a) why not, (b) what is the anticipated date by which this report will be completed and (c) when will this report be made available for public scrutiny; if so, what were the findings of the audit report;

(2) (a) how many senior officials resigned from the SAMSA during the period (i) 1 January 2007 up to 31 December 2009 and (ii) since 31 December 2009 and (b) what (i) is the name of each person who has resigned, (ii) post did each such person hold at the time of his or her resignation, (iii) were the reasons for resignation and (iv) was the nature of the retrenchment package each person received;

(3) whether any of these positions were filled as at 28 February 2010; if not, why not; if so, what (a) is the name and (b) are the qualifications of each successful candidate in respect of each specified post;

(4) whether his department is involved in the verification of qualifications of incumbent employees at the SAMSA; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details pertaining to this process;

(5) what (a) was the budget of the SAMSA in each of the three most recent financial years for which information is available and (b) amount of this budget was spent on staff (i) salaries, (ii) benefits, (iii) travel and (iv) office rental?

NW1013E

REPLY:

The Minister of Transport:

(1) (a) and (b)

The forensic investigation conducted by KPMG has been completed. The report was provided by KPMG to Mr Comfort Ngidi, the acting Chairperson of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), on 17 March 2010.

Mr Ngidi advised the Minister that he has followed the principle of audi alteram partem rule, in that those employees, who are faced with allegations of wrongdoing, are given an opportunity to comment on the allegations.

(c)

Once the above process is finalized, the available evidence will be assessed and appropriate decisions taken.

(2) (a) (i) Three senior officials resigned and one was retrenched.

(ii) Nil.

(b) (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv)

The following is a list of SAMSA senior officials who resigned or who were retrenched from January 2007 until December 2009:-

EMPLOYEE NAME

NAME OF POST

REASONS FOR RESIGNATION/ RETRENCHMENT

NATURE OF RETRENCHMENT

DATE OF RESIGNATION/

RETRENCHMENT

1. Mr Sipho Mabena

Communications Manager

Retrenched due to operational reasons

Negotiated three months' salary package

31 January 2009

2. Mr Carl Briesch

Senior Legal and Compliance Manager

Resigned: To pursue Self employment

N/A

30 June 2007

3. Mr Saleem Modak

General Manager: Operations

Resigned: Better offshore employment prospects

N/A

31 August 2008

4. Ms Michelle Bester

HR Practitioner

Resigned: Better employment prospects

N/A

27 September 2008

(3) The positions of Mr Carl Briesch, Mr Sipho Mabena, Captain Saleem Modak and Ms Michelle Bester were rendered redundant due to operational reasons.

(a) and (b) fall away.

(4) The Department of Transport (DoT) is not involved in the verification process of qualifications of incumbent employees at SAMSA. Neither the South African Maritime Safety Authority Act, 1998 (Act No 5 of 1998), nor the Public Finance Management Act, 1999 (Act No 1 of 1999), as amended, entrusts any such responsibility to the DoT.

However, individuals recruited by SAMSA are taken through the selection process after which references as reflected in their CVs are contacted as verification for their previous/current employment record. During this process their qualifications are also verified with the relevant institutions. This is done over and above the certified copies of the qualifications and certificates.

(5) (a) The budget of SAMSA for the last three (3) financial years is as follows:-

- 2006/07 - R72 231 946

- 2007/08 - R71 850 037

- 2008/09 - R84 606 912

(b) (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv)

Part of the budget was spent on the following items as per the request:-

2008/09

2007/08

2006/07

Salaries and benefits

41,919,000.00

41,675,000.00

37,719,000.00

Travel

8,355,000.00

4,508,000.00

4,485,000.00

Office rentals

5,954,000.00

5,556,000.00

4,535,000.00

The travel budget includes transport and accommodation. In 2008/2009 the SAMSA mandate was expanded to include all inland waterways safety awareness and inspection activities, the road shows on major maritime programmes and policies such as World Maritime Day, (Maritime) Women's Day, and Maritime Transport Policy Public consultations.

SAMSA undertook a comprehensive skills development plan, which was implemented in 2008/2009, in which travel and accommodation of SAMSA staff for purpose of training and further studies are included in the travel budget.

QUESTION NO 878

DATE REPLY SUBMITTED: 26 APRIL 2010

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: TUESDAY, 23 MARCH 2010 (INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: NO 8 – 2010)

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

Whether any function was organised by the SA Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) to mark the end of year in (a) December 2008 and (b) December 2009; if so, (i) what total amount was spent on this function, (ii) from which budget was the money allocated, (iii) what amount was spent on (aa) food and refreshments, (bb) venue, (cc) entertainment, (dd) staff and (ee) transport and (iv) how many persons were invited to attend this function?

NW1014E

REPLY:

The Minister of Transport:

The Year 2008:

2008 was the year that the South African Maritime safety Authority (SAMSA) turned 10 years old and in keeping with this milestone, SAMSA, in December 2008, staged a multi-pronged (all-in-one) event to acknowledge the following:-

· SAMSA 10TH ANNIVERSARY: To celebrate the SAMSA 10th year anniversary of the entity.

· LONG SERVICE AWARDS: To recognise and honour the 60 qualifying members of staff at the Inaugural SAMSA Long Service Awards Ceremony.

· MARITIME INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP: Acknowledgement of contributions of past Board members in the building of SAMSA and the maritime industry.

· The YEAR-END event was also used as a platform to host the following parallel SAMSA corporate events:-

· GRADUATION CEREMONY: Graduation Ceremony of the students who had attended the international course, which had been jointly delivered by SAMSA and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), namely the IMO/SAMSA Casualty Investigation Course (which included 11 International Students); and

· TEAM BUILDING: The end of the year celebrations, which incorporated a day event teambuilding session for the SAMSA staff on the 12th December 2009.

The event was hosted in Cape Town and the SAMSA staff and guests congregated in the city for the event. The duplication in costs for travel and accommodation for the event were eliminated and the total expenditure incurred was as follows:-

(i) Total function spend: R338,323.00

(ii) Budget Allocation: Office of the CEO

(iii)

(aa) Food and Refreshments: R95 000.00

(bb) Venue : R12 000.00

(cc) Entertainment (including stage and sound): R60 600.00

(dd) Staff (Accommodation): R89 045.00

(ee) Transport (Airfares, including airport transfers): R70 392.00

(ff) 60 X Recognition Awards (Glass Trophies): R11 286.00

(iv) Total Number of Guests was: 147

Broken down as follows:-

· Previous SAMSA Board members and Executives and their

Partners: 11

· SAMSA Employees: 85

· SAMSA Employees' Spouses: 46

· Current Board Members and Partners: 6

The Year 2009:

In 2009, SAMSA did not host a collective year-end event. It was rather decentralised to the ports, with each one of the 8 port offices (including The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) and the Pretoria Head Office) hosting their individual events.

(i) Total function spending for all the offices was: R75 975.40

(ii) Budget Allocation: The Centre for Corporate Affairs

(iii) Event expenditure for all the year- end events was limited to food and beverages, therefore items (bb – ee) are not applicable in this regard.

The breakdown of the food and beverages expenditure is listed per office as follows:-

Locality

Amount Spent

Head office

R31 156.40

Cape Town

R12 000.00

Durban

R9 165.00

Richards Bay

R1 543.35

MRCC

R13 500.00

East London

R1 500.00

Mossel Bay

R1 500.00

Port Nolloth

R500.00

Saldanha

R2 900.00

Port Elizabeth

R2 210.65

(iv) Total Number of Guests: All the events were for SAMSA employees only and no external guests/stakeholders were invited.

QUESTION NO: 880

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 08 OF 23 March 2010

Mr W P Doman (DA) to ask the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional

Affairs:

Whether his department's liability in the amount of R4, 095 mi\lion to a certain company (name furnished) has been averted; if not, (a) what amount did his department spend on (i) legal costs

and (ii) settling the claim and (b) what are the further relevant details? NW1016E

Reply

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is not in a position to respond to this question as the matter is still in court. The information will be given to you once the court

has completed its processes and a verdict has been reached.

QUESTION 881

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 23/03/2010

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER 8 OF 2010

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

(1) What is the (a) breakdown and (b) total budget of the stakeholder summit on higher education transformation scheduled for 22 to 23 April 2010, including the preparations towards it? NW1018E

REPLY:

1a) Breakdown of budget (in Rands)[1]

Programme development

46 850

Development of summit concept papers (including honoraria for plenary and commission presenters)

325 400

Logistics, Planning and Project Management (including management of summit webpage)

138 000

Scribing (including synthesis report of pre-summit submission, recording of summit proceedings)

118 400

Development of proceedings report and summit report using blogs/submissions

125 400

Travel costs

46 204

Printing for conference report

102 400

Consumables

30 050

Contingency

67 596

Management fee

124 727

Catering costs

219 161

VAT

155 806

TOTAL

1 500 000[2]

1b) It must be highlighted that the budget for the Summit does not utilise voted funds but donor funding. The total budget of the stakeholder summit amounts to R1.5 million. A Summit Steering Committee (SSC) was appointed by the Minister who oversees the planning of the summit, the development of the programme, the management of the event and, the production of the report. The SSC is stakeholder driven with representation from HESA, the CHE, SAUS and organised labour. A service provider was appointed to undertake all the organisational work and to manage the summit. The committee has met several times and will meet again on 15 April to finalise the preparations. An advertisement, calling for submissions from higher education stakeholders was placed in the Mail & Guardian, The Sunday Times and the City Press.


[1] Total number of delegates expected is 400.

[2] The budget is donor funding, not voted funds.

QUESTION 882 WRITTEN REPLY 23 MARCH 2010

882. Mr MW Rabotapi (DA) to ask the Minister of Public Works:

(1)Whether, with reference to the high vacancy rate in his department, he has any mechanisms and/or policies in place to retain persons currently working in his department, if so, what are the relevant details, if not,

(2) Whether he intends introducing a policy to retain workers in his department, if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) Whether his department has any mechanisms in place to attract young graduates to his department, if not, why not, if so, what are the relevant details? NW1019E

REPLY

(1) Yes. The department has been and is continuing to retain employees especially within the scarce skills occupation in line with the Public Service Regulations 2001 as amended.

(2) Yes. The department is in a process of finalising its retention policy in line with the prescripts and guidelines by the Department of Public Service and Administration.

(3) Yes. The National Department of Public Works identified areas of contribution to the National Skills Development Strategy of South Africa through its' Learnerships, Internships, Artisans Trainee and Young Professionals Programmes in terms of the Skills Development Act 1998, Skills Development Levy Act 1999, Employment Equity Act 1998, Basic Conditions of Employment Act no 75 of 1997, National HRD Strategy of South Africa and the Department's skills requirements.

The following were identified as areas of critical skills shortages:

· Engineers i.e. Civil/Structural, Mechanical, Electrical

· Architects

· Quantity Surveyors

· Asset Management

· Town and Regional Planning

· Property Management

· Strategic Management

· Property Valuations

· Construction Project Management

PROGAMMES

Learnerships, Internships, Artisans Trainees, Young Professionals and Mentoring (incorporating the Cuban Technical Advisory) programmes are not only to meet the Department's needs but also the country's needs. The Department does not only need to meet its employment targets but it has to take a leading role in the supply of skilled technical labour to the Construction and Property Industries and contribute towards alleviating of poverty amongst South African youth.

QUESTION NO. 883

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 23 MARCH 2010

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 8)

Mrs N W A Michael (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) What amount was (a) allocated in each province for litigation costs and (b) actually spent in the (i) 2008-09 financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

(2) whether any province defended any cases in court during this period; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many cases and (c) how successful was the province in each case;

(3) whether any province had to pay the legal costs of the applicant; if so, how much in each case;

(4) whether any province appealed a court judgment; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many appeals were there and (c) what were the financial implications in each case?

NW1020E

REPLY:

The following information was obtained from the Provincial Departments of Health listed.

EASTERN CAPE

Question:

(1) What amount was (a) allocated in each province for litigation costs and (b) actually spent in the (i) 2008-09 financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

Reply:

(1) During the financial year 2008/9 the Department did not have funding for legal costs but provision was made to pay the legal costs. R5 863 209.99 was paid on the 17 September 2008 for legal costs.


During the financial year 2009/10 the Department allocated R10 000 000.00 and accruals for legal costs.

Question:

(2) whether any province defended any cases in court during this period; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many cases and (c) how successful was the province in each case;

Reply:

(2) For the financial year 2008/9 – 34 cases were defended for the Department – the cases are usually carried over and continued until the case is finalized.

For the financial year 2009/10 – 93 cases were defended for Department - the cases are usually carried over and continued until the case is finalised

Question

(3) whether any province had to pay the legal costs of the applicant; if so, how much in each case;

Reply:

(3)The Department has paid the applicant's legal costs according to the court ruling through the office of the state attorneys. We are still collecting this information from the state attorneys.

Question

(4) whether any province appealed a court judgment; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many appeals were there and (c) what were the financial implications in each case?

Reply:

(4) During the financial year 2008/9 and 2009/10 the Department did not appeal in any court judgment, no appeals were made, the reasons for the Department not to appeal is to reduce the litigation costs.

FREE STATE

Question:

(1) What amount was (a) allocated in each province for litigation costs and (b) actually spent in the (i) 2008-09 financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

Reply:

(1) The following table reflects the situation in this regard

Financial Year

Budget Allocated

Budget spent

(i) 2008/2009

R348 000. 00

R235 871.20

(ii) 2009/2010

R1, 111, 000.00

R822,249.52

Question:

(2) whether any province defended any cases in court during this period; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many cases and (c) how successful was the province in each case;

Reply:

(2) One (1) case was defended successfully.

Question

(3) whether any province had to pay the legal costs of the applicant; if so, how much in each case;

Reply:

(3) No, the legal costs incurred were mostly for pre-trial costs.

Question

(4) whether any province appealed a court judgment; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many appeals were there and (c) what were the financial implications in each case?

Reply:

(4) No, the Free State Department of Health never appealed any court judgements.

GAUTENG

Question:

(1) What amount was (a) allocated in each province for litigation costs and (b) actually spent in the (i) 2008-09 financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

Reply:

(1) (a) There is no amount allocated for Litigation costs as the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development passes the costs and debits the amount from the concerned Hospital.

(b) (i) Legal costs for 2008 – 09 financial year amounted to R7 811 454.81.

(ii) The costs from April 2009 to date stands at R258 625.32 pending any further invoices to be received from the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

Question:

(2) whether any province defended any cases in court during this period; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many cases and (c) how successful was the province in each case;

Reply:

(2) (a) Gauteng

(b) During the requested financial years matters that went for trial were 9 (nine) with 5 (five) being postponed sine die whilst others were settled out of Court,

Question

(3) whether any province had to pay the legal costs of the applicant; if so, how much in each case;

Reply:

(3) See response in (1) (b) above.

Question

(4) whether any province appealed a court judgment; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many appeals were there and (c) what were the financial implications in each case?

Reply:

(4) No, Gauteng never appealed any court judgements.

MPUMALANGA

Question:

(1) What amount was (a) allocated in each province for litigation costs and (b) actually spent in the (i) 2008-09 financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

Reply:

(1) It should be noted that the litigation costs included legal fees and the capital amounts for judgments against the Department:

Financial Year

Budget Allocated

Budget spent

(i) 2008/2009

R2, 423,000

R666, 643.58

(ii) 2009/2010

R8, 162, 000

R 3 512 299.02

Question:

(2) whether any province defended any cases in court during this period; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many cases and (c) how successful was the province in each case;

Reply:

(2) (a) Yes;

(b) 2008/2009 – 126 cases were defended;

(c) 2009/2010 – 194 cases defended to date;

Question

(3) whether any province had to pay the legal costs of the applicant; if so, how much in each case;

Reply:

(3) The only matter that the Department paid legal costs of the applicant for was for a labour related matter for which the Department paid R241, 273.72.

Question

(4) whether any province appealed a court judgment; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many appeals were there and (c) what were the financial implications in each case?

Reply:

(4) No.

NORTHERN CAPE

Question:

(1) What amount was (a) allocated in each province for litigation costs and (b) actually spent in the (i) 2008-09 financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

Reply:

(1) (a) No amount was allocated for litigation costs during this period.

(b) (i) R251 192.14;

(ii) R3,353,238.08

Question:

(2) whether any province defended any cases in court during this period; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many cases and (c) how successful was the province in each case;

Reply:

(2) (a) Yes;

(b) 13 cases;

(c) 12 cases.

Question

(3) whether any province had to pay the legal costs of the applicant; if so, how much in each case;

Reply:

(3) Yes, the total cost was R1,876,257.28

Question

(4) whether any province appealed a court judgment; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many appeals were there and (c) what were the financial implications in each case?

Reply:

(4) None. In one case the Department filed a notice of intention to appeal but was unsuccessful.

WESTERN CAPE

Question:

(1) What amount was (a) allocated in each province for litigation costs and (b) actually spent in the (i) 2008-09 financial year and (ii) during the period 1 April 2009 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

Reply:

(1) Yes, per annum.

The following table reflects the situation in this regard

Financial Year

Budget Allocated

Budget spent

(i) 2008/2009

R14 million

R4.029 million

(ii) 2009/2010

R14 million

R6 million

Question:

(2) whether any province defended any cases in court during this period; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many cases and (c) how successful was the province in each case;

Reply:

(2) (a) Yes;

(b) 2 in 2009/ 2010;

(c) Both resulted in rulings against the Department - applications for leave to appeal have been filed in both cases.

Question

(3) whether any province had to pay the legal costs of the applicant; if so, how much in each case;

Reply:

(3) Legal costs of applicant are paid in all cases settled out of court - Approximately R250,000.00 / annum.

Question

(4) whether any province appealed a court judgment; if so, (a) which provinces, (b) how many appeals were there and (c) what were the financial implications in each case?

Reply:

(4) Yes, in 2009/2010, the Department requested leave to appeal against one judgement (awaiting decision of SCA), and one application granted on behalf of plaintiff (leave to appeal granted by SCA). The financial implications will only be known once the respective outcomes of the appeals are known

QUESTION NO. 884

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 23 MARCH 2010

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 8)

Mrs N W A Michael (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) Whether his department has issued standards whereby all patients' records (a) can be shared through a common format and (b) have the same standardised information; if not, (i) why not, (ii) when will this be done and (iii) how does he anticipate patients' records and information to be sent to another province in case a patient is moving; if so, what is the (aa) standardised information that is required and (bb) common format;

(2) how much has been spent over the past three financial years to ensure that all provincial departments' IT systems are (a) functional and (b) compatible with one another?

NW1021E

REPLY:

(1) The National Health Information Systems/South Africa (NHIS/SA) Committee made decisions to adopt the principle of using a unique patient identifier for all patient information systems in the country. The unique patient identifier which can be an identification number for South African citizens or a passport number for foreigners will allow for the identification of a patient in any part of the country and therefore the sharing of patient information.

The current manner in which patient clinical information is shared between health facilities and provinces is through a summary of the patient's condition and treatment which is made available when requested by physician. The documents can also be scanned and sent to the receiving physician via e-mail.

The National Department of Health is drafting regulations on minimum information for patient discharge summary which will be standardized across all health facilities and can also be incorporated in the electronic patient system. The discharge summary will stipulate the content of standard information that can also be useful when a patient is transferred to another health facility in part of the country:-

· Location and details of the health facilities such as name, address and contact numbers ;

· Demographic details of a patient such as patient name and surname, unique identifier (ID number), date of birth, sex, occupation, telephone numbers, residential and postal addresses;

· Clinical/ medical information such as admission / attendance reason i.e consultation or treatment, Attendance date and time, Specialty Clinic or ward, Findings and Management , Diagnosis: ICD 10;Procedures: ICD9 CM, Treatment given Theatre: Information of theatre procedures where applicable, laboratory results

· Future Plans:- Follow up appointments

· Health care provider information: Initials and Surname, Signature of reporting doctor: Name of consultant printed and date of signing.

The National Department of Health awarded a contract for the Electronic Health Record to develop a capability to share electronically the core patient information between the health facilities throughout the country. This project is in its Phase 0 stage which is consultation and research phase.

(2) The National Department does not have the expenditure on IT systems by provinces for the past financial years.

· the fragmentation of the National Health Information System;

· each of the Provinces operate off different Wide Area Networks (WANs) and infrastructure that is not interoperable;

· there is limited capacity or capabilities required to implement a national ICT strategy; and

· each of the Provinces operates from different starting points in maturity of ICT infrastructure and systems.

In order to address these challenges, the e-Health Strategy for South Africa has been drafted. The overall aims of the Strategy are to –

· allow the Department of Health (DOH) to play a leading role in harnessing ICTs to improve patient care, safety and access in support of government mandate;

· provide a single, harmonised and comprehensive e-Health strategy that supports the priorities of the health sector; and

· Align, encompass, integrate and coordinate all e-Health initiatives through a single point of accountability.

The NHIS/SA Committee also required that all patient information systems must be compliant to the international standards for HL7 interface and at least ISO 2000 compatible. These standards form the foundation for systems interoperability.

Question 887

Mr D.C. Smiles (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

1. What is the (a) total number of posts (i) planned, (ii) filled and (iii) vacant or surplus and (b) percentage of posts are vacant or surplus for each specified occupation in each specified unit of the SA Military Health Service?

2. What is the (a) total number of posts (i) planned, (ii) filled and (iii) vacant or surplus and (b) percentage of posts are vacant or surplus for each specified unit of the SA Military Health Service?NW1027E

REPLY

3. Reference is made to the attached documents. It is, however, important to clarify the following information:

a. In some instances the posts of Specialists and Medical Officers are indicated as a surplus percentage due to the fact that the session appointees in the SAMHS are included in the statistics. A separate table has been attached reflecting the number of session appointees in the respective units.

b. The posts of cleaners/general stores assistants/grounds man are indicated as a 100% vacant. These posts are still on the structures of the General Support Bases and do not reflect as yet against the structure of the SAMHS on the Structure Management Control System. These posts are sufficiently filled.

4. The planned posts can only be determined once all vacancies have been filled and the restructuring process has been finalised.

QUESTIONS 889 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

23 MARCH 2010

889. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) What is the average time taken by each department to finalise cases of misconduct;

(2) whether there are any standard sanctions regarding fraud and corruption to ensure consistency; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether there are any interventions regarding departments not imposing sanctions that are commensurate with the specific act of misconduct; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1029E

REPLY

(1) I have set up a unit to record cases of misconduct management as one of the new initiatives in the Department and thus be able to report responsibly to questions like this.

(2) The sanctions are determined on the merit of each case.

(3) Yes, there are interventions if disciplinary sanctions are not

commensurate with a specific case, provided that the merits

compare similarly.

We may not provide details to a general question like this. .

QUESTIONS 890 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

TUESDAY, 23 MARCH 2010

890. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether the Public Service Commission has determined the percentage of schools that are implementing the no-fee schools policy; if not, why not; if so, (a) what percentage and (b) what are the challenges in these schools with the implementation of the policy? NW1030E

REPLY

No, the Public Service Commission has not determined the percentage of schools that are not implementing the no-fee school policy.

QUESTION NO. 891

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 23 MARCH 2010

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 8)

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

(1) (a) How many forensic chemistry laboratories are there and (b) where are they situated;

(2) what is the (a) optimal and (b) actual staffing complement at each forensic chemistry laboratory for each category of employee;

(3) how many (a) samples did each forensic laboratory receive for analysis in (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009 and (b) of these have not been finalised in each year?

NW1031E

REPLY:

(1) (a) Three (3)

(b) Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town

(2) The following table reflects the situation in this regard

Category

Pretoria

Johannesburg

Cape Town

Optimal

Actual

Optimal

Actual

Optimal

Actual

Deputy Director

1

1

1

-

1

1

Chief Forensic Analyst TQM

1

1

-

-

-

-

Technical Manager

-

-

-

-

1

1

Chief Forensic Analyst

3

2

3

3

3

3

Principal Forensic Analyst

5

3

3

2

6

3

Senior Forensic Analyst

11

4

-

-

-

-

Forensic Analyst

-

-

14

13

11

3

Assistant Forensic Analyst

9

1

2

2

10

2

Senior Admin Clerks

3

2

4

4

2

2

Senior Provisioning Admin Clerks

-

-

-

-

2

2

Principal Typist

1

1

-

-

-

-

Chief Specialised Auxiliary Service Officers

-

-

1

1

5

5

Principal Specialised Auxiliary Service Officers

-

-

-

-

1

1

Specialised Auxiliary Service Officers

3

2

4

4

2

2

Messenger

-

-

1

1

-

-

General Assistant

-

-

1

-

-

-

Cleaners

4

4

Contracted out

Contracted out

4

4

TOTAL

41

21

34

30

48

29

(3) The following table reflects the situation in this regard

Pretoria

Samples

2007

Not finalised

2008

Not finalised

2009

Not finalised

Alcohol

16 957

0

18 541

4 505

18 786

3 878

Toxicology

1 540

376

2 158

1 073

2 903

2 179

Food

1 042

109

435

62

1 199

528

Johannesburg

Alcohol

15 958

12 020

19 284

6 522

15 885

7 706

Toxicology

1 626

1 275

1 482

1 268

1 328

1 293

Food

-

-

-

-

-

-

Cape Town

Alcohol

22 256

0

28 178

0

32 206

500

Toxicology

1 065

669

1 317

982

881

845

Food

3 753

0

3 498

0

3 470

77

QUESTION NO. 892

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 23 MARCH 2010

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 8)

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

(1) Whether the human resource plan of 2004 has been implemented; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will it be implemented; if so, (i) when was it implemented and (ii) what progress has been made since its implementation;

(2) whether there are staffing norms and standards for each hospital and clinic; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will such norms and standards be developed; if so, (i) what are the norms and standards and (ii) when were they implemented?

NW1032E

REPLY:

(1) Implementation of the HR Plan is an ongoing process. The Department is in the process of reviewing and updating the existing National Human Resources for Health Plan that has been in place since 2006. It is envisaged that the updated Plan will be ready by March 2011. Priorities identified in the 2006 Plan continue to be implemented given their long-term nature. For example –

· Review of Human Resources Production (quantifying targets for production; Review of funding of health sciences education & training); Training of specialists; Health Sciences Academic development; Development and implementation of a nursing strategy for South Africa)

· Human Resources Development (strengthening of identified competencies of existing professionals; development of mid-level workers)

· Human Resources Management (Strengthening of recruitment and retention strategies in the public services, including the development of remuneration policies for health professionals employed in the public health sector)

· Strengthening of Health Human Resource systems (Development of a human Resources information and management system)

(2) See answer above.

QUESTION 894

DATE OF PUBLICATION: TUESDAY 23 MARCH 2010 [IQP No 8- 2010] SECOND SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT

894. Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:

Whether she will introduce legislation that will make it compulsory that all animal products such as eggs and meat, that are not free range, to be stipulated as caged products on their packaging; if not, why not; if so, when? NW1034E

REPLY:

(a) No, the Department does not intend to require the indication of "caged" on caged bird and animal products. The DAFF however intends to regulate the indications of "free range" and "organic" as these are the exception to the abovementioned production methods. The WTO Notification process has been completed on free range regulations. The Department will now begin the consultation with industry after which the regulations will be published in the Government Gazette at the end of February 2011.

Most of the eggs supplied to supermarkets are from caged birds. At this point, free range eggs are the exception not the rule.

The Department is also in the process of setting standards for organically produced products – these standards will also include poultry, egg and red meat production in which the animals may not be kept in cages. The WTO Notification process has been completed, and the standards will be published in the Government Gazette at the end of September 2010.

For free range dairy, the Department has just completed the pilot study to determine the difference between milk produced conventionally and "free range" production, which some producers/factories are claiming on their labels. The Department will now have to determine if there is a need to come up with an official standard in this regard or to incorporate the free range requirements in the dairy regulations. This process will take at least six months to complete.

QUESTION NO.:896

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23 March 2010

896. Ms M R Shinn (DA) to ask the Minister of Public Enterprises:

(1) Whether the broadband cable plan of a certain company (name furnished) for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) bid includes the towns of Carnarvon and Williston; if not, why not; if so, (a) what facilities will be made available to the (i) residents, (ii) businesses and (iii) farmers located and living in these communities and (b) when will these facilities be made available to these specified categories of persons;

(2) whether the said company is currently considering a communications solution for farmers and communities outside the towns of Carnarvon and Williston who are affected by the Astronomy Geographic Advantage Act, Act 21 of 2007; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1036E

REPLY

(1) Subject to the successful awarding of the Karoo Array telescope (KAT) / SKA long-distance telecommunications connectivity requirements to Broadband Infraco, fibre optic cable connectivity in the area will include the town of Carnarvon. However, Broadband Infraco currently does not have plans to provide broadband connectivity or access to the town of Williston because this town is located approximately 130 km from the optimal fibre cable routing to the KAT / SKA core site.

(a) Fibre optic cable infrastructure back to the Broadband Infraco backbone network and a point-of-presence (connectivity facility) will be established near Carnarvon. This infrastructure will be available for other licensed retail telecommunications operators to gain access to, with the view to provide "last mile" or access telecommunications services within the local community.

(i), (ii) & (iii) and (2) Broadband Infraco was issued with a wholesale individual electronic communications network services (I-ECNS) licence by ICASA in October 2009 and as such is not licensed to provide retail telecommunications services to residents, farmers or businesses located in these communities that are not licensed or licence exempt despite its statutory mandate to provide services to under-serviced areas. Telecommunications services can only be provided to these aforementioned customer segments by a service provider that has a retail individual electronic communications services (I-ECS) licence. However Broadband Infraco could collaborate with another, third party I-ECS licensed operator (by providing backhaul connectivity services to the same) in order to facilitate a communications solution for farmers and other communities in the affected area.

(b) The establishment of the network infrastructure to Carnarvon is planned to be completed and to be available to third party I-ECS licensed operators who will be able to serve the specified customer categories of residents, businesses and farmers during the fourth quarter of 2010.

QUESTION 897

DATE OF PUBLICATION: TUESDAY 23 MARCH 2010 [IQP No 8 -2010] SECOND SESSION, FOURTH PARLIAMENT

Question 897 for Written Reply, National Assembly: Ms M Shinn (DA) to ask the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries:

(1) Whether the regulations under the Agricultural Product Standards Act, Act 119 of 1990, regarding the control and sale of organically-produced products in the Republic of South Africa has been gazetted; if not, (a) why has there been a delay in gazetting these regulations and (b) what has caused it; if so, when;

(2) Whether these regulations have been checked for compliance with the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, Act 36 of 1947; if not, why not; if so,

(3) Whether the regulations comply with the Act; if not, what steps are being taken to ensure compliance; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1037E

REPLY:

  1. The draft regulations for Organically Produced Products have not been published yet. There has not been a delay, rather the process is ongoing.

Since it is new regulations there are various processes to be undertaken. Public consultation was completed and the Department submitted the draft regulations for organically produced products to the WTO (World Trade Organization) to allow all WTO member countries to comment on our proposed legislation. This notice was published by the WTO on 7 December 2009 with due date for comments 28 February 2010.

The following requests were received for copies of the draft regulations notified to the WTO: Spain, Canada, New Zealand, European Commission, US SPS Enquiry Point Office. No comments from any of the countries that requested copies were received by the due date.

The Department can now continue with the process of receiving approval from the Minister for promulgation of the regulations. However, before this can be done the Department must first conclude consultations with the implementing agencies (inspectorate of the Department as well as SANAS) regarding the implementation process and time frames to be catered for. The implementation time lines will be published on the first page of the draft regulations and must be realistic.

  1. Yes, the draft regulations for organically produced products were submitted to the Registrar of Act 36 for scrutiny. The draft regulations were approved and the following was added to the regulations on request from the Registrar:

"When any substance or a mixture of substances from those listed in Annexure III is sold, and the labelling thereof refers to any remedial quality against a pest or pests, such as an insecticide, herbicide, fungicide, etc. then the product/s must be registered under the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947 (Act No. 36 of 1947)."

  1. Yes, also, regulation 2(2) of the draft regulations was included to state the following:

"These regulations are in addition to and not in substitution of any other relevant legi­slation applicable to the products, practices and inputs concerned."

Meaning that when the draft regulations for organically produced products are promulgated then the regulations can not be used to circumvent any legislation applicable to the inputs, practices or products used for organic production.

Question 898

Mr M H Steele (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

What percentage of the budget of the (a) SA Army, (b) SA Air Force, (c) SA Navy and (d) SA Military Health Service will be spent on (i) personnel, (ii) operating and (iii) capital costs in the 2010-11 financial year? NW1038E

REPLY

The SA Navy's total allocation to run the Maritime Defence Program, over which the Chief of the Navy has the responsibility and accountability, for FY 2010/11, is R1, 932,639,338. The spending percentage breakdown is as follows:

a. Personnel: R1, 154,267,038 = 60% of the allocation.

b. Operating: R778, 375,074 = 40% of the allocation.

The funds allocated for the Maritime Defence related projects over the FY 2010/11 is RM 192,591. Chief of the Navy has no jurisdiction over these funds in the execution of the Maritime Defence Program. However, when these funds are pooled together for executing all matters maritime within the DOD, the total is R2, 125,230,338. The percentage breakdown is then as follows:

a. Personnel: R1, 154,267,038 = 54% of total allocation.

b. Operating: R778, 375,074 = 37% of total allocation.

c. Capital: R192, 591,000 = 9% of total allocation.

SA Air Force's budget on

(i) Personnel costs:

During the 2010-11 financial year the planned expenditure of the SA Air Force's budget on personnel is 35,71 %

(ii) Operating costs

During the 2010-11 financial year the planned expenditure of the SA Air Force's budget on operating is 28,01 %

(iii) Capital costs

During the 2010-11 financial year the planned expenditure of the SA Air Force's budget on capital is 36,29 %

If the capital funding for Special Defence Package Aircraft, which is not part of the normal allocation of funding for capital acquisition, is omitted from the calculation the figures are personnel 45, 86 %, operating 35, 97 %, and capital 18, 17 %.

SA MILITARY HEALTH SERVICES

The total budget for the SAMHS is R2 671 296 180 for the 2010-11 financial year. The division of the budget in terms of the question is as follows:

a. Personnel (Human resources): R1 722 887 429 equals 64.50%

b. Operating (Goods and Services): R888 021 368 equals to 33.24%

c. Capital costs: R49 331 272 equals to 1.85%

d. Transfers: R11 056 048 equals to 0.41%

QUESTION NUMBER: 899

Mr M H Steele (DA) to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans:

What is the breakdown by (a) rank and (b) gender of each specified rank within the, (i) SA Army, (ii) SA Air Force, (iii) SA Navy and (iv) SA Military Health Service? NW1039E

REPLY

The SA Army from the rank of General to Candidate Officer has thirty three thousand three and fourteen (33 314) men and seven thousand one hundred and seventeen (7117) women who occupy various ranks..

The SA Air Force from the rank of Lieutenant General to Airman has seven thousand five hundred and sixty four (7 564) men and one thousand eight hundred and seventy six (1 876) women who occupy various ranks.

The SA Navy from the rank of Vice Admiral to Seaman has five thousand and thirty (5 030) men and one thousand six hundred and four (1 604) women who occupy various ranks.

The SA Military Health Services from the rank of Lieutenant General to Candidate Officer has three thousand six hundred and thirty-nine (3 639) men and three thousand eight hundred and thirty-two (3 832) women who occupy various ranks.