Questions & Replies: Public Services and Administration

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2010-07-06

THIS FILE CONTAINS 25 REPLIES.

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QUESTIONS 3526 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2010

3526. Ms A M Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether (a) his department and (b) any entities reporting to his department provided any financial support to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) for the World Festival of Youth and Students to be held in Pretoria in December 2010; if not, why not; if so, (i) what amount was provided to the NYDA, (ii) from which budget were these funds drawn, (iii) who made the decision to provide these funds to the NYDA and (iv) how is this (aa) decision and (bb) amount justified;

(2) whether the NYDA made any other request to (a) his department and (b) any entities reporting to his department to provide support to the festival; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW4365E

Reply

(1)The department of Public Service and Administration and any entities reporting to this Ministry did not provide any financial support to the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) for the World Festival of Youth and Students to be held in Pretoria in December 2010 as we did not receive any request in this regard.

(2) No other request to provide support to the festival was made by NYDA to both the department and its entities.

QUESTIONS 3478 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2010

3478. Ms A M Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(a) How many employees of (i) his department and (ii) any entities reporting to his department who are on level 11 salary scale and above have been suspended with full pay (aa) in the 2009-10 financial year and (bb) during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what is the total amount of money that was paid by his department in respect of these salaries? NW4313E

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REPLY:

(a) The DPSA, CPSI, GEMS, PALAMA, OPSC has no employees who have been

suspended during the period referred to in the question above.

One Senior Manager at level 13 employed by the PSETA has been suspended with full pay on the 19 November 2010. The employee has been paid R21 454.42. for the period he has been on suspension.

SITA:

(a) (ii) (aa) (bb)

With regard to SITA during the period under consideration (i.e. (aa) financial year 2009/2010 and during the period (bb) 1 April 2010 to 30 November 2010) eight (8) employees at level D1 (in terms of patterson grading system) and above have been suspended with full pay pending investigations and possible disciplinary action.

(b) The total amount of money that was paid in respect of these employees is

R2, 653, 160. 79

QUESTIONS 3354 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2010

3354. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether, with reference to his department's annual report (details furnished), he intends appointing women who were trained for senior management positions by the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA); if not, why not; if so, (a) how many women were trained for senior management positions by PALAMA and (b) in which departments were they trained? NW4184E

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REPLY:

The women trained by PALAMA within the public service form part of the women in government departments who are eligible to apply for positions advertised by departments as per selection and recruitment policies of the public service.

PALAMA offers several management and leadership development training programmes that target female managers within the public service. The target groups for these training programmes range from junior and middle management to senior management officials.

a) The appointment of all officials in the public service is undertaken through an open and competitive process following the recruitment and selection policies of the public service. However, PALAMA is continuously providing capacity building programmes for women to equip them to be better prepared for this competitive process within the public service. The total number of women trained by PALAMA in various programmes for the 2009/2010 financial year is 7 885. Of this number a total of 1 645 women were training in management and leadership development programmes.

(b)In the 2009/10 financial year PALAMA trained women in most national

departments and all provinces (refer to Annexure A).

QUESTION 3353 FOR WRITTEN REPLY FRIDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2010

3353. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration the following question

Whether he has put any measures in place to ensure that all provincial departments submit the required service delivery improvement plans (SDIPs); if not, why not; if so, (a) what measures, (b) how will this be monitored, (c) why did only 71 of the 106 provincial departments submit their SDIPs and (d) what disciplinary steps has he taken against responsible persons who failed to submit the required SDIPs?

______________________________________________________________________

REPLY:

Yes. The Minister for Public Service and Administration (MPSA) is on an ongoing basis improving the measures to improve compliance with the submission of Service Delivery Improvement Plans SDIPs through the following interventions:

a) THREE YEARLY SUBMISSIONS OF SERVICE DELIVERY IMPROVEMENT PLANS (SDIPS).

A department must submit its approved Service Delivery Improvement Plan to the Minister for the Public Service and Administration before 31 March every three years with 2009 as a baseline to enable the DPSA to report to Parliament on the status of service delivery and to construct a database for benchmarking and good practice.

As a measure of compliance a database is kept in a MS Word format in the DPSA to register the departments that have developed and submitted a SDIP to the DPSA in terms of the above directive.

b) The public service regulations and Batho Pele White Paper clearly states that all HODs should include a SDIP as part of their Key Performance Area. It is thus part of the HODs' deliverables to be assessed during the performance assessment by the relevant MEC.

c) Why does Non compliance still persist?

Although the database is kept by the DPSA and non compliance with the submission of SDIP is reported to Cabinet, the compliance rate is still not what it should be. Reasons for this phenomenon seem to be that departments lack the necessary capacity to develop SDIPs even though DPSA has ensured the training of departmental staff on the development of SDIPs. Rotation and resignation of capacitated staff is mentioned as a cause of the depletion of the capacity to develop SDIPs in departments.

d) Steps taken on non compliance.

Non compliance to the SDIP legislation and policies are reported to the Cabinet, Portfolio Committees and Parliament on a yearly basis for further action.

Furthermore, those provincial departments that did not comply, were approached by the DPSA, consulted and assisted with the development of effective, realistic and credible SDIPs and service standards.

The Minister for Public Service and Administration does not have any authority or power to take disciplinary action against non submission however in terms of the Public service Regulations, the relevant EA should take the necessary corrective measures in order to ensure that a SDIP is developed and implemented in the department.

QUESTIONS 3342 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

9 November 2010

3342. Mr E J Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether the Minister is aware of the matter where Department Heads in the Northern Cape Provincial Government grant permission to full-time officials, who represent the Northern Cape Government on the Namakwaland Diamond Fund Trust, to take leave and attend a sitting of the Trust Fund and then receive remuneration of R3 334.00 per sitting from the Fund, excluding travel expenses as a trustee; if not, why not; if so, how will the Minister address this situation?

REPLY:

1. In relation to the question raised by Mr Marias, the following should be noted:

a) No, I am not aware as individual employment matters pertaining to employees are to be dealt by their respective departments, i.e. the relevant political and administrative head would be responsible for such issues.

b) I therefore advise the Honourable Member to seek clarity from the relevant provincial political and administrative heads in the Northern Cape.

c) Without access to the Trust Deed it is not possible to determine who represents the NC Provincial Government on the NDTF or which official or state authority is a member of the Trust.

d) If the Trust Deed provide for officials to represent the state on the trust, those officials are performing duties of a public nature and they are not entitled to remuneration.

e) If they serve as trustees in their personal capacity, they may only receive remuneration if they have their executive authority's permission, in terms of section 30 of the Public Service Act (i.e. political head of department they are employed at) and they must take leave when they have to attend meetings during normal working hours. In terms of section 30 of the Public Service Act, the relevant executive authority may authorise the relevant official to perform remunerative work outside his or her employment.

f) If the officials are serving in their personal capacity as trustees and receive remuneration for such work without such permission (section 30), it constitutes misconduct and the relevant department must take disciplinary steps against these officials (i.e. the Premier must take such steps if the transgressor is the head of the department or, the head of the department must take steps in the case of other officials of the department - section 16A of the Public Service Act, 1994, as amended).

QUESTION 3330 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

12 NOVEMBER 2010

3330. Mr L Ramatlakana (Cope) to ask the Minister for Public Service and Administration

Whether his department has made any further constructive plans to reach the target of 50% women and 2% persons with disabilities in senior management level by 2014; if not, (a) why did his department not meet this target in the 2009-10 financial year and (b) what steps will be taken to remove the obstacles to reaching this goal in time; if so, what are the relevant details? NW4161E

REPLY:

Yes, the Department of Public Service and Administration has put in place measures to reach the target of 50% women in senior management and 2% of persons with disabilities by 2014. The measures include amongst others:

· Implementation of the departmental retention policy which is biased towards women and persons with disabilities.

· Opening opportunities for women to attend management development programs.

· Implementation of Job Access Strategic Framework for the Recruitment, Employment and Retention of Persons with Disabilities, including the Handbook on Reasonable Accommodation and Assistive Devices.

· The Implementation of the Strategic Framework for Gender Equality in the Public Service.

Women constitute 37% of SMS and Persons with Disabilities constitute 1.65% of the DPSA staff complement.

QUESTION 3329 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

12 NOVEMBER 2010

3329. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What measures he intends implementing to change the public's perception of the Public Service as corrupt and lacking effective measures to combat corruption?NW4160E

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REPLY:

Yes, Government is definitely committed to combating corruption. I must emphasize that our focus will not be primarily about achieving a higher ranking in the Corruption Perception Index but instead, seek to achieve the objectives we have set ourselves in the new outcome-based approach in which we identified a number of activities to be undertaken to tackle corruption effectively in the Public Service. We have acknowledged our ranking and we have stated that one of the things that we would do would be to reduce the perception that our country is corrupt.

Government has recently announced a number of initiatives and structures that are created to reduce the level of corruption. The establishments of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Anti-Corruption; Multi Agency Working Group and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit are amongst key initiatives we have to tackle corruption.

The following are the details of the activities which will be undertaken to reduce the level of corruption:

· Launch the Special anti-corruption Unit with the DPSA to investigate cases of corruption related misconducts, follow up on reported cases at department level; coordinate disciplinary processes and eradicate financial loss incurred by government as a result of corruption (i.e. including recouping monies or any material benefit acquired inappropriately.)

· Develop and implement the Public Sector Integrity Management Framework;

· The DPSA is currently rolling out a national Anti-Corruption training programme.

· Government is also working collaboratively with business and civil society through the National Anti-corruption Forum to ensure that the fight against corruption is well coordinated from all sectors.

The IMC and Inter – Departmental Task Team will both ensure efficient implementation and coordination of anti-corruption efforts in the Public Service. In addition, both structures will also be responsible for the following issues:

· Promote policy coherence and alignment on cross – cutting anti-corruption programmes of government;

· Review procurement practices in the public service;

· Address weaknesses in the criminal justice system so as to ensure that efficient prosecution takes place.

QUESTIONS 3328 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2010

3328. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether his department has identified the entities that have been wasteful in their spending of allocated resources as reported in his department's annual report (details furnished); if not, why not; if so, (a) which entities within the Public Service were wasteful in spending and (b) how has this been resolved? NW4159E

Reply:

Yes, my department has identified entities within the Public Service that have been wasteful in their spending of resources as per the findings of the Auditor-General.

a) The list of the government departments and public entities are as follows:-

Government Departments:

1. Department of Communications

2. Department of Justice and Constitutional Development

3. Department of Public Works

4. National Treasury (Consolidation of AFS)

Public Entities:

1. Energy Seta

2. National Arts Council of South Africa

3. National Prosecuting Authority

4. National Student Financial Aid Scheme

5. Property Management Trading Entity

6. Sheltered Employment Factories

7. The Commission on Gender Equality

b) The Office of the Auditor-General has made the necessary recommendations on what steps to be taken to remedy the situation.

QUESTIONS 3277 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2010

3277. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether knowledge of the information technology (IT) industry and specific qualifications regarding information and communication technology (ICT) are requirements for a person to serve on the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) board; if not, why not; if so, (a) what (i) qualifications and (ii) experience does each member on the current board have with regard to the ICT sector and (b) what are the further relevant details? NW4094E

REPLY:


No, the knowledge of Information Technology and specific qualifications regarding information and communication technology are not the requirements for a person to serve on the SITA board. Due to the following reasons:

(a) The requirements for appointment to the SITA Board are regulated by the State Information Technology Agency Act, 1998 (Act 88 of 1998 – the SITA Act).

The SITA Act therefore does not have a specific requirement that any member must have knowledge of the information technology (IT) industry and specific qualifications regarding information and communication technology.

(b) In terms of section 10(1)(c)(iv) of the SITA Act a range of skills and expertise needs to considered for purposes of good corporate governance. This would include the expertise needed for the different Board committees, which are the Chairpersons' Audit and Risk, Human Resources and Remuneration, Finance and Capex, Procurement, Stakeholder Management and Communications, and Ethics and Governance Committees.

QUESTIONS 3233 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 12 NOVEMBER 2010

3233. Dr HC van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What is the (a) total cost and (b) number of copies of each (i) annual report and (ii) report on strategic plans that was produced by (aa) his department and (bb) any of its entities in the 2009-10 financial year?

REPLY:

RESPONSE BY THE DPSA:

(a) (i) The cost of producing the DPSA Annual Report 2009/10 is R360 000.00

(ii). Total cost of strategic plan: R326 200.00

(b) (i) (1 000 hard copies) which included 25 compact discs of the report

(ii) 1600

RESPONSE BY THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION:

The Public Service Commission's expenditure and number of copies printed were as follows:

(a)(i) Total cost of annual report: R 172 279.08

(ii) Total cost of the report on strategic plans: R 3 890.00

(b)(i) Number of copies of the annual report produced:1 500

(ii) Number of copies of the strategic plans produced: 50

RESPONSE BY PALAMA:

(a) The total cost for the production of the:

(i) annual report was R216,006-29

(ii) strategic plan was R95,386-08

(b) The total number of copies produced of the:

(i) annual report was 1,200 (600 in hard copy and 600 CDs)

(ii) strategic plan was 500

RESPONSE BY CPSI:

The CPSI has not printed an annual report of strategic plan as information on the CPSI was contained in the DPSA documents.
The CPSI is however in the process of procuring a service provider to print both as there is a strong demand for these from especially our private sector partners and donors.
The number of copies and cost can be communicated after conclusion of the procurement process.

RESPONSE BY GEMS:

(a) The total cost was R5,264,840.00 translating to R11.20 per copy of a 72 page Annual report

(b) (i) 470 000 copies of the 2009 GEMS Annual Report, as compelled by the Medical Schemes Act and in accordance with the detail prescribed by the Registrar of Medical Schemes were distributed,

(ii) None was produced.

RESPONSE BY SITA

(a) R333 207, 18

(b) (i) 1500 at R222,14 each

(ii) (aa) SITA did not compile a strategic plan report

(bb) N/A

RESPONSE BY PSETA

(a) (i) Annul Report R174 524.88

(ii) not produced

(b) (i) 1500 copies

(ii) None

QUESTION 3204

RESPONSE TO PARLIMENTARY QUESTION 3204

BY MR L RAMATLAKANE OF COPE

QUESTION: Whether his department is considering disciplinary steps against officials in his department who were defrauding government or acting in a corrupt manner as reported through the Presidential Hotline; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?

REPLY:

The corruption case that was logged with the Presidential Hotline was an allegation of financial mismanagement by the former Senior Manager and board member of PSETA (Public Sector Education and Training Authority). It was alleged that the Senior Manager and the Board Member were making unauthorised payments to a company owned by the girlfriend of the PSETA former Senior Manager.

The PSETA Board has been dissolved and the Senior Manager has left the employ of PSETA. Therefore, the Department cannot take disciplinary steps against former employees or former Board members. The matter is still under investigation as part of the cases that have been identified in the Auditor General's report.

QUESTIONS 3203 FOR WRITTEN REPLY FRIDAY, 5 NOVEMBER 2010

3203. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What steps will he take to ensure that the public service upholds the Batho Pele principles? NW4016E

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REPLY:

The DPSA is on an ongoing basis improving the approaches to improve the compliance and institutionalisation of the Batho Pele programme by the following interventions:

1. Code of Conduct for Public Servants – This code is closely aligned to the Constitutional values and principles from where the Eight Batho Pele principles are also derived. Any violation of the code including a violation of any of the Batho Pele principles insofar as they are aligned to the Code, is dealt with in terms of the Misconduct procedures for the Public Service insofar as the following relationships are not upheld:

i. Relationship with the Legislature and Executive

ii. Relationship with the Public

iii. Relationship with other Employees

iv. Relationship with regards to performance of Duties

v. Relationship with respect to personal conduct and Private interest.

2. Public Finance Management Act, 2000- This act stipulates what constitutes a violation of the Value for Money principle which is aligned to the same Batho Pele principle. Clear disciplinary procedures are outlined in this act if there is proven violation of this principle.

3. Training on the Code of Conduct- ongoing training is provided by PALAMA on the Code of Conduct, as well as the Batho Pele principles induction training and the linkages provided. DPSA provides case studies and ongoing training on the Eight principles including ensuring the inclusion of such principles in the Service Delivery Improvement Plans to ensure accountability and therefore a platform to track non-compliance and enforce corrective measures.

QUESTIONS 3152 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 5 NOVEMBER 2010

3152. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether service level agreements (SLAs) have been signed with all state departments with regard to the State Information Technology Agency (Sita); if not, (a) with which departments were SLAs not signed and (b) why were they not signed? NW3953E

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REPLY:

SITA contracts with national and provincial departments for services as defined in the SITA Act.

A Business Agreement (BA) – setting out the broad terms of the business relationship between SITA and the department – is signed first. Following this, a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that spells out the specific details of the service to be delivered – is signed.

Mandatory services – such as Network Provision, Hosting of Transversal Systems and Data Processing for Transversal Systems - are normally contracted in three-year cycles, where service level agreement are signed and then reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that the services and service levels are still relevant to the operation requirements of such department. For Optional services – such as Training, Application Software Development and Software Maintenance – SLAs are negotiated and signed per financial year. Most service level agreements are for recurring services where such agreements should be finalised before the start of the financial year. However, given the fact that the information and communication technology (ICT) requirements of the departments almost always exceed their available budget, the annual negotiations for services to be rendered often continue into the new financial year. In addition, new services may be required during the course of the year, meaning that any point during the year, this category of SLAs may still be in negotiation.

Dr Van Schalkwyk addressed specifically engagements with national and provincial departments. SITA's response therefore excludes the 57 service level agreements with local authorities, but includes Schedule 2 and 3 public entities.

For the 2010/2011 financial year, SITA expects 580 SLAs to be signed – i.e. 248 for National Departments and, 332 for Provincial Departments. Of these 233 are for mandatory service and 347 for optional services. As at 22 September 2010, a total of 60% of these agreements have been signed. The table below gives a breakdown of the actual number of SLAs issued to both National and Provincial Departments, as well as the numbers signed and unsigned. (Please note that although South African Police Service (SAPS) and Department of Defence (DOD) are National Departments, they are shown separately in the table for internal reporting purposes).

(i) (aa) Unsigned SLAs with National Departments

Of the 248 service level agreements compiled for national departments, 113 (45%) remain unsigned. The following list summarises the reasons for not signing:

(i) (bb) Unsigned service level agreements with provincial departments

Of the 332 SLAs compiled for Provincial Departments, 118 (36%) remain unsigned.

The following list summarises the reasons for not signing:

Ø SLA being reviewed by department's legal office

Ø Delegation to sign within department not resolved

Ø With delegated official within department for signature

Ø Waiting for BA to be signed

Ø SLA still under negotiation

Ø Within SITA process for signature

(ii) Mechanisms put in place to ensure that unsigned agreements are used to monitor and evaluate

these departments

The monitoring and evaluation of departments falls outside of SITA's responsibility. However, ongoing discussions are held with departments to regularise the signing of SLAs. In addition, a monthly overview of the status of signed/unsigned SLAs is presented to the SITA Board for submission to the DPSA. Further to this, a regular review is done of those Departments for which we continue to render services, even though SLAs remain unsigned. Where these departments are also large debtors to SITA, we are exploring the possibility of discontinuing specific services until their payment record is improved.

(iii) Further relevant detail

Although 60% of the SLAs for 2010/2011 are signed, the estimated value of the unsigned SLA's is still R2,1bn. The South African Police Service is the largest single account where no SLA has been signed.

For National Departments, most of the delays in the signing of SLAs are experienced in the Security Cluster.

For Provincial Departments, most SLAs are with the departments for signature. The North West and the Northern Cape presents the largest challenge, but recognition should also be given to the excellent cooperation received from Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

QUESTIONS 3069 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2010

3069. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether any disciplinary measures have been put in place to deal with cases of noncompliance with the State Information Technology Agency Act, Act 88 of 1998; if not, why not; if so, (a) when were these measures put in place, (b) how many persons have been subjected to the processes and (c) what was the outcome of these processes? NW3791E

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REPLY:

All incidences of noncompliance with the State Information Technology Agency Act, Act 88 of 1998 and any associated legislation, policies and procedures are subject to investigation and where warranted, disciplinary measures are taken against the persons concerned and where applicable, the matters are referred to the relevant authorities for criminal and/or civil action.

a) These measures have been in place since SITA's establishment in 1999.

b) 18 persons.

c) The following table, lists the outcome of these processes:

No. of persons subjected to disciplinary measures

Outcome of disciplinary measures

7

Dismissal

6

Final written warning

1

Written warning

4

Employee resigned prior to disciplinary hearing

QUESTIONS 3065 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2010

3065. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether, with regard to the State Information Technology Agency (Sita), he has received a report on the investigation into the Gateway project; if so, (a) when, (b) to whom did he make the report available and (c) what were the relevant details of the report? NW3785E

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REPLY:

The Minister for Public Service and Administration has not received the report on the investigation into the Gateway Project.

(a) SITA has received the final electronic copy of the Gateway report (unsigned) on 12 August 2010;

(b) The report was made available to SITA for response to respond to certain internal imperatives;

(c) The relevant details of the report are due by the Minister of Trade and Industry, and the contents of such details will formally be released by the Minister of Trade and Industry.

QUESTIONS 2997 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2010

2997. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether, with reference to the Annual Report (details furnished), the Government has implemented a programme in order to equip government departments with service(s) to ensure the optimal health, wellness and safety of public servants by 2011; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3700E.

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REPLY:

Yes, Government has implemented a programme in order to equip government departments with service(s) to ensure the optimal health, wellness and safety of public servants by 2011.

As MPSA I approved the Employee Health and Wellness Strategic Framework for the Public Service in November 2008. A year later I approved four policies emanating from this framework. The programme to equip government departments with service(s) to ensure the optimal health, wellness and safety of public servants is meant to improve the capability (technical skills of the professionals) and capacity (organisational ability to expand the programmes at larger scale).

Mainstreaming of HIV&AIDS into development: This training is meant to ensure that all government departments are able to implement programmes where HIV&AIDS is addressed not just as a health issue but also a developmental issue in line with the constitutional mandates of the departments.

In this regard we have trained 258 officials on Mainstreaming of HIV&AIDS. The training was conducted by University of Pretoria. The internal mainstreaming equips departments with universal access to HIV&AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support for government employees and their families and dependents. Government departments are supposed to present operational plans that are mainstreamed, costed and that have M&E plans with them by end of this financial year.

WHO Modules on Occupational Health: This training was to ensure that managers and professionals in Employee Health and Wellness are able to identify hazards in the workplace, calculate the risk of injury or disease associated with such hazards and ensure that there are controls in place for these. For the financial year 2009-2010: National Departments Trained on WHO Modules on Occupational Health were 31, Provincial Departments 94. The total number of officials trained was 321

Financial Wellness Training: The Public Service Commission released a report in February 2008 on the over-indebtedness of employees in the Public Service. The report stated that twenty percent (20%) of the work force is in a debt spiral. DPSA in partnership with National Credit Regulator trained Employee Health and Wellness coordinators and Human Resource Managers in National and Provincial department. 2009-2010: Total Number of Departments trained on the Financial Wellness Training in the Public Service was 265, National departments were 31, and Provincial Departments were 75

Capacity for Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV&AIDS response Programmes: DPSA in partnership with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) office in South Africa embarked on a regional project for capacity building of HIV&AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). The regional project comprise of three component, namely:

1. Individual training programmes for each country, thereby enhancing the knowledge and skills of those officials responsible for this function, 2 Regional training on common challenges experience by each country for managers and technocrats, in collaboration with DPSA, University of Pretoria, 3 The dispatch of a Japanese expert based at the DPSA for periodic visit to guide and mentor countries on unique M&E challenges; Total number of employees trained from 2008-2010 are as follows: Managers: 11, Professionals: 12.

COSTING OF HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMMES: To ensure efficiency in allocation of resources to HIV&AIDS programmes, the DPSA has coordinated the capacity development in Costing of HIV&AIDS management programmes. This was preceded by the development of a Model on HIV&AIDS costing. Departments were trained on the use of this model. 2008 a total of 250 participants were trained nationwide, 2009: number of officials trained on refreshers course trained 90).

WORKSHOPS ON POLICY COMMUNICATION- EH&W SYSTEMS MONITORING TOOL: DPSAconducted EHW policy communication and readiness assessment workshops for National and Provincial departments.

1st April – 30th September 2010: Departments workshoped on the EH&W Systems Monitoring Tool .This is a tool that measures the readiness of government to implement the policies approved by the MPSA and provide reports on such assessments. Departments are then supposed to develop operational plans to implement such policies with control measures to improve on the assessment. The total number of Departments trained were 154, National 37 and Provincial Departments. In addition 6 Government Entities, 3 Trade Unions were also trained. The total number of officials trained were 167.

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT ON THE AIDS STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN: The training onAIDS Strategy and Action Planbased on UNAIDS and World Bank training curricula and materials, was facilitated by officials from World Bank and the DPSA. The training is essential for advocacy and capacity development for the implementation of the HIV&AIDS and TB Management Policy for the Public Service, the South African HIV&AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for 2007 - 2011 and an equivalent Strategic plan for TB Management. The number ofNational department officials trained were 18 and the number of Provincial department officials were 41 (Education and Health), 2 Private Sector). Total number of officials trained was 61.

QUESTIONS 2993 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Friday 29 October 2010

2993. Mr S J Njikelana (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What progress has been made on the preparations for the next cycle of the African Peer Review Mechanism? NW3569E

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REPLY:

Provincial consultations were conducted which were followed by sector consultations. A draft APRM Report was completed and consulted upon with all APRM stakeholders. A national conference to consider the final draft was held on 29 November 2010 to consider the draft report which was subsequently adopted by the Conference. This report will be submitted to the APR Forum on 29 January 2011 in the AU Summit to be held in Addis Abbaba. The third report will be due in 2013.

QUESTIONS 2985 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 19 OCTOBER 2010

No.2985 Adv A de W Alberts (VF Plus) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(a) Wat die rassesamestelling van die Staatsdiens, buiten die SA Polisiediens en die SA Nasionale Weermag, sedert 2005 was en (b) in watter departemente daar in die lig van gelyke indiensnemingsdoelwitte 'n onderverteenwoordiging van (i) wit mense, (ii) bruin mense, (iii) Indiërs en (iv) swart mense was? NW3680A

Translated

What was the racial composition, excluding the SA Police and the SANDF, since 2005 and (b) in which departments in light of the employment equity targets were their under representation of (i) white people, (ii) brown people, (iii) Indians and (iv) black people.

REPLY:

(a) The table below show the number of public servants by race as of December 2005 – September 2010, this table excludes the SA Police and the SANDF.

Number of Public Servants by Race as of December 2005 - September 2010

Year

Race

African

Asian

Coloured

White

Total

December 2005

678,682

26,067

81,818

96,115

882,682

December 2006

713,176

26,358

82,880

94,088

916,502

December 2007

749,032

27,018

84,590

92,160

952,800

December 2008

787,004

27,114

87,097

89,862

991,077

December 2009

800,141

27,100

87,268

88,502

1,003,011

September 2010

807,031

26,966

86,546

87,453

1,007,996



(b) Attached table reflects the deviation from the set race target per department as at September 2010. A negative percentage indicates an under representation, while a positive percentage indicates over representation of the targets set.

QUESTIONS 2906 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 22 OCTOBER 210

2906. Dr HC van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Service

and Administration:

Whether any irregular expenditure was incurred by the State

Information Technology Agency (SITA) during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how many transgressors have been identified;

________________________________________________________

REPLY:

The following instances of irregular expenditure were identified during the period 1 April 2010 to 15 October 2010:

a) Irregular expenditure , with a value of R5,144,202, arising from the violation of SITA's Own Procurement Policy (SOPP) in that :

· The Tender Master file was incomplete and unstructured.

· A Service Level Agreement, agreed upon and signed with the supplier, specified a period of 3 years which contradicts the contract validity period of 12 months stipulated in the tender documentation published on the SITA website.

· Although SOPP does not permit the Sourcing Specialist to take part in the actual evaluation of tenders, the Sourcing Specialist facilitated the procurement process, he also evaluated price, BEE and allocated preferential points to the supplier, while the supplier as a public company, did not qualify for any points in respect of participation goals.

· The sourcing specialist approved/signed the letter of award though he had no delegation of authority.

Disciplinary action

Legal department has been requested to provide legal opinion on the consequences of the original tender award.

The Line Manager, in conjunction with the Human Resources department is in the process of initiating disciplinary action against the officials who contravened the regulations.

Internal Audit have also been requested to establish whether to pursue criminal proceedings on the matter.

b) Losses amounting to R1,557,020 due to criminal conduct resulting from manipulation of the internal finance process by an employee who submitted a fraudulent letter, purporting to have been sent by a supplier, requesting a change to their bank details to an account number that belonged to the employee. The employee also submitted a forged statement of account and a false invoice for payment that appeared to have been issued by the supplier while knowing that the payment will be effected into his personal bank account.

Disciplinary action

Disciplinary action was instituted against the employee and he was dismissed. Management, in consultation with Legal Services, are in the process of instituting civil proceedings for the recovery of the loss suffered by the company. The matter has also been reported the police.

c) Irregular expenditure amounting to R192 250arising from the continued use of security services after expiry of the initial contract.

Disciplinary action

An internal investigation to determine the appropriate management action, including disciplinary action against the responsible employees, is in progress.

d) Supplier was engaged without following the normal procurement process. The value of the transaction was R241 874

Disciplinary action

An internal investigation to determine the appropriate management action, including disciplinary action against the responsible employees, is in progress.

e) Failure by senior officials to follow proper procurement processes when engaging the services of a consultant. The value of the transaction was R184 210

Disciplinary action

An internal investigation to determine the appropriate management action, including disciplinary action against the responsible employees, is in progress.

f) Service provider was engaged without a valid contract. The value of the transaction was R4 235.

Disciplinary action

An internal investigation to determine the appropriate management action, including disciplinary action against the responsible employees, is in progress.

g) A service provider was engaged in a manner that is not in line with the engagement model (paragraph 5 of the "Engagement Process for hardware maintenance on a time and material basis"). Furthermore, the supplier was engaged without a valid contract. The value of the transaction was R4 476 967.

Disciplinary action

An internal investigation to determine the appropriate management action, including disciplinary action against the responsible employees, is in progress

1. When an irregular expenditure is suspected, an investigation is conducted to determine/confirm whether or not an irregular expenditure has occurred. Once confirmed, a disciplinary action is instituted against the transgressors.

2. A number of factors will determine action that the company will take against the transgressors concerning the recovery of the loss, that is:

· The outcome of the disciplinary hearing;

· the company suffered loss as a result of the transgression;

· Whether or not the perpetrator is liable in law, as prescribed by National Treasury's Practice Note 4 of 2008/2009 on the treatment of irregular expenditure.

3. Yes, SITA officials have, where they were found to have committed irregular expenditure, been held accountable and subjected to disciplinary process in accordance with the company's Disciplinary Policy

QUESTIONS 2891 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 22 OCTOBER 2010

2891. Mr I M Ollis (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What is the total number of people employed by?

(a) (i) the national government and

(ii) Each provincial government and

(b) How many people are in:

(i) Senior management Service (SMS),

(ii) Middle management Service (MMS) and

(iii) Non-management positions in each case?

___________________________________________________________

Reply:

(a) (i) Currently the National Government employs 391,922 and

(ii) The Provincial Government employs 891,430 please see table below for Provincial split.

(b) The table below shows the number of employees in the Public Service split by the management levels.

(i) 10,598 Senior Managers (Salary Level 13 to 16) (SMS).

(ii) 20,996 Middle Management level (Salary Level 11 and 12) (MMS)

(iii) 1,251,758 None-Management Salary Level 01 - 10.

Number of Public Servants by Management Level as at 30 September 2010

None-Management

Middle Management Service (MMS)

Senior Management Service (SMS)

Total

National Department

375,415

9,909

6,598

391,922

Province

Eastern Cape

143,683

2,385

646

146,714

Free State

55,676

741

307

56,724

Gauteng

147,920

1,650

733

150,303

Kwazulu-Natal

185,321

1,763

589

187,673

Limpopo

115,512

1,403

514

117,429

Mpumalanga

72,736

875

328

73,939

North West

57,219

820

292

58,331

Northern Cape

21,843

420

234

22,497

Western Cape

76,433

1,030

357

77,820

Total

1,251,758

20,996

10,598

1,283,352

QUESTIONS 2868 FOR ORAL REPLY

2868. Mr L Ramatlakane of the Congress of the People (Cope) to ask the Minister for Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether his department has monitored the compliance by all Directors-General with the regulations regarding the signing of performance agreements and filed these agreements with the Public Service Commission before the deadline on 30 June 2010; if not, (a) why not, (b) which departments did not meet the deadline, (c) how many agreements are still outstanding and (d) when will these agreements be filed with the Commission; if so, which departments complied?

___________________________________________________________________

REPLY:

(1) (a) The Public Service Commission (PSC) monitors the performance

agreements (PAs) of Heads of Department (HoDs) in the national and provincial spheres of government. In this regard the PSC maintains a database of the PAs of HoDs which are filed with the PSC by HoDs and their Executive Authorities (EAs). The due date for filing PAs for the 2010/2011 financial year was 30 June 2010.

(b) As at 30 June 2010, only 09 of the expected 40 HoDs of national departments had filed their PAs with the PSC. A total of 25 PAs from HoDs of provincial department had been received out of 91 PAs that were expected.

The PSC kept reminding EAs and HoDs to file PAs as required even after the due date of 30 June 2010. The PAs were continuously received throughout this period and filed. Table 1 below reflects the status as of 15 October 2010.

TABLE 1

Department

Total number of PAs expected

Number of PAs received

Outstanding PAs

National

40

25

15

Eastern Cape

09

07

02

Free State

12

10

02

Gauteng

09

06

03

KwaZulu Natal

10

07

03

Limpopo

11

11

00

Mpumalanga

11

07

04

Northern Cape

09

02

07

North West

08

06

02

Western Cape

12

08

04

Total

131

89

42

(c) There are still 42 PAs that are outstanding despite repeated reminders by the PSC. The PSC is currently instituting summons processes in terms of its powers to establish reasons for non-compliance with the policy on the filing of PAs with the PSC

(d) The PSC is unable to determine when all the outstanding PAs will be filed. The PSC will be preparing a report to Parliament and the Executive on progress in the filing of PAs for the 2010/2011 financial year.

QUESTIONS 2998 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

2998. Mr L Ramatlakane (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether, with reference to the Auditor-General's findings that his department did not adhere to certain provisions of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, and Treasury Regulations (details furnished), he has taken any action against the persons responsible; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3701E

_______________________________________________________________

REPLY:

(1). No action has been taken against individuals. A systems error has been detected and measures are being instituted to improve the functioning of the Programme Management Office (PMO).

The measures instituted are as follows:

§ Improving the development and articulation of indicators in both the strategic and

§ operational plans of the department

§ Developing a project management system to properly track performance of projects Improving compliance to the National Treasury and PFMA regarding submission of plans

§ and reports as well as guidelines for performance reporting Improving the alignment of the operational plan to the strategic plan

§ Strengthening the governance of performance information by monitoring and tracking that the Executive Management takes correction on poor performing projects

§ The PMO has also visited the Statistics South Africa PMO to learn how they manage their office which is rated highly by the AG's Office.

§ The PMO will also have a meeting with the AG's office early December to discuss around the Performance Audit expectation for future audits

(3) whether the persons who failed to sign the requisite declaration forms were related to the bidders; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW3478E

REPLY:

(1) SITA's procurement policy and procedures requires that all members of the evaluation committee should sign a declaration of interest. Signed declarations for three evaluators were however, not found on the tender file.

A control sheet has subsequently been implemented for verification of all documents required for the tender file. This is checked and verified for completeness by two persons who were not involved with the coordination of the tender. The sourcing specialists will ensure that all members sign the declaration forms before the evaluation commences.

(2) There is no record on the tender file to show whether any action was taken for the failure by the three bid evaluation committee members to sign the declaration.

It should be noted that only two of the three bid evaluation committee members were SITA employees, the other bid evaluation committee member was in the employ of the client department (Department of Home Affairs).

In respect of the two SITA employees, both had resigned from SITA prior to the Auditor-General's report being issued and thus no action was taken against them.

However, as indicated above, following the Auditor-General's report, management has reviewed and strengthened the control measures in place to prevent a reoccurrence.

(3) As the said bid evaluation committee members did not sign the declaration, it cannot be established if any of them are/were related to any of the bidders that were evaluated.

QUESTIONS 2709 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

THURSDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2010

2709. Dr HC van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether he found that government departments in the past five years did not adhere to elementary recruitment and selection processes such as job descriptions and conduct job evaluations; if so, in which departments were such failures found; if not, why?

(2) Whether government departments that fail to apply recruitment processes and Procedures are held accountable; if so, who is held responsible for non adherence? NW3378E

_____________________________________________________________

REPLY:

(1) No, because Departments do adhere to all recruitment and selection processes.

(2) Yes. The Director-General as HOD's are held accountable for non-compliance.

QUESTIONS 2661 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER

FRIDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER 2010

2661. Dr HC van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) (Pty) (LTD), has any unsigned service level agreements with any (a) national and (b) provincial departments; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (i) how many of these agreements are with (aa) national and (bb) provincial departments, (ii) what mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that these unsigned agreements are used to monitor and evaluate these departments and (iii) what are the further relevant details?

NW3320E

REPLY:

(a) Yes, there are unsigned Service Level Agreements (SLA's) with National Departments;

(b) Yes, there are unsigned Service Level Agreements with provincial departments

(i) (aa) 113 unsigned

(bb) 118 unsigned.

(ii) Turnaround strategy was the mechanism introduced to deal with compliance of legislation and regulation, ensuring SLA's are entered into for services rendered to department. Continuous engagements and ongoing discussions are held with Departments to regularize the signing of SLA's. In addition, a monthly overview of the status of signed/unsigned SLAs is presented to SITA Board for submission to the DPSA. The Minister for Public Service and Administration has written to affected departments to ensure compliance.

(iii) There are various factors and processed to be followed prior signing of SLA's.

Following are possible reasons that could lead to the delay in the signing of SLA's:

· SLA being reviewed by department's legal offices

· Delegation of authority to sign of Business Agreements as a requirement

· SLA still under negotiation.

QUESTIONS 2701 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

THURSDAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 2010

2701. Mr D A Kganare (COPE) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(a) How many civil servants (i) participated and (ii) did not participate in the recent strike action in each (aa) province and (bb) department, (b) from which date will the principle of no work, no pay take effect and (c) what is the total amount that his department anticipate deducting from affected civil servants?

NW3273E

ANSWER

(a) The number of civil servants who:

i) (aa) WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE RECENT STRIKE ACTION IN PROVINCES (29/30-07-2010) – (10/31-08-2010 – 31/08/2010) – (01/09/2010)

ii) (aa) DID NOT PARTICIPATE ON STRIKE ACTION

PROVINCES

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES PER PROVINCE

(i) ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES PARTICIPATED ON STRIKE BASED ON MAXIMUM NUMBER OF THE STRIKE DAYS

TOTAL MAN DAYS LOST DUE TO STRIKE ACTION

(ii) NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATION

EASTERN CAPE

146 655

56727

70,790

89928

FREE STATE

56714

17138

199,021

39576

GAUTENG

150285

68352

785,002

81933

KWAZULU NATAL

187504

57127

137,411

130377

LIMPOPO

117408

24889

294,818

92519

MPUMALANGA

73846

7730

145,489

66116

NORTHERN CAPE

22496

6992

51,471

15504

NORTH WEST

58311

8437

72,741

49874

WESTERN CAPE

77777

6782

143,741

70995

TOTAL

744341

254174

1,900,484

636822

(i) (bb) WHO PARTICIPAT IN THE RECENT STRIKE ACTION IN NATIONAL DEPARTMENTS

(ii) (bb) DID NOT PARTICIPATE ON STRIKE ACTION IN NATIONAL DEPARTMENTS

DEPARTMENTS

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES PER PROVINCE

(i) ESTIMATED NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES PARTICIPATED ON STRIKE BASED ON MAXIMUM NUMBER OF THE STRIKE DAYS

TOTAL MAN DAYS LOST DUE TO STRIKE ACTION

(ii) NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES WHO DID NOT PARTICIPATION

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

2857

70

446

2787

Arts and Culture

494

235

1550

259

Basic Education

893

125

324

768

Communications

320

43

746

277

COGTA

421

80

1492

341

Correctional Services

41029

140

1067

40889

Defence

12662

142

645

12520

Energy

407

92

201

315

Environmental Affairs

882

23

24

859

Health

1294

22

32

1272

DHET

757

22

40

735

GPW

515

90

210

425

GEPF

1001

98

599

903

Home Affairs

10501

1471

11383

9030

Human Settlements

593

95

5337

498

DIRCO

2330

1828

3578

502

Justice

19452

317

748

19135

Labour

6927

1950

8909

4977

Mineral Resources

649

455

5275

194

NPA

4643

935

1196

3708

SA Police Service

190335

0

0

190335

Public Enterprise

167

24

52

143

Public Service & Admin

439

26

43

413

Public Works

5080

83

98

4997

Rural Development & and Land Reform

4750

121

214

4629

Science and Technology

371

188

488

183

Social Development

688

3

18

685

Tourism

219

57

319

162

Trade and Industry

1297

195

984

1102

Transport

622

123

357

499

Water Affairs and Forestry

7718

110

239

7608

Economic Development

19

0

0

0

Gov. Communications & Information System

472

26

38

446

Independent Complaints Directorate

266

23

119

243

National Treasury

1080

15

39

1065

Office of Public Service Commission

228

36

290

192

PALAMA

175

52

70

123

Presidency

626

226

928

400

Sports and Recreation

194

142

1742

52

Statistics SA

2987

199

468

2788

TOTAL

326360

9882

50308

316459

(b) The principle of no work no pay was effected from 29 July 2010.

( c) The total amount that his department anticipates deducting from affected civil servants? R1, 092, 443 520

QUESTIONS 2690 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

20 SEPTEMBER 2010

2690. Ms A Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) How many individuals (a) per province (b) per sector had pay deducted under the "no work no pay" policy for participation in the recent public service strike.

(2) what is the total value, per province, for pay that has been deducted under the policy

(3) Whether each province monitored the (a) presence or absence of (b) staff over the strike period, if not (c) what are the relevant reasons for not monitoring attendance for each individual province, (d) how did each province determine (i) from which persons pay would be deducted and (ii) the amounts which would be deducted; and if so, what are the relevant details for each province?

NW3355E

___________________________________________________________________

ANSWER

For the period 29 July 2010 to 8 September 2010:

(1) The number of individuals per province is as follows:

Eastern Cape: 343

Free State: 1235

Gauteng: 313

KwaZulu-Natal: 143

Mpumalanga: 24

Limpopo: 75

North West: 8943

Northern Cape: 93

Western Cape: 9236

The number of individuals for the following national and provincial departments are as follows:

Departments of Health and Social Development (National and provincial): 3681

Departments of Education (provincial) and National Department of Higher Education and Training : 13493

SAPS (National): 730

(2) The total value per province of pay deducted in terms of this policy:

Eastern Cape: R259 588.31

Free Sate: R857 471.18

Gauteng: R151 346.26

KwaZulu-Natal: R127 227.85

Mpumalanga: R20 885.19

Limpopo: R79 846.71

North West: R6 133 038.93

Northern Cape: R40 730.44

Western Cape:R3 806 476.25

(3) All provinces and national departments monitored the attendance of staff during the strike. As soon as the employer became aware of the labour salary dispute all provincial and national strike committees were formed in line with the strike management policy. The main responsibility of each strike management committee was to monitor the attendance of staff members during the strike. Each staff member in each provincial/national department was required to sign an attendance register in the morning and afternoon.

All strike management committees were required to submit to DPSA their daily statistical report of individuals who reported on duty and those who were on strike for the day. This information is submitted to PERSAL for purpose of deduction in line with the 'No work no Pay' policy.

QUESTIONS 2660 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 13 AUGUST 2010

2660. Dr HC van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether the State Information Technology Agency (SITA) has been approached by any (a) national or (b) provincial department for assistance to safeguard the systems they utilize to process the data pertaining to various services such as the allocation of housing and social grants against fraudulent manipulation which resulted in media reports of civil servants receiving social and housing grants to which they are not entitled; if not, why not; if so, which departments; NW3319E

REPLY:

(1) (a) No, SITA has not been approached.

(2) (b) Same as in (a) above.

There was no need as SITA was not approached.

QUESTION 2555 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

2555. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service

and Administration:

Whether the 2% employment target of persons with disabilities in the Public Service has been met; if not, what specified strategies does his department have in place to recruit persons with disabilities in the Public Service; if so, what is the percentage at (a) provincial and (b) national level? NW3191E

REPLY:

No, in accordance with the current statistical information derived from the Persal system, there is a total number of 1,272311 employees in the Public Service and of these, 2854 are employees with disabilities. This translates to 0.2% representation of employees with disabilities in the Public Service.

In attempting to address this challenge, Cabinet adopted the JobACCESS Strategy as a Public Service initiative to fast track achievement of employment equity targets through adopting a variety of measures and initiatives aimed at accelerating not only the recruitment and employment of persons with disabilities, but their retention as well.

The tables attached depict the state of representation at National and Provincial levels.

NB: With regard to the statistical information that has been provided pertaining to the state of disability representation in departments, both nationally and provincially, it will be noticed that some departments or provincial administrations do not appear at all. This is due to the following reasons:

(i) Either a department has no employees with disabilities at all, or

It does have them,

QUESTIONS 2525 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

MONDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER 2010

2525. Dr D T George (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether an increase in public sector salaries has been projected for the 2011-12 financial year; if not, why not; if so, what

(a) is the percentage increase and

(b) are the relevant details? NW3098E

____________________________________________________________

REPLY:

Yes, an increase in public sector salaries has been provided for the 2011/12 financial year.

(a) The National Treasury, for the purposes of budgeting, has provided for an inflation related increase in the budgets of departments for the 2011/12 financial year.

(b) The annual cost-of-living adjustment for the 2011/12 financial year will be the outcome of collective bargaining.

QUESTIONS 2411 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

MONDAY, 30 AUGUST 2010

2411. Ms AM Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether (a) his department or (b) any of its entities has signed any contractual agreements with a certain company (name furnished) or any of its affiliates (i) in the (aa) 2006-07, (bb) 2007-08, (cc) 2008-09 and (dd) 2009-10 financial years and (ii) during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, (aaa) what is the nature of each contract, (bbb) what is the monetary value of each contract, (ccc) what is the (aaaa) start and (bbbb) end date of each contract, (ddd) what are the details of the process that was followed for the signing of each contract, (eee) who else tendered for each contract that was awarded and (fff) what amount did each tenderer quote in each case? NW2980E

_______________________________________________________________

REPLY:

Neither the Department of Public Service and Administration or any of its entities has ever signed any contractual agreements with the company General Nyanda Security Advisory (GNS) or its affiliates.

QUESTION 2302 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 13 AUGUST 2010

2302. Dr DT George (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether he considered a request to pay the increases demanded by the public service employees; if not, what is the position in this regard;

(2) Whether he has initiated a process to (a) reduce the number of administration posts and (b) increase the number of posts at the forefront of service delivery; if not, why not, if so.

(3) Whether the cost of the salary increase was factored into the national budget; if not, why not; if so, what (a) is the cost of the increase to the fiscus, (b) percentage of the total government expenditure is made up by the public sector payroll and (c) is the future process for managing the size of the public sector salary bill? NW2643E

REPLY:

1. Yes. The Minister for has considered the demands from labour.

2. (a) No, the Minster has not initiated to reduce the number of administration posts

(b) No, the Minister has not increased the number of posts at the forefront of

Service delivery.

3. (a) Yes, the cost of the salary increase was R6.6 billion higher than the budgeted

amount. The initial amount was based on inflation

(b) The current compensation budget for national, provincial and social security is 32 % of total government expenditure.

(c ) We are negotiating the synchronization of an alignment process with negotiators so that when the budget is finalized the projected costs is taken on board.

QUESTIONS 2269 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

2269. Ms AM Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether his department and/or any of its entities has purchased any 2010 Fifa World Cup Soccer tournament (a) clothing or (b) other specified paraphernalia; if not, what is the position in each case; if so, in each case, (i) what are (aa) the details and (bb) the total cost of the items purchased, (ii) (aa) how many items have been purchased and (bb) why, (iii) (aa) to whom has each of these items been allocated and (bb) why have these items been allocated to these persons and (iv) (aa) on what basis was the decision taken to purchase each of these items and (bb) on whose authority was the decision taken to make these purchases? NW2777E

______________________________________________________

REPLY:

(a) DPSA, No

SITA, No

CPSI, No

PALAMA, No

OPSC, Yes

(i) (aa) Details: Bafana Bafana soccer jerseys

(bb) Total cost of items purchased: R600.00

(ii) (aa) Items purchased: Two

(bb) Why: in an effort to encourage staff to participate in the

Team Building Information Session, two staff members were selected through a raffle to Enter a soccer competition held during the Information Session in December 2009, themed "Ayoba 2010"

(iii) (aa) To whom the items were allocated: Two staff members

(bb) Why have the items been allocated to these persons: The

two staff members were selected through a raffle to enter a soccer competition held during the Information Session in December 2009

(iv) (aa) Basis on which the decision was taken: Refer to the

response at (a) (ii) (bb)

(bb) On whose authority the decision taken: The Accounting

Officer

The Government Employees Medical Scheme purchased: Yes

(a) Clothing

(i) 77 'Bafana Bafana' Soccer shirts were purchased in 2009.

(ii) The total cost was R 61,102.86.

(iii) The soccer shirts were distributed to Scheme employees and the GEMS Service Provider Network (SPN) liaisons who perform work for GEMS. Trustees and the Principal Officer did not receive a soccer shirt.

(iv) The decision was based on the introduction of "Soccer Fridays" by Cabinet in 2009 and represented the 2009 Christmas gifts to employees and SPN liaisons.

(v) The decision was taken by the Executive: Contracts and Operations and the expenditure was approved by the Executive: Finance on 13 November 2009 from the Scheme's approved head office budget, which was approved by the Board of Trustees in 2008 for the 2009 financial year. The expenditure complied with the Scheme's approved finance and supply chain management policies.

(b) DPSA, No

SITA, No

CPSI, No

PALAMA, No

GEMS, No

OPSC, Yes:

(b) Other specified paraphemalia:

(i) (aa) Details: Participating countries' desk flags, vuvuzelas, Zakumi mascots and soccer balls

(bb) Total cost of items purchased: R7 077.13

(ii) (aa) Items purchased: 32 participating countries' desk flags, 22 vuvuzelas, 11 Zukumi mascots and 16 soccer balls

(bb) Why: In order to gear up support for South Africa

hosting the 2010 FIFA World Cup, World Cup corners were erected in all PSC offices

(iii) (aa) To whom the items were allocated: The items were

not allocated to individuals. The items will remain the property of the PSC and will be used for teambuilding and other PSC's activities

(bb) Why have the items been allocated to these

persons: Refer to the response at (iii) (bb)

(bb) On whose authority the decision taken: The

Accounting Officer.

QUESTIONS 2237 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 20 AUGUST 2010

2237. Ms A M Dreyer (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether his department and any of its entities has (a) purchased or (b) leased any buildings for administration (i) in the (aa) 2008-09 and (bb) 2009-10 and (ii) for the 2010-11 financial years; if not, why not; if so, in each case, (aaa) what is the cost of the building, (bbb) what is the size of the building, (ccc) why was it bought or leased, (ddd) what will be its use, (eee) who will occupy it and (fff) approximately how many persons will occupy the total space of each building;

(2) whether his department and any of its entities intends purchasing or leasing any buildings for administration for the (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 financial years; if not, why not; if so, in each case, (i) what is the cost of each building, (ii) what is the size of each building, (iii) why will it be bought or leased, (iv) for what will it be used, (v) who will occupy it and (vi) approximately how many persons will occupy the total space of each building? NW2745E

______________________________________________________________________

REPLY:

RESPONSE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION (DPSA)

1. (a) No

(b) Yes. The DPSA (head office) occupies a leased building in Batho Pele

House, 116 Proes Street, Pretoria.

(i) During the financial years

(aa) 2008-2009, and

(bb) 2009-2010, the DPSA occupied the Batho Pele House for administration purposes.

(ii) The initial rental payment was

(aaa) R195 393.49 per month and it escalates at the rate of 8% per annum.

(bbb) 14 000 m2.

(ccc) The building is leased until such time that DPSA builds its own

building for

(ddd) administration purposes.

(eee) The DPSA employees, the Minister, Deputy Minister and the entire

management will occupy the building.

(fff) 580

2. (a) and (b)The DPSA intends to purchase or lease a building for administration purpose. DPSA engaged Department of Public Works on this matter and an optional analysis ensued.

(c) 2013-2014 financial years

(i) The estimated cost will depend on a particular decision taking either to

purchase or lease the building.

(ii) the size of the building will be 32 394 square meters,

(iii) the DPSA would like to own its building to save funds and

(iv) for administration purposes,

(v) The DPSA staff members, Minister, Deputy Minister and the entire

management will occupy the building, approximately

(vi) 600

RESPONSE BY PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ACADEMY (PALAMA)

1. (a) No

(b) Yes

(i) (aa) For 2008/9 to 2009/10 financial years

PALAMA leases ZK Mathews Building that is housing the main PALAMA office in Pretoria and occupies an office in Tower House Building, PleinStreet in Cape Town. The National Department of Public Works (DPW) acquired the lease for the Cape Town office on behalf of and allocated the office to PALAMA's specifications for the regional operational activities and requirements for the Director General's office in Cape Town.

(ii) For the 2010-11 financial year

(bb) PALAMA occupies space in the DZB Building, Platinum Park, Polokwane.

This is in its set up phase for regional operational activities.

(aaa) what is the cost of buildings

· ZK Mathews Building, Pretoria: Current monthly rental is R961. 231.90.

· Tower House, Plein Street, Cape Town office is currently with no direct costs to PALAMA, rental payable under the Public Works Department.

· DBZ Building in Polokwane: Current monthly rental is R36 480

(bbb) what is the size of the buildings

· ZK Mathews Building, Pretoria:

The main building consists of four floors and two basement parking levels. The total extent of the building is 6830m². The building accommodates 232 staff members, including the office of the Deputy Minister for Public Administration.

External to the main building is The TRAVENNA "OLD SCHOOL building"This building is a single storey heritage building on the same grounds as PALAMA's main office. It consists of a hall, kitchen and ablution facilities. The total extent of the building is 550m². The building accommodates 200 sitting persons.It is utilized as a conferencing centre as well as the dinning and Wellness Centre area for PALAMA's staff.

· Tower House, Plein Street, Cape Town office

· DBZ Building in Polokwane

The total extent of the leased space is 306m². The building accommodates 8 staff members

(ccc) and (ddd) why was the building leased and what it will be its

use

· ZK Mathews Building, Pretoria

The Building houses PALAMA's main office for administration and training activities.

· Tower House, Plein Street, Cape Town office

The building accommodates office space for the Director General's office in Cape Town as well as PALAMA's Western Cape Regional satellite Office

· DBZ Building in Polokwane

The building accommodates PALAMA's regional satellite office in Limpopo.

(eee) who will occupy it and

PALAMA staff and learners

(fff) approximately how many persons will occupy the total space of

each building

· A capacity of 232 PALAMA-ZK Mathews Building, Pretoria

· A capacity of 2 Tower House, Plein Street, Cape Town office

· A capacity of 8 DBZ Building office, Polokwane

2. (a) No

(b) No

(c) No

The determination of a need to purchase/ lease new offices over the above period is yet unconfirmed, pending the finalization of the current Transformation plan for PALAMA.

RESPONSE BY GEMS

(1) (a) No, GEMS did not purchase any property

(b) Yes, GEMS lease. The lease paid by the Scheme for the relevant financial years were:

(i) (aa) 2008: R1,151,354.23 (R95,83 per square metre)

(bb) 2009: R1,590,609.79 (R105,42 per square metre)

(ii) 2010: R2,191,841.78 (R96 per square metre – renegotiated lease contract – cost up to and including August 2010)

(b) The office space leased is:

(i) 2008 – 2009 616 square metres

(ii) 2010 – 2014 1606 square metres

(c) The office space is leased to enable the Board of Trustees, Scheme Management and employees to perform the functions required of it in accordance with the Medical Schemes Act and Regulations as well as the registered Rules of GEMS.

(d) Management and related functions are performed from the premises. This office space also serves as the registered office of the Scheme in terms of its registered rules.

(e) The office space is occupied by Scheme employees. The expanded floor space was obtained in 2010 as mentioned above to accommodate the increased staff complement and to permit the Scheme to store its materials on site.

(2) The Scheme will continue leasing office space until such time that the Board of Trustees decides otherwise. In accordance with GEMS Rule 22.6 and 22.7 the Board has the power to purchase and/or sell moveable and immovable property and also to hire and/or to let movable or immovable property.

RESPONSE BY CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE INNOVATION (CPSI)

(1) (a) No.

(b) (bb) Yes, the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) is leasing new

offices since July 2009, through the DPW.

(aaa) The cost of the lease is currently R1,247 million per annum (VAT

included).

(bbb) The size of the accommodation is approximately 1000m2

(ccc) It was leased for three major reasons: (1) the existing accommodation within the SITA Centurion campus was temporary and too small for the staff complement, SITA required the space for their own staff and importantly, SITA could not house the envisaged Multi-Media Innovation Centre.

(ddd) Office accommodation and part of the space is used to house the new Multi-media Innovation Centre.

(eee) The CPSI is occupying the accommodation

(fff) The space was planned for 18 staff members, growing over the next 3 years to approximately 25. It should be noted that space was also created for up to three visitors (from other departments) in line with our modus operandi.

(2) No further accommodation is required over the medium term.

RESPONSE FROM STATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AGENCY (SITA)

1.

a) SITA did not purchase any buildings during the period 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/2011; however the BETA building was legally transferred to SITA in 2008. This building was handed over to SITA by the Department of Public Works at inception. SITA concluded a total of 29 (twenty nine) leases, contracts for the financial years 2008/09, 2009/10 and 2010/2011. The total number was reduced in the financial year 2010/11 when the contract for the Gauteng province expired.

b) The responses for (i) (aa), (bb) and (i) are depicted in the table below:

Question 1 (i) (aa), (bb) and (ii)

Question reference

(aa) 2008/09

(bb) 2009/2010

(ii) 2010/11

(aaa)

R27,112,156.53

R29,704,443.28

R29, 205,941.80

(bbb)

32,284.57

32,517.17

30,325.17

(ccc)

SITA has regional offices through out the country where SITA provides services to clients locally. It is prudent for SITA to be located in close proximity to clients in order to render an efficient service. The Pretoria building was however leased due to insufficient office accommodation.

SITA has regional offices through out the country where SITA provides services to clients locally. It is prudent for SITA to be located in close proximity to clients in order to render an efficient service. The Pretoria building was however leased due to insufficient office accommodation.

SITA has regional offices through out the country where SITA provides services to clients locally. It is prudent for SITA to be located in close proximity to clients in order to render an efficient service. The Pretoria building was however leased due to insufficient office accommodation.

(ddd)

Office accommodation/Data Centre/Switching Centre

Office accommodation/Data Centre/Switching Centre

Office accommodation/Data Centre/Switching Centre

(eee)

SITA personnel and/or DATA/Switching centre equipment occupies accommodation

SITA personnel and/or DATA/Switching centre equipment occupies accommodation

SITA personnel and/or DATA/Switching centre equipment occupies accommodation

(fff)

1,367

1,367

1,318

2. A total of 28 buildings are currently leased by SITA and will be required for the period 2011/12; 2012/13/ and 2013/14 for operational reasons as they serve as office accommodation, switching centre and data centres respectively. The Gauteng lease expired in 2010; and these employees are temporarily accommodated in the Centurion building pending a decision whether or not to enter a new lease agreement. The total size of the accommodation requirements will be determined by the number of employees to be accommodated; as well as the future SITA operating model. The size of the switching centres and the data centres will remain constant. Herewith some projections if the status quo remains and these addresses the responses for question 2 (a), (b) and (c) as depicted in the table below:

Question reference

(a) 2011/12

(b) 2012/13

(c) 2013/14

(i)

R30,372,725.26

R 31,625,791.69

R 32,972,408.52

(ii)

30,325.17

30,325.17

30,325.17

(iii)

SITA has regional offices through out the country where SITA provides services to clients locally. It is prudent for SITA to be located in close proximity to clients in order to render an efficient service. The Pretoria building was however leased due to insufficient office accommodation.

SITA has regional offices through out the country where SITA provides services to clients locally. It is prudent for SITA to be located in close proximity to clients in order to render an efficient service. The Pretoria building was however leased due to insufficient office accommodation.

SITA has regional offices through out the country where SITA provides services to clients locally. It is prudent for SITA to be located in close proximity to clients in order to render an efficient service. The Pretoria building was however leased due to insufficient office accommodation.

(iv)

Office accommodation/Data Centre/Switching Centre

Office accommodation/Data Centre/Switching Centre

Office accommodation/Data Centre/Switching Centre

(v)

SITA personnel and/or DATA/Switching centre equipment occupies accommodation

SITA personnel and/or DATA/Switching centre equipment occupies accommodation

SITA personnel and/or DATA/Switching centre equipment occupies accommodation

(vi)

1318

1318

1318

RESPONSE FROM PUBLIC SERVICE EDUCATION AND TRAINING AUTHORITY

(1) Whether your organisation and any of its entities has (a) purchased or (b) leased any buildings for administration (i) in the

(aa) 2008-09 financial year

(b) Leased - PSETA leased the building from Broll.

(bb) 2009-10 financial year

(b) Leased - PSETA leased the building from Broll and vacated the building on the 30th June 2010

(ii) For the 2010-11 financial years; if not, why not; if so, in each case,

(b) Leased - PSETA leased the building from City Property from 01st July 2010.

(aaa) what is the cost of the building,

OFFICE BLOCK

Period

Rental

VAT @ 14%

Monthly Rental

01 July 2010 – 30 June 2011

295,680.00

41,395.20

337,075.20

01 July 2011 – 30 June 2012

319,334.40

44,706.82

364,041.20

01 July 2012 – 30 June 2013

344,881.15

48,283.36

393,164.47

01 July 2013 – 30 June 2014

372,471.64

52,146.03

424,617.62

01 July 2014 – 30 June 2015

402,269.38

56,317.72

458,587.10

BASEMENT PARKING

01 July 2010 – 30 June 2011

17,550.00

2,457.00

20,007.00

01 July 2011 – 30 June 2012

18,954.00

2,653.56

21,607.56

01 July 2012 – 30 June 2013

20,470.32

2,865.84

23,336.16

01 July 2013 – 30 June 2014

22,107.95

3,095.11

25,203.06

01 July 2014 – 30 June 2015

23,876.58

3.342.72

27,219.30

(bbb) what is the size of the building, - Approximately : 2437.70 m2.

(ccc) why was it bought or leased, - PSETA occupancy

(ddd) what will be its use, - PSETA administration

(eee) who will occupy it - PSETA staff

(fff) approximately how many persons will occupy the total space of each building; +- 60 people

(2) PSETA does not intend purchasing or leasing another building other than the one already occupying. PSETA has already entered into a 5 year lease agreement with the current landlord. NW2742E

RESPONSE BY THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

1. The Public Service Commission has during the (aa) 2008/09 and (bb) 2009/10 and (ii) 2010/11 financial years

(a) not purchased any building for administration accommodation; and

(b) leased buildings for administration for its Head Office, Parliamentary office and 9 Regional Offices.

The amount paid by the PSC for leasing administration accommodation is as follows:

(i) (aa) For 2008/09 financial year: R8 413 000; and

(bb) For 2009/10 financial year: R8 972 000; and

(ii) For 2010/11 financial year: R4 341 348

Please refer to Annexure A for a response to questions (aaa) to (fff).

(2) The PSC will continue to lease buildings for administration purposes for its Head Office, Parliamentary Office and 9 Regional Offices.

Please refer to Annexure B for a detailed response toquestion 2.

QUESTIONS 2103 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

FRIDAY, 13 AUGUST 2010

2103. Mr S N Swart (ACDP) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What will be the budgetary implications for the Government if it should grant a (a) 7% salary increase and R630 monthly housing allowance or (b) 8,6% salary increase and R1 000 monthly housing allowance? NW 2509E

REPLY:

(a) The State's offer of a 7% cost-of-living increase with effect from 1 July 2010 and the increase of the housing allowance to R630 per month will cost approximately R12 billion. The breakdown of the cost is as follows:

· 7% cost-of-living increase with effect from 1 July 2010 – R11.1 billion for period 1 July 2010 to 31 March 2011.

· Housing allowance of R630 per month with effect from 1 July 2010 – R916 million for the period 1 July 2010 to 31 March 2011.

(b) The demand from labour for an 8.6% cost-of-living increase with effect from 1 April 2010 and increase of housing allowance to R1000 per month will cost approximately R22.9 billion.

· 8.6% cost-of-living increase with effect from 1 April 2010 – R18.2 billion for the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011.

· Housing allowance of R1000 per month with effect from 1 April 2010 – R4.7billion for the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011.

QUESTION 1855

Dr HC van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for Public Service and Administration:

1. At what stage can the spouse of a member of the Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF) claim his/her share of the pension interest;

2. Whether the Government Employees Pension Law, 1996, Proclamation No 21 of 1996, and the Divorce Act, Act 70 of 1979, will be amended to enable divorced spouses to benefit from the GEPF; if not , why not; if so, when will the relevant Acts be amended?

RESPONSE

1. In terms of provisions of the current Government Employees Pension Law, 1996, the non-member spouse of a member of the GEPF may only be paid his/her portion of the pension benefit awarded to such, when the benefit of the member of the GEPF is due. The non-member spouse can therefore be paid his/her pension portion only when the member exits the GEPF.

2. The Board of Trustees of the GEPF has extensively investigated the "clean break" principle that allows for non-member spouses to be paid their portion of the pension benefits upon divorce and has resolved to amend the GEP Law, 1996, and rules to incorporate such principle in order to align and conform to the rest of the retirement fund industry. Proposed law and rule amendments are being considered and will be introduced through the applicable parliamentary processes, as well as to engage labour parties in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) with a view to negotiate the amendments. In terms of provisions of the Labour Relations legislation, all matters of mutual interest regarding conditions of service must be negotiated and therefore, since membership of the GEPF is a condition of service in the public service, amendments thereto must be negotiated.

QUESTIONS 2797 FOR WRITTEN REPLY

MONDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2010

2797. Dr H C van Schalkwyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether, with reference to the Auditor-general's finding that three members of the bid evaluation committee for the Who am I online project did not complete the requisite declaration forms, any steps had been taken to rectify the situation; if not, why not; if so, what progress has been made in resolving this matter;

(2) whether there were any consequences for the specified members who did not complete the requisite declaration forms; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;