Questions & Replies: Social Development

2012-06-30

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Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 794

119/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

794. Mr M R Sayedali-Shah (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether any officials from (a) her department and (b) any entities reporting to her were on an official visit to Bloemfontein in (i) December 2011 and (ii) January 2012; if so, in each case, what (aa) is the (aaa) name and (bbb) position of the specified official, (bb) was the (aaa) purpose and (bbb) date of such visit and (cc) was the cost of (aaa) transport, (bbb) accommodation and (ccc) other expenses? NW965E

REPLY:

(a)(i)(ii) Yes. Officials from my Department were on official visits to Bloemfontein during December 2011 and January 2012 respectively. Please refer to the attached table for detail in this regard.

(b)(i)(ii) Yes. Only Officials from SASSA were on official visits to Bloemfontein during the December 2011 and January 2012 respectively. Please refer to the attached table for more detail in this regard.

No officials from the NDA were however on official visits to Bloemfontein during the indicated period.

Note: Where there are no travelling expenses SASSA pool cars were utilized.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 784

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

784. Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) (a) How many (i) summits, (ii) meetings and (iii) conferences of the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) were funded by her department in each province (aa) in the (aaa) 2009-10 and (bbb) 2010-11 financial years and (bb) during the period 1 April 2011 up to the latest specified date for which information is available, (b) what was the purpose of the funding in each case, (c) on what date(s) did each event take place and (d) at which venue was the event held in each case;

(2) what was the cost of each event including (a) costs for the (i) venue, (ii) transport, (iii) refreshment and (iv) accommodation and (b) any other specified costs;

(3) whether her department received an attendance register of each event; if not, (a) why not and (b) how does her department verify that each delegate attended the event; if so, what are the names of each delegate who attended the events in each case;

(4) whether her department received a report from the NYDA with regard to each event which her department funded; if not, why not; if so, for which events has her department received reports? NW955E

REPLY:

(1) (a) (i) Nil

(ii) Nil and

(iii) Nil

(aa) (aaa) falls away and

(bbb) falls away

(bb) falls away

(b)(c)(d) falls away,

(2) (a)(i),(ii),(iii) and(iv) falls away,

(b) falls away

(3) (a) and (b) falls away;

(4) No.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 117/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

754. Mrs P C Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether her department is currently developing a manual for the training of care givers; if so, (a) which consultants have been appointed and (b) what amount has been allocated in her department's budget for the development of the manual;

(2) whether the manual is based on the manual of another country; if so, which country;

(3) whether the HWSETA has accredited any existing care giver manuals; if not, why not; if so, what is the rationale for developing another manual;

(4) whether her department has adopted any of the existing accredited manuals; if not, why not, in each case; if so, when where they adopted in each case? NW922E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, the Department of Social Development has developed three manuals for the training of community caregivers. (a) Health Development Africa (HDA) was appointed. (b)The Department has not allocated any budget for the development of the material. However the programme is funded by USAID to the amount of R10 million over a five year period for the development of materials and training.

(2) No, the manual is not based on the manual of another country.

(3) Yes, the HWSETA has accredited and registered three manuals as additional manuals for the training of community caregivers. No training material was available to address the psychosocial wellbeing of community caregivers and the Department addressed this gap by developing the Skills Development Programmes.

· Psychosocial Wellbeing Skills Development Programme for Community Caregivers which focus on the psychosocial wellbeing of community caregivers to effectively take better care of themselves.

· Child Protection Skills Development Programme for Community Caregivers to understand child protection issues.

· Supportive Supervision Skills Development Programme for Supervisors of Community Caregivers. The programme aims to enhance the effectiveness and quality of work done by Community Caregivers.

(4) The Department of Social Development has adopted the existing accredited manuals and the following are dates that these manuals were adopted:

MANUAL	DATE
1. HIV and AIDS Management Programme	2009-07-01
2. Ancillary Health Care	2009-09-01
3. Basic HIV and AIDS Counseling	2009-07-01
4. Health and Safety	2009-07-01
5. Social Care	2008-08-05

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 715

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

715. Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether any tenders have been awarded to a certain company (name furnished) (a) in the (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10 and (iv) 2010-11 financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2011 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, (a) in each case, what (i) was the contract for and (ii) was the value of the contract, (b) who are the (i) owners and (ii) directors of the said company and (c) who awarded the contract in each case;

(2) whether the said company was the cheapest bidder in each case; if not, in each case, (a) who was the cheapest bidder, (b) how much cheaper was the cheapest bidder and (c) on what grounds was the contract awarded to the said company? NW879E

REPLY:

(1)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(iv) No. No tenders have been awarded to 3 Chakras during the applicable financial years.

(1)(b) No. No tenders have been awarded to 3 Chakras during the period 1 April 2011 up to the latest specified date for which information is available.

(1)(a)(i)(ii) Not applicable.

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

(1)(c) Not applicable.

(2)(a)(b)(c) Not applicable.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 713

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

713. Mrs D Robinson (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether a minimum level of literacy is required for social workers; if not, why not; if so, (a) what minimum level of literacy is required and (b) how does her department ensure that all social workers meet the minimum requirement;

(2) whether she has received any complaints from (a) courts, (b) parole boards and (c) any other statutory body with regard to poor quality reports compiled by social workers; if so, (i) how many in each case and (ii) what steps has she taken to rectify the situation? NW877E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, a minimum level of literacy is required for social workers.

(a) To enter the Bachelor's Degree in Social Work (BSW) qualification, a senior certificate in Grade 12 with a university entry is required, as the BSW degree is only offered at universities. The BSW qualification is made up of three components; the core, electives and fundamentals. The fundamentals allow the social work student to obtain computer skills and English literacy and all universities make this provision in the qualification.

(b) The Department ensures that all social workers meet the minimum requirement of literacy through collaboration with the South African Council for Social Service Professions, the Department of Higher Education and the Universities to ascertain that the curriculum offered to students at universities is a combination of both theory, practice and communication skills which includes report writing.

Furthermore, report writing is a type of skill that newly qualified social workers continue to acquire and master through practice and intensive supervision and coaching. The Department has also noted that the lack of adequately trained supervisors impacts negatively on the process of improvement and capacity building of newly qualified social workers and has as a result developed a supervision framework to improve the quality and standards of supervision. In some provinces retired social workers are being recruited to assist with the supervision and coaching of social workers.

(2) (a) No formal complaints have been received from courts.

(b) No formal complaints have been received from parole boards.

(c) No formal complaints have been received from any other statutory body.

(2) (a) (i) No applicable.

(ii) No applicable.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 712

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paperno:

712. Mrs D Robinson (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(a) How many students are currently enrolled in undergraduate social work studies for (i) clinical social work, (ii) case management and (iii) community development and (b)(i) how many students from each stream are currently employed in each province and (ii) what is the (aa) actual and (bb) optimal ratio of population to each stream of social worker in each province? NW876E

REPLY:

(a) The following student social workers were registered, as at December 2011, at the 19 universities recognised by the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP) to offer the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) qualification (The BSW programme covers clinical social work, case management and community development from second year onwards):

· 4th year students = 1525

· 3rd year students = 1585

· 2nd year students= 1625

· Total: = 4735 students

The BSW has 27 exit level outcomes which constitute to 510 credits and these credits are made up of 320 credits which is the Core social work modules. The following core and electives comprises of the following credits:

(i) Clinical social work: 14 credits

(ii) Case management: 18 credits

(iii) Community development: 25 credits

(b) (i) Student social workers are not allowed to be employed, but only to be exposed to practical work as required by the university, and they are generally exposed to all the methods mentioned above, as from the second year of study.

(ii) (aa) As indicated above the ratio will not be calculated on the population to each stream of social worker in each province. This is due to the fact that social workers are currently not working according to focus areas (in each of the streams) e.g. children, older persons etc, but are expected to do generic social work. The actual ratio of social workers to population countrywide is currently at 1: 5000.

(ii) (bb) It is not possible for the Department to calculate the optimal ratio of population to each stream of social worker in each province, because in South Africa social workers, especially in government, are generalist practitioners, which implies that they are expected to utilise all method concurrently depending on the situation of the individual client, group or community. A process of developing guidelines for workload management which will indicate the ratio of workload per social worker is currently underway and this will provide us with information on number of social workers needed in the country.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 711

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

711. Mrs D Robinson (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether the job description and key performance areas (KPAs) of community development practitioners (CDPs) differ from the job description and KPAs of community development workers (CDWs); if so, (a) in what way do they differ, (b) what are the job description and KPAs for CDPs and (c) what is the officially recognised curriculum for CDPs? NW875E

REPLY:

(a) Yes, the job descriptions of the two are occupations are different, even though there are functional relationshipsbetween the two functions.

The work of the Community Development Practitioners is technical in nature, with specific focus on developing and empowering communities. CDPs are responsible for facilitating the identification, planning and implementation of integrated and transformative social development programs for the effective empowerment of human and social capital. CDPs perform this role in partnership with key stake holders using community development approaches (i.e. social and community mobilization; sustainable livelihoods; appreciative enquiry) to ensure that communities achieve sustainable livelihoods. CDPs are professional development workers whose job requirements are an appropriate three year tertiary qualification.

The work of the Community Development Workers is more consultative and administrative in nature, with specific focus to access issues. Their work is more of facilitating community access to government information and services. This includes updating community members on all services rendered by government and the processes and mechanisms to access such services. The CDWs are also involved in conducting needs assessments, and communicating identified needs to the relevant government structures, including to the CDPs. They also conduct follow-ups on the implementation of proposed interventions and report back to the community. Although specifically trained and certificated for their role, CDWs have a shorter training than professional development workers who receive tertiary education. The job requirements for CDWs are a grade 12 qualification or equivalent prior learning that will allow the incumbent to perform the job.

The functional relationships between CDPs and CDWs are that they both have to keep up to date with new developments in the community development field to enhance service delivery. Both occupations are implementing their activities at community level and focus on same goals with regard to community development initiatives.

(b) The job description and KPAs for CDPs are as follows:

The CDPs are responsible for facilitating the identification, planning and implementation of integrated and transformative social development programmers, in partnership with key stakeholders, for the effective empowerment of human and social capital through a community development approach towards sustainable livelihoods (detailed job description is attached as Annexure B)

The Key Performance Areas for Community Development Practitioners are summarized as follows:

(i) Identify and facilitate the implementation of integrated community development interventions in partnership with the community and other relevant stakeholders.

(ii) Liaise and co-ordinate with all relevant role players, internal and external stakeholders (e.g. in departments/provinces, NGOs, local community structures and faith-based organisations) to facilitate collaboration and to establish partnerships to ensure the sustainability of development actions within the community.

(iii) Support communities and perform administrative support on community development and related activities.

(iv) Keep up to date with new developments in the community development field to enhance service delivery. Inform and assist communities with access to the services provided by government structures.

The Key Performance Areas for Community Development Workers are summarized as follows (detailed job description is attached as Annexure A):

(i) Determine the needs of communities and communicate these needs to the relevant government structures.

(ii) Compile reports and documents, as required, on progress, issues attended to, actions taken and outcomes.

(iii) Keep up to date with regard to all services rendered by government and the processes and mechanisms to access the services.

(iv) Promote networks and enhance the activities of existing local community workers aimed at improved service delivery.

(c) Officially recognized curriculum for CDPs?

The department entered into partnership with the South African Qualification Authority for the generation and registration of 3 Community Development Qualifications and Unit Standards NQF Level 4-8.

· Further Education and Training Certificate: Community Development :NQF Level 4, SAQA Qualification ID 67509, Minimum credits 125, Registration date 2009.09.09

· National Certificate: Community Development NQF Level 5:SAQA ID 80946, Minimum credits 147, Registration date 2011.02.16

· Bachelor of Community Development: NQF Level 8, SAQA Qualification ID 79706, Minimum credits 480, Registration date 2010.11.11

Bachelor of Community Development: NQF Level 8 Exit Level Outcomes (The Exit-level Outcomes indicate what the learner will be able to do and know as a result of completing the Qualification)

· Communicate community development related information verbally and in writing to a range of audiences with due regard for the purpose of the communication and the ethical value system of the specific context. · Analyze, synthesize, evaluate and review complex community development related information in order to conceptualize a problem and produce an evidence based argument or solution to an authentic community development situation. · Critically analyze philosophies and theories of community development relevant to a specific context. · Apply knowledge of the regulatory environment to mobilize a community to operate within the regulatory framework in a local, provincial, national, regional or global context. · Apply the ethics, principles, values and processes of community development to a specific context. · Apply knowledge of the interdependent relationships between individuals, families, groups/organizations; the community, State and society to facilitate processes to build interdependent relationships in an authentic community development context and within own scope of practice. · Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of responsibility and accountability within own scope of practice in a community development context. · Integrate theory and practice in an authentic community development context in order to build collective capacity.

The Department has been busy popularizing these Qualifications from July 2011. At least three Institutions of Higher Learning are in the process of putting the Bachelor of Community Development NQF Level 8 on their Institutions' Qualification Programme Mix; first batch of students with this qualification are expected in 2017.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 710

112/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

710. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

a) Why has her department duplicated the small enterprise development mandate of the Department of Economic Development, (b) what are the names of the small or medium income-generation projects created by Sustainable Livelihoods in the past three financial years, (c) what was the cost in each case and (d) which of these income-generating projects have been sustainable after government funding has ended? NW874E

REPLY:

a) The programmes implemented by the Department of Social Development are not duplicating the small enterprise development mandate of the Department of Economic Development, they are rather focused on the departments mandate of enabling the poor, the vulnerable and the excluded within South African society to secure a better life for themselves through the use of their livelihoods assets and capabilities.

b) The table below provides summary of funded projects supported for Sustainable Livelihoods in the past three financial years in the seven Provinces from which responses were provided.

Table: Summary of projects funded per province over the past three years

Province	Names of the small or medium income-generation projects/ financial year (FY)				Project / status sustainability after government funding?
	Total number of funded projects over the past three FYs			Project Cost (R, 000)
	FY 09/10	FY 10/11	FY 11/12
1. Eastern Cape	111	77	93	R134,906, 000	80% of the funded projects are sustainable
2. Free State					Information still awaited
3. Gauteng					Information still awaited
4. KwaZulu Natal	19	73	60	R113 149 876, 00	80% of the funded projects are sustainable
5. Limpopo	35	36	36	R27 523 899, 00	100% of funded projects are sustainable.
6. Mpumalanga	13	45	12	R10 473 559,61	100% of funded projects are sustainable.
7. Northern Cape	3	5	0	R3 418 000, 00	100% of funded projects are Sustainable; most projects have market access challenges.
8. North West	5	7	8	R345 514 999, 56	95% of the funded projects over the three financial years are sustainable; only 1 project is not sustainable.
9. Western Cape	7	1	6	R6 664 246,00	80% of the funded projects are sustainable; 3 of the 14 funded projects are not sustainable.
TOTAL	82	167	122	R638, 573,580.17

c) The total cost of the projects funded over the past three financial years from the seven provinces that provided information is R638, 573,580.17 (as reflected on the table above).

d) Most of the projects funded only receive the seed funding necessary for project establishment and they then generate their own income after government funding has ended as on provincial replies. These projects continue to deliver benefits to the project beneficiaries for an extended period after the department's financial assistance has been terminated.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 705

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

705. Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Why have the (a) regulations and (b) norms and standards of the Substance Abuse Act, Act 70 of 2008, not been finalised and approved;

(2) whether a tender was awarded to a consultant for the development of the (a) regulations and (b) norms and practices; if not, why not; if so, (i) when was the tender issued and (ii) what was the value of the tender;

(3) whether there was a stipulated date by which the work had to be completed; if not, why not; if so, (a) what was the date and (b) why did the consultants not meet the deadline;

(4) whether a penalty clause was included in the contract; if not, why not; if so, (a) what are the relevant details and (b) what penalties, if any, have been issued to date? NW867E

REPLY:

(1) (a) The Act was assented to on 19 April 2009. Substance Abuse being taken seriously with much interest and sensitivity it has, it was appropriate to consult exhaustively will all stakeholders including civil society organizations. This period of consultation started in October 2010 and finished in August 2011.

Norms and standards had to be finalised first, and incorporated in the Regulations as these were developed separately. This together with the exhaustive consultative exercise caused the delay in finalising the regulations.

The draft regulations have been finalised and Gazetted (Gazette No. 35125) on 9 March 2012 for three months to afford the public to make further comments on the final draft before approval by the Minister of Social Development.

(b) No, there are no norms and standards for Prevention of and Treatment for Substance Abuse Act, 2008 (Act No. 70 of 2008) because Act No. 70 of 2008 is in fact not yet in force. However, there are norms and standards for in-patient and out-patient treatment centres which have been finalised and approved, in force and part of the regulations.

(2) (a) No, no tender was awarded to a consultant for the development of the regulations because the Department of Social Development uses its internal legislative drafting personnel to draft the regulations as it is economical to do so.

(b) No, no tender was issued for the development of norms and practices (sic) because the Department of Social Development uses its internal Policy and Legislative development personnel to draft the norms and practices (sic) as it is economical to do so.

(i) Not applicable as there was no tender awarded to a consultant to draft regulations and norms and standards.

(ii) Not applicable as there was no tender awarded to a consultant to draft regulations and norms and standards.

(3) Not applicable as there was no tender awarded to a consultant to draft regulations and norms and standards.

(4) Not applicable as there was no tender awarded to a consultant to draft regulations and norms and standards.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 704

110/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

704. Mrs M Wenger (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether there are any minimum qualifications for the appointment of senior officials in her department; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) what are the (a) qualifications, (b) names and (c) positions of all the senior managers in her department;

(3) whether she may, in accordance with the policy of her department, deviate from the minimum qualifications when employing senior managers; if so, (a) to what extent, (b) in which appointments did she deviate and (c) what were the reasons in each case? NW866E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, the minimum qualification for the appointment of senior officials is a tertiary qualification depending on the field of work. The nature of qualification is determined by the job description.

(2) The qualifications, names and positions of all senior managers are listed in the attached Annexure A.

(3) (a) Yes, Part III I.1.1 of the Public Service Regulations, 2001 (as amended) stipulates that for "each post or group of posts, an executing authority shall establish a job description and job title that indicate, with appropriate emphasis on service delivery –

a) the main objectives of the posts in question;

b) the inherent requirements of the job; and

c) the requirements for promotion or progression to the next salary range in accordance with the relevant career path."

(b) The Minister of Social Development gave prior approval to deviate from the minimum qualification requirements in the appointment of the Director: Stakeholder Management and Donor Co-ordination. In terms of Part VII C.1 of the Public Service Regulations, 2001 (as amended), the Minister can approve relaxation of qualification requirements.

(c) The relevant post requires a candidate with experience in establishing and maintaining partnerships between government and civil society and who will provide an executive professional support to the Minister and it was determined that potential candidates who have a Grade 12 Certificate with sufficient experience in the field would also be considered.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 681

109/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paperno:

681. Mrs A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to question 1770 on 19 August 2011, any institutions that work with children have requested verification regarding the suitability of new (a) employees and (b) volunteers to work with children; if so, (i) which institutions and (ii) in which provinces are they based;

(2) whether any institutions have requested verification regarding the suitability of existing employees to work with children; if not, why not; if so, (a) which institutions, (b) in which provinces are they situated and (c) how many employees were (i) verified and (ii) rejected in each case;

(3) whether her department has embarked on an awareness campaign to inform stakeholders about the requirements of the Child Protection Register (CPR); if not, why not; if so, (a) how much was spent on the campaign, (b) how many institutions were involved in the awareness campaign, (c) how many CPR Part B pamphlets were distributed and (d) how many information sessions were conducted in this regard? NW841E

REPLY:

The question asked requires specific information that has to be sought from the various provincial Departments of Social Development. My department has as a result, referred this question to relevant MECs, and we are still awaiting their responses.

(Please find the attached response from Free State and Mpumalanga provinces).

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 676

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

676. Ms A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether a certain person (name and details furnished) has been added to the Child Protection Register; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW836E

REPLY:

The Department is unable to disclose the person's name nor confirm that the person's name appears in Part B of the Child Protection Register due to prohibitions regarding disclosure of names as prescribed in terms of section 127 (1) of the Children's Act (No. 38 of 2005). The Act only allows the Department to disclose the information on the affected person following:

1. A finding of unsuitability on the affected person. The department issues a notification to the affected person of the inclusion of his or her name on the Child Protection Register following a finding of unsuitability by a court or a forum.

2. An inquiry by an employer ("the applicant") in terms of section 126(1) or (2) of the Act to establish whether or not the name of a person ("the affected person") appears in Part B of the National Child Protection Register prior to or during his or her employment.

a. The employer refers to any employing organisation that ensures care and protection of children.

b. The employer, as the applicant, submits details of the employees to the Department to be screened against the Child Protection Register.

c. The inquiry is submitted in a prescribed form 29 which is accompanied by a certified copy of the employer and that of the affected person.

d. The affected person refers to the person employed to work with children.

e. The Department is obliged to inform the employer about the outcome of screening. A notification is issued to the employer bearing the results of screening.

3. An inquiry by a person ("the affected person") in terms of section 126(3) of the Act to establish whether or not his or her name appears in Part B of the National Child Protection Register.

a. The affected person refers to any person who may wish to provide services to children such as a foster parent, adoptive parent and supervisor in a child-headed household.

b. The person submits his or her details to the Department to be screened against the Child Protection Register.

c. The inquiry is submitted in a prescribed form 30 which is accompanied by a certified copy of the affected person.

d. The Department is obliged to inform the person about the outcome of screening. A notification is issued to the person bearing the results of screening.

4. An order by court to do so.

a. A court may, in the course of an inquiry, order that information regarding the suitability of a person to work or have access to children, be provided about the person.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 631

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

631. Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether she has been informed that a certain company (name furnished) (a) offers loans to pensioners and (b) deducts its fees from the social welfare grants before they are paid out to the pensioners; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;

(2) what mechanisms are in place to ensure that provincial government officials are not contravening the Social Assistance Act, Act 13 of 2004;

(3) (a) how many pensioners have taken out loans since the inception of this company and (b) what is the total amount in interest charged in this regard;

(4) whether she intends taking any steps to combat this practice; if not, why not; if so, what steps? NW724E

REPLY:

(1) (a) No. I have not been informed about the company in question and the alleged activities.

(b)SASSA's policy is that no deductions should be allowed, except those allowed in terms of the legislation, which do not include deductions for loan repayments. SASSA is aware of arrangements that have been independently made by the beneficiaries in as far as funeral policies are concerned, but is not party to such arrangements and as such is not in possession of the details.

(2) All SASSA officials are governed by applicable legislation and relevant organizational policies, and any contravention is dealt with in terms of the particular legislation and/or policy, and each case is treated according to its merit.

(3) (a) SASSA is not privy to the number of pensioners who have loans as indicated in (1) above.

(b) SASSA is not privy to the information requested.

SASSA's policy is and has always been explicit that no loan deductions are allowed, and in terms of Regulation 26 (A) of 2009 of the Social Assistance Act 2004, only deductions relating to funeral policies or funeral schemes may be authorized

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 628

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

628. Mr M Swart (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether (a) she, (b) her Deputy Minister and (c) any senior officials of her department visited New Zealand during the 2011 Rugby World Cup Tournament; if so, what (i) is the (aa) name, (bb) rank and (cc) position or designation of each specified person who accompanied (aaa) her, (bbb) her Deputy Minister and (ccc) each specified senior official and (ii) was the (aa) nature, (bb) official reason for the visit and (iii) total amount spent on the trip;

(2) of the total amount spent, what is the (a) description and (b) detailed breakdown of the amounts that have been spent on (i) accommodation, (ii) travel and (iii) subsistence costs in each case? NW709E

REPLY:

Minister, her Deputy Minister or any official of her Department never visited New Zealand during the 2011 Rugby World Cup Tournament

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 584

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

584. Mr T D Lee (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

((1) Whether her department has an internal audit unit; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many staff members are employed in the unit and (b) what (i) is the structure and (ii) are the functions of the unit;

(2) whether the audit committee considers the internal audit reports; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) whether she holds meetings to discuss (a) the internal reports and (b) their findings with the audit unit; if not, why not, in each case; if so, (i) on what dates since 1 April 2010 has each specified meeting taken place and (ii) what are the further relevant details? NW749E

REPLY:

(1) Yes. The Department has an Internal Audit Unit.

(1)(a) There are thirteen (13) staff members employed within the Internal Audit Unit. (10 permanent appointments and 3 contracted appointments).

(1)(b)(i) The current structure of the Internal Audit Unit is as follows:

1 x Director L13

1 x Deputy Director: Performance Audit L12

1 x Deputy Director: Financial and Risk Management Audit L12

1 x Deputy Director: Financial Audit L11 (contract, approval has been granted to convert the post to permanent)

1 x Assistant Director: Internal Auditor L10

1 x Assistant Director: Internal Auditor L9

1 X Assistant Director: Financial Auditor L9 (contract, approval has been granted to convert the post to permanent)

5 x Internal Auditors L8 (1 on contract, approval has been granted to convert the post to permanent)

1 x Senior Secretary L6

(1)(b)(ii) The functions of the Internal Audit Unit are as follows:

Audit Committee and Internal Audit services
Chief directorate: Internal Audit 1x Chief Director: Internal Audit L14 (new) 1x Assistant Director: Admin Support L9 (new)
Governance and Performance Audits 1 X Director L13 (new)	Compliance and Operational Audits 1 X Director (L13) 1 X Senior Secretary (L6)
SUB-DIRECTORATE: GOVERNANCE AUDIT 1. Determine compliance status to laws and regulations. 2. Conduct corporate governance audit (to monitor the accomplishment of corporate goals and objectives). 3. Provide governance audit on support services to the departmental entities. 4. Conduct investigations with regard to the suspicion of misappropriations (to determine wrongdoing, identify parties involves, quantify losses, negotiate terms of resolution and to make recommendations for criminal or civil prosecution). 1 X Deputy Director - (L11) 1 X Assistant Director - (L9) 4 X Internal Auditor - (L8) (2 new)	SUB-DIRECTORATE: COMPLIANCE AUDIT 1. Develop compliance audit frameworks. 2. Assess functional compliance in accordance with plans, policies, procedures, laws and regulations. 3. Evaluate risk mitigation and management plans. 4. Provide compliance support services to the departmental entities. 1 X Deputy Director - (L11) (new) 3 X Internal Auditor - (L8) (1 new)
SUB-DIRECTORATE: PERFORMANCE AUDIT 1. Develop performance audit frameworks. 2. Undertake performance audits to determine the department's ability to achieve its objectives and programme outputs in an efficient, effective and economic manner. 3. Provide performance audit on support services to the departmental entities. 4. Monitor and evaluate the implementation of programmes, functions and operations. 1 X Deputy Director - (L11) 2 X Assistant Director - (L9) (1 new) 5 X Internal Auditor - (L8) (3 new)	SUB-DIRECTORATE: FINANCIAL AUDIT 1. Develop financial audit frameworks. 2. Conduct an assessment on the effectiveness and efficiency of corporate and financial operations. 3. Provide financial audit support services to the departmental entities. 1 X Deputy Director - (L11) 1 X Assistant Director - (L9) 3 X Internal Auditor - (L8) (2 new)
	SUB-DIRECTORATE: FORENSIC AND IT AUDITS 1. Monitor the implementation of management operational systems. 2. Conduct information technology processes and audits. 3. Evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls in the IT environment. 4. Evaluate the control systems and processes aimed at detecting and preventing fraudulent activities in the Department. 5. Conduct forensic audits as approved by the relevant authority. 1 X Deputy Director - (L11) (new) 1 X Assistant Director - (L9) (new) 2 X Internal Auditor - (L8) (new)

(2) Yes, the Audit Committee does consider the internal audit reports. Internal Audit submits internal audit reports to the Audit Committee for internal audit work performed within the Department. The Audit Committee meets on a quarterly basis to evaluate and discuss all audit work performed, including internal audit reports, risk management report, implementation of action plan on the matters raised by AGSA, in-year monitoring reports and the budget status of the Department.

The Audit Committee is responsible for determine whether all significant issues reported by the Internal Audit Function, the Auditor General, and other outside advisors have been satisfactorily resolved.

(3)(a)(b) No, I have not held meetings with the Internal Audit Unit to discuss the internal audit reports and their findings thereto as joint Audit Committee meetings were held with the Audit Committee members of the Department and SASSA during which related matters were discussed with the Internal Audit Unit.

(3)(i) No formal meetings were scheduled with the Internal Audit Unit since 1 April 2012.

(3)(ii) Three joint Audit Committee meetings took place during the 2010-11 Financial Years on the following dates:

15 October 2010;

05 November 2010; and

07 December 2010

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION 559

101/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paperno:

559. Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether any social workers are currently facing criminal charges; if so, (a) how many, (b) what are their names, (c) at which office does each specified person work and (d) what criminal charges are they facing in each case;

(2) whether any social workers have been convicted of any crime (a) in the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 20010-11 financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2011 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, in each case, (aa) how many, (bb) what are their names, (cc) at which office does each specified person work and (dd) what were they convicted of in each case? NW723E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, there are social workers who are currently facing criminal charges.

(a) There are five social workers

(b) Their names cannot be disclosed due to their matters still being under

investigation.

(c) Three worked in the NGO sector and two in Government; due to the matter

still being under investigation the places of employment cannot be revealed at this stage.

(d) All posed as or pretended to be Social Workers.

(2) Yes, there are certain Social Workers who have been convicted of crime in:

(a) (I) 2009-10; and

(a) (ii) 2010-11 financial years and;

(b) Yes;

(b) (aa) one Social Worker in 2009-2010;

four Social Workers in 2010-11;

one Social Worker during the period 1 April 2011 up to latest date

(bb) their names cannot be disclosed (Find attached explanation from the SA Council for Social Services Professions)

(cc) linked to the above, offices where they worked cannot be disclosed.

(dd) Obtaining employment as a social worker whilst registered as a student,

theft from employer, foster care fraud, medical aid fraud, failing to keep

record of acts performed.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 559

101/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

559. Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether any social workers are currently facing criminal charges: if so, (a) how many, (b) what are their names, (c ) at which office does each specified person work and (d) what criminal charges are they facing in each case;

(2) whether any social workers have been convicted of any crime (a) in the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2011 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if so, in each case, (aa) how many (bb) what are their names, (cc ) at which office does each specified person work and (dd) what were they convicted of in each case?

NW723E

Please see attached reply

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 554

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

554. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) (a) What processes were followed in identifying and appointing (i) consultants and (ii) advisors to convene the committee that evaluated the tender process which resulted in the contract for the distribution of social grants to be awarded to a certain company (name furnished) and (b) (i) what are their (aa) names, (bb) qualifications and (cc) detailed remuneration packages;

(2) whether the evaluation committee members were flown to Cape Town to attend a meeting in Stellenbosch; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (a) where was the meeting held, (b) what was the nature of the meeting, (c) how many delegates attended, (d) what are the names of the delegates who attended and (e) what are the detailed costs with regard to (i) travel and (ii) hotel accommodation in each case? NW715E

REPLY:

(1) (a) (i) The awarding of the social grants payment tender is being challenged and the matter is currently before Gauteng North High Court and SASSA is thus unable to answer questions relating thereto because the matters associated therewith are subjudice.

(ii) The matter is subjudice.

(b) (i) (aa) The matter is subjudice.

(bb) The matter is subjudice.

(cc) The matter is subjudice.

(2) The matter is subjudice.

(a) The matter is subjudice.

(b) The matter is subjudice.

© The matter is subjudice.

(d) The matter is subjudice.

(e) (i) and (ii) The matter is subjudice.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 547

98/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

547. Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) What action has her department taken with regard to children as young as 10 years old falling pregnant and contracting HIV, as reported in the latest HIV-prevalence survey of the Department of Health;

(2) whether her department is under obligation to lay charges of statutory rape against the males responsible for these pregnancies; if so, what (a) is the position in this regard, (b) action has her department taken in each case and (c) are the further relevant details? NW705E

REPLY:

(1) The Department has child protection programmes targeting all children and their caregivers. Within the community based programmes supported by the Department of Social Development, when community caregivers visit households, they identify problems within the households, provide support to members, and refer to social workers, clinics, police and other service providers for specialised intervention. Social workers provide psychosocial support to the child and family, and immediately refer the matter to the police.

The Department has been training community caregivers on child protection issues, to equip them with skills of identifying child abuse cases and referral protocols. So far over 1 500 community caregivers have been trained in all provinces. The Department is presently engaged in conducting orientation workshops in provinces for officials and community caregivers on guidelines on psychosocial support for children living with HIV and AIDS and other chronic conditions. These guidelines have been developed to protect the rights of children made vulnerable by HIV and other chronic conditions, and to ensure that their psychosocial needs are adequately met.

(2) No, DSD is under no obligation to lay charges of statutory rape against the males responsible for teenage pregnancies, however, in terms of section 54 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007, a person who has knowledge of a sexual offence

that has been committed against a child, must report such a case immediately to a police official. This implies that a designated social worker must report this matter when involved with the case to a police official. The focus for the social worker becomes the child who needs to be assessed for care and protection in terms of the Children's Act.(No.38 of 2005) and psychosocial support.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 545

97/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

545. Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether there are any waiting lists at any of the rehabilitation centres; if so, (a) how many persons are on each list, (b) what is the actual waiting period in each case and (c) what is the cost of rehabilitation of each patient at each of the rehabilitation centres? NW703E

REPLY:

The question asked requires specific information that has to be sought from the various provincial Departments of Social Development. My department has as a result, referred this question to relevant MECs, and we are still awaiting their responses.

(Please find the attached response from Gauteng province).

Reply received: November 2012

QUESTION 543/96/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

543. Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether (a) her department or (b) the KwaZulu-Natal provincial department of social welfare has received any complaints with regard to the (i) Howick and (ii) Pietermaritzburg offices; if so, (aa) how many complaints were received, (bb) when were they received and (cc) what progress has been made in respect of each complaint;

(2) whether she has been informed that children removed from their parents due to abuse have been returned to such parents (details furnished); if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what action has she taken in this regard? NW701E

REPLY:

The questions asked require specific information that has to be sought from KwaZulu-Natal provincial Departments of Health and Social Development. My Department has as a result, referred this question to the MEC, and we are still awaiting their responses.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 498

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

498. Mr D C Ross (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether she met with the internal audit committee in the (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12 financial years; if not, why not; if so, (i) on which dates did they meet and (ii) what are the further relevant details? NW647E

REPLY:

(a) Yes, I met with the Internal Audit Committee during the 2010-11 Financial Year.

(i) Three joint Audit Committee meetings took place during the 2010-11 Financial Years on the following dates:

- 15 October 2010;

- 05 November 2010; and

- 07 December 2010

(ii) It was agreed that SASSA should in future report progress to the Department of Social Development's Audit Committee on corrective actions implemented by SASSA to improve the control environment and address the deficiencies identified by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). SASSA has since been reporting progress made in the DSD Audit Committee meetings.

(b) No, I have not met with the Internal Audit Committee during the 2011-12 Financial Year. However, my Department has under the leadership of the Director-General, met with the Audit Committee on two occasions. I also met with the Auditor-General on 14 November 2011 to discuss progress with the implementation of internal control measures (i.e. Dashboard Report).

(i) Two joint Audit Committee meetings took place during the 2011-12 Financial Years on the following dates:

o 26 September 2011;

o 07 December 2011.

The last meeting for the 2011-12 Financial Year has been scheduled to take place on 30 March 2012.

(ii) At these meetings the Department gave progress reports on corrective actions implemented by both the Department and SASSA on findings by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA).

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 469

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

469. Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether, with regard to the recent tender awarded to a certain company (name furnished*) for the payment of social grants, any specifications for the tender were changed during the process; if not, how was this conclusion reached; if so, (a) what specifications, (b) what was the reason for the change, (c) who decided on changing the specifications and (d) on which date was each potential bidder informed of the change in specifications? NW618E

REPLY:

1. No. At no stage of the tendering process were there any changes effected to the tender specifications. There were however certain questions that were raised by specific bidders, which had been responded to in terms of Bidders Notices in line with normal tender procedures.

(a) Not applicable.

(b) Not applicable.

(c) Not applicable.

(d) Not applicable.

QUESTION 463/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

463. Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) How many applications for social grants in the various categories has her department received in each province (a) in the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2011 up to the latest specified date for which information is available.

(2) whether any of the specified applications were refused on the first application; if so, how many (a) in each (i) category and (ii) province, (b) appeals were received in each (i) category and (ii) province and (c) of these appeals were unsuccessful in each (i) category and (ii) province;

(3) whether (a) the SA Social Security Agency or (b) her department is providing any assistance to unsuccessful applicants to appeal against the decision to refuse their grant applications; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW611E

REPLY:

The table below indicates the numbers of grant applications taken per region for the periods specified:

1 (a)(i) Grant Applications for 2009/10

See attached

1 (b) (ii) Table 2: Grant Applications for 2010/11

See attached

(b) Grant Applications for 2011/12 (to December 2011)

See attached

2. Whether any of the specified applications were refused on the first application; if so, how many (a) in each (i) category and (ii) province, (b) appeals were received in each (i) category and (ii) province and (c) of these appeals were unsuccessful in each (i) category and (ii) province;

The number of applications refused in each category is indicated below:

2(a)(i) and (ii): Grant Refused for 2009/10

See attached

2(a)(i) and (ii):: Grant Refused for 2010/11

See attached

2(a)(i) and (ii): Grant Refused for 2011/12 (to 31 December 2011

See attached

2(b)(i)(ii) Appeals lodged/received Tables

N.B. For purposes of this report/enquiry, the statistics from the Independent Tribunal cannot at this stage be presented per grant category or type due to limitations in the current systems.

2(b)(i)(ii): Appeals Applications for 2009/10 Financial Year

Province	Appeals Received	Appeals Adjudicated
Eastern Cape	11 696	1 521
Free State	4 243	1 305
Gauteng	8 517	4 822
KwaZulu-Natal	35 467	11 977
Limpopo	1 131	166
Mpumalanga	625	279
Northern Cape	880	2 196
North West	1 561	93
Western Cape	1 023	581
TOTAL:	65 143	22 940

NB: Only 22 940 number of appeals were adjudicated during the 2009/10 financial year and the outstanding balance was brought forward to the following financial year.

2(b)(i)(ii): Appeal Applications for 2010/11 Financial Year

Province	OUTSTANDING AND RECEIVED APPEALS	Appeals Adjudicated
Eastern Cape	10 268	11 767
Free State	2 748	1 958
Gauteng	6 456	6 354
KwaZulu-Natal	18 340	18 986
Limpopo	756	175
Mpumalanga	518	220
Northern Cape	567	613
North West	1 151	422
Western Cape	2 136	1 149
TOTAL:	42 940	41 646

2(b)(i)(i): Appeal Applications for 2011/12 (to 29 February 2012)

Province	OUTSTANDING AND RECEIVED APPEALS	Appeals Adjudicated
Eastern Cape	7 419	5 957
Free State	3 592	1 996
Gauteng	3 582	1 604
KwaZulu-Natal	4 576	1 620
Limpopo	575	229
Mpumalanga	398	276
Northern Cape	685	262
North West	664	566
Western Cape	1 639	538
TOTAL:	23 130	13 048

NB:

Only 13 048 number of appeals have been adjudicated during the 2011/12 financial year to date and this is in relation to the outstanding case from the previous financial year plus new applications.

2(c)(i)(ii) Appeals Declined Tables

N.B. For purposes of this report/enquiry, the Independent Tribunal doesn't have supporting business information system that could provide management reports including statistical breakdowns as raised in the enquiry. However since mid-May 2011 to date, the Tribunal can evidence such declines both in terms of category as well as province.

(i) Table 10: Grant Applications for 2011/12 see attached

(3) whether (a) the SA Social Security Association or (b) her department is providing any assistance to unsuccessful applicants to appeal against the decision to refuse their grant applications; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW611E

REPLY:

(a) SASSA has established (in terms of section 18(1) of the Social Assistance Act 13 of 2004, as amended) an Internal Reconsideration Mechanism which offers unsuccessful / aggrieved applicants and beneficiaries an opportunity to request the Agency to reconsider the decision to refuse their grant applications. SASSA will reconsider its decision within 90 days and provide an applicant or beneficiary with a written outcome. Should the applicant or beneficiary still be in disagreement with the reconsidered decision by SASSA, he or she may invoke the right to appeal to the Minister of Social Development.

In terms of the regulations, relief is provided to an applicant who has been adversely affected by unjustifiable delays within SASSA in respect of a consideration application. Under such circumstances the applicant may invoke regulations 3(6) in which case, SASSA's failure to make a decision within the stipulated time period would be deemed to have made a negative decision against the appellant and upon receipt of an appeal from such an affected applicant, the Independent Tribunal may proceed to consider such a matter as an appeal.

The regulations further provide that the Independent Tribunal shall consider an application within the stipulated time period of 90 days. But more importantly both the Independent Tribunal and SASSA have in some provinces undertaken road-shows to promote and create awareness to the public and applicants/appellants. From time to time we partner with provincial Departments especially Department of Social Development during the imbizo's. Also from time to time the Department and SASSA conducting radio-interviews/shows with a view to create awareness to the public. Over and above, these initiatives, both SASAS and the Tribunal have established a toll-free call centre managed through SITA.

101 The table below reflects the Internal Reconsideration statistics as from September 2011 till end of February 2012.

Regions	Total IR Applications Received	Processed IR Applications	Outstanding IR Applications	Upheld and Varied Decisions	Dismissed IR Applications	IR Applications > 90 days (Backlog)
Eastern Cape	5117	4302	815	472	3830	62
Free State	458	332	126	44	288	0
Gauteng	2514	1951	563	62	1889	182
Kwazulu-Natal	2150	2053	97	7	2046	0
Limpopo	107	45	62	8	37	10
Mpumalanga	644	523	121	1	522	15
North West	513	454	59	70	384	12
Northern Cape	261	261	0	6	255	0
Western Cape	1320	711	609	57	654	0
TOTAL	13084	10632	2452	727	9905	281

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 462

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

462. Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether any criteria have been set to identify doctors who assess disability grant applicants; if not, (a) why not, (b) how are such doctors identified and (c) how many assessing doctors are there in each province; if so, what are the criteria;

(2) whether any minimum standards have been set with regard to the examination that a doctor must perform of a person before he determines whether the application for a disability grant is to be approved or rejected; if not, why not; if so, what (a) are the minimum requirements and (b) length of time has been set for such an examination;

(3) whether she has been informed of a decision by (a) her department or (b) the SA Social Security Agency to place pressure on doctors to encourage them not to approve applications for disability grants; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (i) why was the decision made and (ii) who made the decision? NW610E

REPLY:

(1) Yes. Doctors contracted by SASSA to assess applicants for disability related grants have to fulfil the following criteria:

· Submit a valid tax clearance certificate to SASSA;

· Be currently registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) as independent medical practitioner; and

· Undergo training on disability assessment offered by SASSA.

(a) Not applicable.

(b) SASSA places adverts in national newspapers requesting interested medical practitioners to register on SASSA's database of service providers. The SASSA regions would then ensure that these interested doctors fulfil the requirements indicated above before contracting.

c) Nationally, SASSA has contracted a total of 651 doctors. These doctors are located in the SASSA regions as follows:

Regions	Number of Doctors
Eastern Cape	19
Free State	28
Gauteng	51
KwaZulu-Natal	101
Limpopo	28
Mpumalanga	26
North West	19
Northern Cape	77*
Western Cape	302

*Because of vastness of the Northern Cape, a decision was taken to contract more Doctors to avert a situation where Doctors have to cover long distances going to service points.

(2) Yes. SASSA does have set standards to assist doctors who assess applicants wishing to apply for disability related grants.

(a) The assessment requirements are documented in the SASSA medical guidelines document and the medical assessment element of the disability management model.

(b) The length of time for an assessment varies from one assessment to the next given the complexity of the case. On average an assessment would last about 15 minutes.

(3) (a) Not applicable to SASSA.

(b) No. There has been no decision taken by SASSA to place pressure on doctors to encourage them not to recommend applicants for disability related grant application. However, the doctors do not approve applications for disability related grants since they do not have lawful authority to decide on disability related applications. The only function of doctors is to furnish SASSA with an objective opinion on the applicant's disablement, if any. It remains SASSA's competency to approve grants (all grants).

(i) Not applicable.

(ii) Not applicable.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 71/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

445. Mrs J F Terblanche (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

What amount has her department (a) budget for and (b) spent on the implementation of the Children's Act, Act 38 of 2005, for each financial year since its inception up to the latest specified date available? NW592E

REPLY:

The Children's Act 38 of 2005 came into full operation on 01 April 2010. The Act is implemented by various National Departments including the Department of Social Development, Provincial Departments of Social Development, as well as Non-Governmental Organisations. The Minister is accountable for the budget of the National Department of Social Development and has no jurisdiction over other stakeholders' budgets.

During the 2010/2011 financial year, a total amount of R7 887 000 was allocated for the implementation of the Act at the National Department of Social Development. A total amount of R7 803 000 was spent over that financial year. An amount of R8 596 000 has been allocated for the 2011/2012 financial year and expenditure as at 29 February 2012 was R5 595 000. A further R4 886 000 is projected to be spent before the end of the financial year.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 444

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

444. Mrs J F Terblanche (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether any investigations by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) into the SA Social Security Agency (SASSA) have been finalised; if not, (a) why not and (b) when is it envisaged that these investigations will be finalised; if so, how many (i) investigations are finalised and (ii) reports have her department received from the SIU;

(2) whether she intends to make the reports available to the public; if not, why not; if so, when? NW591E

REPLY:

(1) Yes.

(a) Not applicable.

(b) Not applicable.

(i) Three investigations have been finalised.

(ii) Three reports have been received although the criminal investigations are still in progress.

(2) No. The reports will not be made public yet as the matters are still sub judice. The reports will only be made public once the overall investigations have been concluded. Furthermore, all the Special Investigations Unit's (SIU) final reports are submitted, as per its founding legislation, to the Presidency, which makes the final decision on the release of any SIU reports.

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 443

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

443. Mrs J F Terblanche (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether her department intends introducing universal access to an old age pension; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW590E

REPLY:

Presently our policy and budget does not provide for universal access.

Policy consideration is currently being given to the possibility of universal access to the old age pension. This however is part of the broader work of an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Social Security reforms. A discussion paper in this regard has been completed by the Inter Ministerial Committee (IMC).

Reply received: May 2012

Question 439

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

439. Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

What is the (a) name, (b) level of employment, (c) salary package, (d) qualifications and (d) further relevant details of each person employed at the National Development Agency (NDA)? NW585E

REPLY:

See attached reply

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 438

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

438. Mrs D Robinson (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether any investigations have been conducted with regard to the National Development Agency since its inception; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) when were the investigations conducted, (b) who conducted the investigations, (c) what were the findings in each case and (d) what are the further relevant details;

(2) whether her department received the full investigation report in each case; if not, (a) why not, (b) for whichinvestigations did her department not receive the full report and (c) what (i) were the reasons for not receiving the full investigation report and (ii) action was taken in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW584E

REPLY:

(1) An investigation was commissioned on the National Development Agency at the instruction of the then Minister of Social Development, Dr Zola Skweyiya. (a) The Investigation was conducted in September 2003. (b) The Auditor-General engaged Deloitte & Touche to conduct the Investigation. (c) The following findings were made:

· Conflicts of Interests in that there was a business link between the CEO and/or his family and the NDA Service Providers and such interest was not being declared;

· Irregular expenditure regarding the Chief Executive Officer's instruction for payment of performance bonuses without approval by the Board;

· Non-compliance with NDA Recruitment policies in appointing two employees;

· CEO'S failure to take effective and appropriate steps to manage the available working capital and failure to take appropriate steps to prevent fruitless and wasteful expenditure (d) There are no other relevant details save for that then CEO was suspended and ultimately resigned.

(2) The full investigation report was submitted to the Minister of Social Development on 19 May 2004.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 442

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

442. Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) With reference to her reply to question 1111 on 27 May 2011, what progress has been made to establish the office of the Inspectorate for the Social Assistance?

(2) whether she has undertaken any studies to establish projected savings for the SA Social Security Agency once the Inspectorate handles investigations; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW589E

REPLY:

(1) Progress has been made with regards to the process to establish an Inspectorate Programme Management Unit (PMU). Notwithstanding the fact that in the current financial year there was no budget allocation, the department undertook a reprioritisation exercise in order to raise a seed fund of R4, 45 million, to commence with the establishment process. In this regard, an Inspectorate Establishment Framework has been developed as well as the PMU structure comprising of various functional work streams. The process to recruit Specialists and work stream Project Managers is at an advanced stage.

Also, the Inspectorate MTEF Bid Proposal was successful. Accordingly, the Estimates of National Expenditure Budget for 2012 by the National Treasury confirmed a budget allocation of R30 million over the medium term for the establishment of an Inspectorate. This will provide a solid base to further accelerate work in this regard.

(2) The Inspectorate PMU is currently in the process to commission various research projects and has since prioritised the Comprehensive Legislation Review Project as well as the Systems Integrity Evaluation baseline study. This will enable office to determine the actual levels of fraud and misconduct and help to project savings for the South African Social Security Agency, once the Inspectorate is fully legislated and adequately resourced to commence with the execution of its investigative mandate.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 437

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

437. Mrs D Robinson (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether the Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority (HWSETA) received all its levies for the 2011-12 financial year from the (a) national and (b) provincial social departments; if not, (i) why not, (ii) which department's levies are still outstanding and (iii) what amount is outstanding in each case; if so, (aa) on which date did each department pay their levies and (bb) what was the amount in each case;

(2) whether any other entities owe HWSETA levies; if so, (a) which entities, (b) what amount is owed and (c) when were they required to pay these money;

(3) (a) what amount is (i) committed and (ii) for what projects and (b) what is the total amount earned in interest by the HWSETA for the 2010-11 financial year? NW583E

REPLY:

(1) (a) National: Yes

(b) Provincial Departments: No
(i): The HWSETA only provided the invoice on 7 February 2012 to the Provincial Department of Social Development: North West for payment.
(ii): North West Province
(iii): R421 175.00 (to be paid on 16 March 2012)

(aa) and (bb) see attached table

(2) No

(a) Not applicable

(b) Not applicable

(c) Not applicable

(3) (a) (i) 123 million for the Social Development Sector

(ii) See attached spreadsheet verified by the CFO and CEO of HWSETA. Annexure

A

(b) R19 million interest

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 428

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

428. Mrs D Robinson (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) What is the (a) optimal and (b) actual number of (i) social workers, (ii) auxiliary social workers and (iii) any other staff to adequately fulfil the (aa) Children's Act, Act 38 of 2005, (bb) Older Persons Act, Act 13 of 2006, (cc) Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act, Act 140 of 1992 and (dd) any other legislation that is the responsibility of her department;

(2) (a) how were the (i) optimal and (i) actual number determined to implement each of the said Acts and (b) what are the international norms of each piece of legislation with regard to (i) staff and (ii) beneficiaries ratios? NW572E

REPLY:

(1) (a) (i) The Department has not as yet established the optimal number of social workers to adequately give effect to all legislation it is responsible for. The Children's, Act 38 of 2005, was the only piece of legislation which was costed by the Department. The results of its costing indicated that a total of 16 504 social workers are required to provide social welfare needs of children in the country. This excludes other services that social workers have to render which range from Anti substance abuse, older persons, and services to persons with disability, crime prevention and support and HIV and Aids support from HCBC organizations. This is due to the fact that social workers are currently not specializing in children services but are expected to undertake generic social work.

The Department is currently finalising a process of developing guidelines for workload management which will indicate the ratio of workload per social worker. This will over and above the numbers needed to implement the Children's Act provide us with a clear picture of the total need for social workers.

(ii) According to the South African Council for Social Services Professionals (SACSSP) policy on the workload, the ratio of social workers to social auxiliary workers is 1:2. The optimal number of Social Auxilliary workers will therefore be known after the finalisation of the process to determine the optimal number of social workers needed to adequately give effect to the provisions of all pieces of welfare legislation.

(iii) There is currently other staff and social services professionals who are involved in the provision of welfare services such as child and youth care workers, care givers and ECD practitioners.

The Department is still working on a process to determine the optimal number of social service professionals required to adequately give effect to the provisions of all pieces of welfare legislation for welfare services.

(b) (i) The total number of social workers employed by the department both at the national and provincial level is 6 655.

(ii) The total number of social auxiliary workers in the country is 5 399 as per statistics provided by South African Council for Social Services Profession (SACSSP) as at March 2012. This number reflects social auxiliary workers who are registered with SACSSP and employed by both government and NGO sector.

(iii) The table below shows the actual number of Other Staff (including social service professionals).

Category	Number
Child and Youth Care Workers	2 650
ECD Practitioners	3 580
Care Givers	23 001
Total	56 231

(2) (a)(i) and (ii) are not applicable.

(b) The current international norm is 1:5000 social workers per population which is basically not for a specific piece of legislation but a generic norm. The ratios per specific legislation differ in accordance to the statutory service provided. According to Integrated Service Delivery Model, the current caseload for the implementation of statutory services is 1:60 per social worker this norm is currently been reviewed through the development of guidelines on workload per social worker.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 425

92/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paperno:

425. Mrs P C Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether her department funds any (a) places of safety and/or (b) homes for abused women; if not, why not, in each case; if so, in each case, (i) how many are there, (ii) in which provinces are they located, (iii) how many women does each facility cater for and (iv) what amount is given to each facility? NW568E

The question asked requires specific information that has to be sought from the various provincial Departments of Social Development. My department has as a result, referred this question to relevant MECs, and we are still awaiting their responses.

(Please find the attached response from Gauteng province).

Reply received: June 2012

QUESTION 422

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paperno:

422. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) How many (a) social workers and (b) auxiliary social workers have been (i) registered with the SA Council for Social Services and (ii) employed by (aa) her department and (bb) nonprofit organisations since 2007;

(2) whether the number of (a) social workers and (b) auxiliary social workers is in accordance with the services to children in terms of the integrated norms and standards; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW562E

REPLY:

(1) (a) (i) According to the statistics provided by the South African Council for Social Services Profession (SACSSP), the total number of social workers currently registered with SACSSP is 16 740 as at March 2012 . It should however be noted that these are social workers providing services in government, NPOs and the private sector. Furthermore, this figure includes social workers who are not practising but maintain their registration status.

(b) (i) According to the statistics provided by the South African Council for Social Services Profession (SACSSP), the total number of social auxiliary workers currently registered with SACSSP is 5 399 as at March 2012. This number reflects social auxiliary workers who are employed by both government and NPO sector.

(ii) (aa) The total number of social workers employed by the Department both at national and provincial level is 6 655.

(ii) (bb) The total number of social auxiliary workers employed by the Department at provincial level is 4 059.

(2) (a) No, the number of social workers is currently not in accordance with the services to children in terms of the integrated norms and standards.

According to the costing done to implement the Children's Act No. 38 of 2005, a total of 16 504 social workers are required to provide social welfare needs of children in the country. This excludes other services that social workers have to render which range from Anti substance abuse, older persons, and services to persons with disability, crime prevention and support and HIV and Aids support from Home Community Based Care (HCBC) organizations. This is due to the fact that social workers are currently not specializing in children services but are expected to deliver generic social work services.

The department is currently finalizing a process of developing guidelines for workload management which will indicate the acceptable workload per social worker with the intention to review the current which is one social worker to sixty clients (1:60). This will over and above the numbers required to implement the Children's Act provide us with a clear picture of the total need for social workers within the sector.

(b) No, the number of social auxiliary workers is currently not in accordance with the general norms and standards stipulated in the policy of the Council for Social Service Professions which indicates that the ratio of social worker to social auxiliary workers should be 1:2.

It is acknowledged that there is demand to train more social auxiliary workers, however there is shortage of accredited service providers responsible to train them. There are currently 21 accredited service providers, 50% of these service providers are in Gauteng province (Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority). The Department together with the SACSSP and the Department of Social Work in the Universities are working on plans to increase the number accredited service providers in this regard.

It should be noted that figures for social workers as indicated above, include the 4 827 social workers trained and absorbed by the Department of Social Development from 2007 – 2010. This excludes 1 307 social workers who have graduated 2011 due to the fact that the SACSSP is still finalizing the process of registering them as social workers as they were registered as student social workers.

QUESTION 422

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paperno:

422. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) How many (a) social workers and (b) auxiliary social workers have been (i) registered with the SA Council for Social Services and (ii) employed by (aa) her department and (bb) nonprofit organisations since 2007;

(2) whether the number of (a) social workers and (b) auxiliary social workers is in accordance with the services to children in terms of the integrated norms and standards; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW562E

REPLY:

(1) (a) (i) According to the statistics provided by the South African Council for Social Services Profession (SACSSP), the total number of social workers currently registered with SACSSP is 16 740 as at March 2012 . It should however be noted that these are social workers providing services in government, NPOs and the private sector. Furthermore, this figure includes social workers who are not practising but maintain their registration status.

(b) (i) According to the statistics provided by the South African Council for Social Services Profession (SACSSP), the total number of social auxiliary workers currently registered with SACSSP is 5 399 as at March 2012. This number reflects social auxiliary workers who are employed by both government and NPO sector.

(ii) (aa) The total number of social workers employed by the Department both at national and provincial level is 6 655.

(ii) (bb) The total number of social auxiliary workers employed by the Department at provincial level is 4 059.

(2) (a) No, the number of social workers is currently not in accordance with the services to children in terms of the integrated norms and standards.

According to the costing done to implement the Children's Act No. 38 of 2005, a total of 16 504 social workers are required to provide social welfare needs of children in the country. This excludes other services that social workers have to render which range from Anti substance abuse, older persons, and services to persons with disability, crime prevention and support and HIV and Aids support from Home Community Based Care (HCBC) organizations. This is due to the fact that social workers are currently not specializing in children services but are expected to deliver generic social work services.

The department is currently finalizing a process of developing guidelines for workload management which will indicate the acceptable workload per social worker with the intention to review the current which is one social worker to sixty clients (1:60). This will over and above the numbers required to implement the Children's Act provide us with a clear picture of the total need for social workers within the sector.

(b) No, the number of social auxiliary workers is currently not in accordance with the general norms and standards stipulated in the policy of the Council for Social Service Professions which indicates that the ratio of social worker to social auxiliary workers should be 1:2.

It is acknowledged that there is demand to train more social auxiliary workers, however there is shortage of accredited service providers responsible to train them. There are currently 21 accredited service providers, 50% of these service providers are in Gauteng province (Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority). The Department together with the SACSSP and the Department of Social Work in the Universities are working on plans to increase the number accredited service providers in this regard.

It should be noted that figures for social workers as indicated above, include the 4 827 social workers trained and absorbed by the Department of Social Development from 2007 – 2010. This excludes 1 307 social workers who have graduated 2011 due to the fact that the SACSSP is still finalizing the process of registering them as social workers as they were registered as student social workers.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 422

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

422. Mrs S P kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) How many (a) social workers and (b) auxiliary social workers have been (i) registered with the SA Council for Social Services and (ii) employed by (aa) her department and (bb) non-profit organisations since 2007;

(2) whether the number of (a) social workers and (b) auxiliary social workers is in accordance with the services to children in terms of the integrated norms and standards; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW562E

REPLY:

(1) (a) (i) According to the statistics provided by the South African Council for Social Services Profession (SACSSP), the total number of social workers currently registered with SACSSP is 16 740 as at March 2012 . It should however be noted that these are social workers providing services in government, NPOs and the private sector. Furthermore, this figure includes social workers who are not practising but maintain their registration status.

(b) (i) According to the statistics provided by the South African Council for Social Services Profession (SACSSP), the total number of social auxiliary workers currently registered with SACSSP is 5 399 as at March 2012. This number reflects social auxiliary workers who are employed by both government and NPO sector.

(ii) (aa) The total number of social workers employed by the department both at national and provincial level is 6 655. .

(ii) (bb) The total number of social auxiliary workers employed by the department at provincial level is 4 059.

(2) (a) The number of social workers is currently not in accordance with the services to children in terms of the integrated norms and standards.

According to the costing done to implement the Children's, Act 38 of 2005, a total of 16 504 social workers are required to provide social welfare needs of children in the country. This excludes other services that social workers have to render which range from Anti substance abuse, older persons, and services to persons with disability, crime prevention and support and HIV and Aids support from HCBC organizations. This is due to the fact that social workers are currently not specializing in children services but are expected to deliver generic social work services.

The department is currently finalizing a process of developing guidelines for workload management which will indicate the acceptable workload per social worker with the intention to review the current which is one social worker to sixty clients (1:60). This will over and above the numbers required to implement the Children's Act provide us with a clear picture of the total need for social workers within the sector.

(b) The number of social auxiliary workers is currently not in accordance with the general norms and standards stipulated in the policy of the Council for Social Service Professions which indicates that the ratio of social worker to social auxiliary workers should be 1:2.

It is acknowledged that there is demand to train more social auxiliary workers, however there is shortage of accredited service providers responsible to train them. There are currently 21 accredited service providers, 50% of these service providers are in Gauteng province (Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority). The Department together with the SACSSP and the Department of Social Work in the Universities are working on plans to increase the number accredited service providers in this regard.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 402

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: March 2012

Internal question paper no:

402. Ms M C Mohale (ANC) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(a) How does her department deal with grants being paid out at places where liquor is sold and (b) what is the department doing about money-lenders who prey on such recipients at these locations? NW529E

REPLY:

(a) The identification and suitability of establishing pay points in a particular locality is the responsibility of SASSA. In exercising this right the existence of liquor outlets within close proximity of the pay points is avoided. Where pay points (merchants) exist alongside or within close proximity of a liquor outlet SASSA will, in consultation, with the local community relocate the pay point to a suitable location.

(b) The Department of Social Development and SASSA have developed a strategy on loan sharks and are currently implementing the strategy addressing the plight and or abuse of beneficiaries by loan sharks at pay points. Through active collaboration with other external stakeholders including National Credit Regulator, Financial Services Board, South African Police Services, Department of Social Development, South African Older Persons Forum, National Prosecuting Agency, about six (6) representatives of loan sharks were arrested in the Eastern Cape. Similar operations are envisaged in the KwaZulu-Natal and North West regions in the near future.

SASSA will be embarking on a project "YOU AND YOUR GRANT" the focus of which will be to educate beneficiaries about their rights and responsibilities before entering into agreements with credit providers. The project will also promote responsible credit lending, alerting beneficiaries of the dangers of dealing with unauthorised lenders that continue to operate in the vicinity of our pay points.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION62/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24March 2012

Internal question paperno:04

379. Mr M Waters (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

How many (a) children are currently in foster care of people who are not South African citizens or permanent residents and (b) of these foster parents receive the foster child grant? NW466E

REPLY:

(a) Currently there are 528 children in foster care of people who are not South African citizens .

(b) The question asked requires specific information that has to be sought from the various provincial Departments of Social Development. My Department as a result, referred this question to the relevant MECs, and we are still awaiting their responses.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 378

61/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

378. Mrs P C Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) (a) Why may the foster parents of a certain person (name and details furnished) not access a foster grant and (b) what steps does she intend taking in this regard;

(2) whether any social workers alerted the court to the fact prior to the placement into foster care that the possible foster parents are not South African citizens or permanent residents and that this would prevent them from accessing a foster grant; if not, why not; if so, what was the response of the court;

(3) whether she has sought legal opinion with regard to the Bill of Rights in the Constitution to determine whether the rights of a child override the legislative proviso that foster parents must be South African citizens or permanent residents before they can access a foster grant; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will she do so; if so, what was the legal opinion;

(4) whether this person (name furnished) is entitled to benefit from the foster grant; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW465E

REPLY:

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 60/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

376. Mrs P C Duncan (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether she is taking steps towards the amalgamation of all social security reform with other departments to amalgamate it all under one department; if not, why not; if so, (a) which departments are involved, (b) which entities within each of these departments are included in the amalgamation, (c) how many meetings have taken place and (d) when is it envisaged that all social security entities will be amalgamated? NW463E

REPLY:

Government has completed a comprehensive report which proposes the amalgamation of social security policy development in one department and the consolidation of its service delivery in a single platform. An Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Social Security Reform, which was appointed by Cabinet in 2006, has approved this report for public consultation and it will be released soon.

(a) The Departments of Social Development, Labour, Transport, Public Service and Administration, Health, National Treasury and the Presidency are involved in this process.

(b) An amalgamation process could affect the South African Social Security Agency, the Unemployment Insurance Fund, the Compensation Fund, the Occupational Accidents and Diseases Fund for Mineworkers and the Road Accident Fund (RAF). There will be extensive consultation before any amalgamation occurs.

(c) The Interdepartmental Task Team on Social Security and Retirement Reform has held 45 meetings over a period of four years. This task team provides technical support to the IMC which has met twice in each of these years. In addition, the IDTT comprises of 5 sub-task teams who have together met more than 40 times.

(d) This would be a complex task and take 7 to 10 years as some new institutions that consolidate appeals, disability assessments, etc. will also have to be created simultaneously.

Reply received: May 2012

QUESTION 374

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

374. Ms A Steyn (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

What (a) percentage of the contract that was awarded to a certain company (name furnished) for the payment of social grants recently is allocated to administration and (b) is the value in monetary terms? NW461E

REPLY:

a. Cash Paymaster Services (Pty) Ltd has been appointed as service provider to render a payment of social grants for all nine Provinces (i.e., 100% of the contract was awarded). Key services to be provided through this contract include actual payment distribution to all beneficiaries in the nine provinces; the enrolment of all social grant recipients and beneficiaries by capturing biometric data of all 15 million beneficiaries and recipients; and issuance of a SASSA smart card that can be used at ATMs and pay-points anywhere in the country. Biometric verification will be done monthly to reduce fraud in the system.

b. The value in monetary terms: An all-inclusive fee of R16.44 per grant recipient is payable and totals a value of R 10, 289, 186, 996. 64 over five years. The price of R16.44 is significant reduction of costs when compared with the previous arrangement where SASSA paid an average cost of R30 per grant recipient for cash payment services. The award of this tender ultimately results in a cost saving of R800 million per annum.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 58/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

370. Mrs N W A Michael (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether any same-sex couples have adopted any children in the period (a) 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2011 and (b) during the period 1 January 2012 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if not, why not; if so, how many applications were (i) received and (ii) approved in each year? NW457E

REPLY:

The Department of Social Development does allow the adoption of children by same sex couples, provided they have met all the requirements as prospective adoptive parents in terms of Section 231(1)(a)(ii) of the Children's Act, 38 of 2005.

The department registers all adoptions finalised in South Africa and keep records of all children adopted and all adoptive parents in the Adoption Register. However, the registration of adoptions in the Adoption Register is currently not done according to the adoptive parents' sexual orientation and status. The Department is currently in the process of upgrading the Adoption Register which will include all categories of adoptive parents as outlined in Section 231(1) of the Children's Act.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 57/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

340. Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether she intends establishing a complaints framework, to deal with all social security issues; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW422E

REPLY:

The Department of Social Development already has a dedicated customer care management unit in place which deals with all Social Development related complaints.

Further, the South African Social Security Agency has both a call centre system with a toll free number and a Customer Care Unit. The Unit deals with queries related to the reconsideration of a decision made by the Agency. It has a national footprint and deals with complaints related to grant applications. Most of the social grants pay points have helpdesks where applicants and beneficiaries can also complain about the service delivery challenges they may experience. If beneficiaries are unhappy about a decision by SASSA they can appeal directly to my Office as Minister for Social Development. An Independent Tribunal will then adjudicate on the correctness or otherwise of a decision of SASSA where such a decision may have adversly affected a beneficiary's right of access to a social grant.

The complaints structures function within the framework of adopted policies, strategies and programmes. The complaints management structure receives all complaints directed to the offices of the Minister, the Director-General and the CEO fo SASSA. It further also deals with the referrals from the Presidential Hotline.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 339

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

339. Mr S C Motau (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether she intends placing conditions on the paying of child support grants; if not, why not; if so, (a) what would the conditions be, (b) how would these conditions be implemented, (c) will they be punitive or incentive conditions and (d) when will these conditions be implemented? NW421E

REPLY:

No further conditions are envisaged as the Social Assistance Act of 2004 and the Regulations to the Act already contain both administrative and behavioral conditions for eligibility for the child support grants.

(a) The conditions currently in place provide for administrative compliance and for school attendance;

(b) The conditions are being implimented in that the caregivers of children accessing the CSG or who apply for the grant are obliged to confirm to the Department that children have been enrolled for and are attending school. The Department has entered into an agreement with the Department of Basic Education to ensure a regular exchange of statistics related to school enrolment and attendance of CSG beneficiaries. This cooperation is not without challenges but progress is being made.

(c) These conditions are not punitive as the Constitution provide for the right of access to social security without necessarily providing for a condition of school attendance. The School Act however does make school attendance compulsory and government wants to ensure that the developmental measures of social grants and school attendance are implemented.

(d) These conditions have been implemented with the amended Regulations of 2009 of the Social Assistance Act, 2004. We are now focusing on improving adherence to the conditions.

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 330

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

330. Mr S C Motau (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether there are any outstanding transfers to nonprofit organisations (NPOs) in any of the provinces; if so, (a) which provinces are still waiting for transfers, (b) what amount is outstanding in each case, (c) for how long has the NGO been waiting for the transfer, (d) why was the transfer delayed in each case and (e) what steps is her department taking to ensure that transfers happen timeously? NW410E

REPLY:

The question asked requires specific information that has to be sought from the various provincial Departments of Social Development. My department has as a result, referred this question to relevant MECs, and we are still awaiting their responses.

(Only response from Limpopo, Free State, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape provinces were received).

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 318

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

318. Mr I M Ollis (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) (a) Who is the preferred service provider used by her department for the hiring of vehicles and (b) why is this company preferred;

(2) whether her department has a fixed contract with the specified service provider; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;

(3) with regard to each instance in which vehicles were hired for use by (a) her and (b) her Deputy Minister since 1 March 2010, what is the (i) name of the service provider and (ii) reason for making use of the specified company?

NW398E

REPLY:

(1)(a) None

(1)(b) Not applicable

(2) No, the Department does not have a fixed contract with a specific service provider. Vehicles are booked through the travel agency from vehicle rental companies on their database.

(3)(a)(b)(i)(ii) Not applicable

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 314

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no.: 04

314. Mrs H Lamoela (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

Whether her department has an overseeing body in place that (a) supports, (b) trains and (c) capacitates non-profit organisations in rendering social work services; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW394E

REPLY:

No there is no oversight body in place to (a) support, (b) train and (c) capacitate nonprofit organizations (NPOs) to render social work services.

The National Development Agency (NDA) offers (a) support, (b) training and (c) general capacity building in terms of governance issues, writing of funding proposals, business plans, financial issues and reports for NPOs. Support is also provided through strengthening of the emerging and developing NPOs.

The Welfare Services Branch within the Department of Social Development has an established Management Support Directorate which coordinates and assists with the process of funding of National Welfare NPOs, as well as provision of support and capacity building required by the NPOs to comply with the funding requirements.

The various line functions within the National Department of Social Development such as Children, People with Disabilities, Older Persons, Anti Substance Abuse, Victim Empowerment etc, also provide (a) support by funding identified services rendered by NPOs and (b) provide training to the social workers within the NPO sector on social work services that are specific to their field of work, for example, Children's Act and Older Persons Act.

Welfare organizations that render statutory services register with the NPO Unit. These NPOs must also be accredited by the Welfare Services Branch where applicable to render specialized welfare services.

In addition, the Provincial Departments of Social Development are expected in accordance to the Reviewed Policy on Financial Awards and Guidelines thereof, provide for support, guidance, capacity building and the monitoring and evaluation of the Provincial NPO sector in terms of the nature and scope of services as spelled out in the business plans and service level agreements.

Reply received: April 2012

QUESTION 313

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper: 24 March 2012

Internal question paper no: 04

313. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether her department has any plans in place to coordinate the effective implementation of the Children's Act, Act 38 of 2005, with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development; if not, why not; if so, what plans;

(2) whether there are any developments of (a) cost effective services and (b) alternative care arrangements to meet the demands for services resulting from the impact of HIV/Aids; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW393E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, the Department has plans in place to coordinate the effective implementation of the Children's Act, Act 38 of 2005 with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and other stakeholders who are drawn in whenever it is necessary i.e. the South African Social Security Agency and the Magistrates Forum. There are quarterly meetings between the Department and the National Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to discuss and address challenges and progress on implementation of the Children's Act.

Furthermore, the Department developed an implementation monitoring tool with indicators to monitor the implementation of the Children's Act by Provincial Departments of Social Development and various National Departments including the National Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.

(2) The Department provides cost effective services through the home and community based care (HCBC) and support programme to families affected by HIV and AIDS. The HCBC programme ensures that vulnerable groups have access to integrated services that address their psychosocial needs and basic needs for food, shelter, education, health care and protection from abuse and maltreatment. It enables individuals, families and communities to have access to holistic and comprehensive services in their homes or communities and responds to the needs of people by encouraging their involvement and participation in the programme.

The programme emphasizes the empowerment of families and communities to adequately care for vulnerable members, including orphans and other vulnerable children. Communities are mobilized to form community child care forums which are community structures that comprise of community members who ensure the early identification of orphans and vulnerable, referrals to relevant service providers, and follow ups to ensure that the identified children and their families do access the services they are entitled to receive.

Through the home and community based care and support programme, community caregivers facilitate the early identification of orphans and vulnerable children; facilitate referrals to social workers for specialized services including alternative placements; provide supervision and ongoing support to vulnerable households; assist families to discuss and actively get involved in succession planning activities like writing of wills to protect the inheritance rights of children as well as guardianship arrangements; provide psychosocial support; assist children and their families to access basic services including social grants and other material assistance; assist children and families to access legal documents; ensure that children attend school and restore normal schooling where it has been interrupted, by advocating for school fee exemption; supervision of homework; assistance with domestic chores; bereavement counseling and support; advocacy for the promotion and protection of rights regarding access to services, information and awareness; life skills training; protection from abuse and other forms of maltreatment.

A program is also in place for the caregiver support. Caregivers are trained to be able to deal with the impact of caring for people affected by HIV and AIDS. This programme assists them to deal with their on development and emotions and provide psychosocial support.

Guidelines for psychosocial support for children living with HIV and AIDS have been developed and provinces are trained. Guidelines for the establishment and management of support group for children and adults have also been developed. Training has been provided to provinces.

Reply received: October 2012

QUESTION 312/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

312. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to oral question 188 on 15 September 2010, she has written the letter to all Premiers of all the provinces reminding them of the importance of complying with the financial award policy; if not, why not; if so, what was their responses;

(2) whether there are any outstanding transfers to non-profit organisations in the provinces; if so, in each province, what are the amounts outstanding? NW392E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, with reference to the reply to oral question 188 on 15 September 2010, letters were written to all Premiers in all the provinces reminding them of the importance of complying with the Policy on Financial Awards to Service Providers.

The broader responses from provinces cover the following areas of concern:

· Unavailability of a Comprehensive National Baseline Costing Models leading to funding disparities(currently be finalized);

· No alignment between the existing National Baseline Costing Models in the funding of the NPO sector and provincial budget allocations.

· The current peculiarities across provinces province's specific needs;

· The implementation of programme funding as per the Policy on Financial Awards;

· Lack of capacity and resources in provinces which are vastly populated.

· Reaching out to NPOs in the most rural areas.

· Addressing service delivery gaps and challenges, especially in the rural

areas and in support of new and emerging organizations.

(2) Yes, there are outstanding transfers to non-profit organizations in the provinces; and the following are the amounts outstanding in each province:

Table 1: Transfers to NPO's : Budget allocation and expenditure for the 2012/13 financial year

	Original	Expenditure		Outstanding
	Budget	as at	%
		31-Jul-12	Spent	Transfers
	R'000	R'000		R'000
Eastern Cape	419,485	92,297	22.00%	327,188
Free State	347,519	110,286	31.74%	237,233
Gauteng	1,193,537	487,810	40.87%	705,727
KwaZulu-Natal	607,011	155,055	25.54%	451,956
Limpopo	356,761	105,445	29.56%	251,316
Mpumalanga	271,142	66,081	24.37%	205,061
Northern Cape	126,526	33,714	26.65%	92,812
North West	189,027	24,339	12.88%	164,688
Western Cape	724,718	224,711	31.01%	500,007
Total	4,235,726	1,299,738	30.69%	2,935,988

Reply received: July 2012

QUESTION 312/2012

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

Date of publication on internal question paper:

Internal question paper no:

312. Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Social Development:

(1) Whether, with reference to her reply to oral question 188 on 15 September 2010, she has written the letter to all Premiers of all the provinces reminding them of the importance of complying with the financial award policy; if not, why not; if so, what was their responses;

(2) whether there are any outstanding transfers to non-profit organisations in the provinces; if so, in each province, what are the amounts outstanding? NW392E

REPLY:

(1) Yes, with reference to the reply to oral question 188 on 15 September 2010, letters were written to all Premiers in all the provinces reminding them of the importance of complying with the PFA, Policy on Financial Awards to Service Providers.

The broader responses from provinces cover the following areas of concern:

· Unavailability of National Baseline Costing Models leading to funding

disparities (currently being finalized);

· No alignment between the National Baseline Costing Models which will be

beneficial and guide towards uniformity in the funding of the NPO sector

and provincial budget allocations.

· The current peculiarities across provinces;

· Province's specific needs;

· The implementation of programme funding;

· Lack of capacity and resources in provinces which are vastly populated.

· Reaching out to NPOs in the most rural areas.

· Address service delivery gaps and challenges, especially in the rural

areas and in support of new and emerging organizations.

(2) Yes, there are outstanding transfers to non-profit organizations in the provinces; and the following are the amounts outstanding in each province:

SUMMARY OF OUTSTANDING TRANSFERS OF NPOS PER PROVINCE
Summary	2012/13
	Original		Expenditure				Estimated		Deviation for
	Budget		as at		%				the 2012/13
			31-May-12		Spent		Expenditure		financial year
	R'000		R'000				R'000		R'000
Eastern Cape	419 485		10 195		2.43%		369 799		49 686
Free State	363 518		43 784		12.04%		360 718		2 800
Gauteng	1 287 443		217 969		16.93%		1 287 443		-
KwaZulu-Natal	631 789		62 135		9.83%		631 497		292
Limpopo	382 177		44 111		11.54%		382 177		-
Mpumalanga	289 122		26		0.01%		289 122		-
Northern Cape	148 611		14 489		9.75%		148 611		-
North West	229 054		8 927		3.90%		229 038		16
Western Cape	734 218		85 268		11.61%		734 218		-
Total	4 485 417		486 904		10.86%		4 432 623		52 794