Questions & Replies: Public Service & Administration

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2013-03-05

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Reply received: July 2013

QUESTION NO.: 978

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 10 MAY 2013

Mr G R Krumbock (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Since 1 January 2011, how many applications under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000, were received by (a) her department and (b) entities reporting to her, and in each case, how many were (i) granted, (ii) refused and (iii) deemed refused under section 27;

(2) since 1 January 2011, how many internal appeals under the Act were received by (a) her department and (b) entities reporting to her, and in each case, how many were (i) granted, (ii) refused and (iii) deemed refused under section 77(7);

(3) who is the information officer for (a) her department and (b) each entity reporting to her, and in each case, what are the contact details of the officer? NW1201E

REPLY

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION (DPSA)

(1) No requests for access to information in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act No. 2 of 2000) were received by the information officer.

(2) No appeals were dealt with as no requests for access to information in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (Act No. 2 of 2000) were received by the information officer.

(3) The information officer for the Department of Public Service and Administration is Mr. BN Nkontwana, acting Director-General. Contact details are as follows: Telephone Number – 012 336 1556; Fax No. – 012 336 1807; e-mail address – [email protected]

PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION (PSC)

(1) (a) Not applicable.

(b) The Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent Constitutional body, and its budget is appropriated via the Minister for Public Service and Administration. 9 PAIA applications were received from 1 January 2011 to 14 May 2013. (Decision whether to grant or refuse 2 PAIA applications pending).

(i) PAIA applications granted: 4.

(ii) PAIA applications refused: 2 (refused partially).

(iii) PAIA applications deemed refused under section 27: 1.

(2) (a) Not applicable.

(b) Internal appeals received: 1.

(i) Internal appeals granted: None.

(ii) Internal appeals refused: 1.

(iii) Internal appeals deemed refused under section 77 (7): None.

(3) (a) Not applicable.

(b) Prof Richard M Levin

Director-General

Tel: (012) 352 1025

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT ACADEMY (PALAMA)

(1) PALAMA has received zero application for access to information under the PAIA.

(2) With zero applications for the period, PALAMA, subsequently, there have been zero appeals for the same period.

(3) The Director-General for PALAMA, Prof. Lekoa Mollo is the Information Officer. His contact details are 012-441 6000 and e-mail: [email protected].

CENTER FOR PUBLIC SERVICE INNOVATION (CPSI)

(1)(b) The Centre for Public Service Innovation did not receive any applications under the Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000.

(2)(b) The Centre for Public Service Innovation did not receive any appeals (i) no appeals were granted, (ii) no appeals were refused and (iii) no appeals were deemed as refused under section 77(7)

(3) The Centre for Public Service Innovation does not have an information officer of its own but has a shared service agreement with the Department of Public Service and Administration on this matter.

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES MEDICAL SCHEME (GEMS)

(1) (a) Not applicable to GEMS

(b) The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) received one application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA).

(c)(i) The applicant withdrew his application after GEMS opposed it.

(ii)The application was refused under section 63(1) of PAIA and section 14 of National Health Act.

(iii) No application was refused under section 27 of the Act.

(2) (a) Not applicable to GEMS

(b) No internal appeals were received by GEMS.

(i) Not applicable

(ii) Not applicable

(iii) Not applicable

(3) (b) Dr BOS Moloabi

Acting Principal Officer

Private Bag X1

HATFIELD

0028

(012) 362 6321

STATE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AGENCY (SITA)

(1) There were no applications received under Promotion of Access to Information Act, Act 2 of 2000, in 2011. However, since 2012 there have been three cases that have gone through the Deputy Information Officer.

(i) One out of the three applications is under consideration.

(ii) Two were declined due to the fact that they contain confidential third party information.

(iii) None

(2) One out of the two declined, is currently going through an internal appeal process.

(3) The Information officer for SITA is Mr Freeman Nomvalo (Managing Director), email address: [email protected].

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 940

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 10 MAY 2013

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What measures have been put in place to ensure that departments comply with the 2% employment quota for persons with disabilities?

REPLY

The Department of Public Service and Administration has put in place a number of initiatives to ensure that departments comply with the 2% employment quota for persons with disabilities. These measures are two-fold, firstly we developed tools intended to promote a human rights perspective to understanding and managing disabilities in the public service and secondly, we have developed those measures that deal with compliance. The following are such measures:

a) Tools intended to promote a human rights perspective to disability management:

· JobACCESS Strategy for the Appointment, Recruitment and Retention of people with Disabilities (JA), 2009 and its implementation guidelines - The strategy and its guidelines serve as a tool to guide departments on how to develop measures to remove and eradicate barriers that exist in the employment of persons with disabilities. The aim of the strategy is to ensure that all persons with disabilities irrespective of race, sex, or creed, are provided with equal opportunities to employment into and advancement in the public service. The strategy advocates and covers these areas such as awareness raising and workplace preparation, workplaces becoming disability competent, eliminating discrimination, engaging organizations of persons with disabilities, accessibility of workplaces and strengthening monitoring roles. The DPSA has provided and continue to provide support to departments with the implementation of this framework.

· Disability Management Training: this accredited training course was developed in 2011 by Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA) and is based on the principles of the JobACCESS Strategy. The training course provides officials with skills that enable them to mainstream disability in all areas of their work, especially in recruitment and retention of people with disabilities. Other skills that officials acquire include advocacy and awareness raising and the benefits of supporting and planning for diversity with special focus on disability. Learners are also equipped with knowledge on legal frameworks, codes of good practice and manuals on the employment of persons with disabilities. The first pilot training was done with the Department of Public Works. It is hoped that through this pilot, The Department of Public Works officials will start paying closer attention to ensuring that the built environment of all government buildings are accessible for persons with disabilities.

· Framework on signage at all government institutions especially service delivery points, 2011 - the framework is intended to help departments, especially front-line offices to develop adequate and appropriate signage systems to address the needs of citizens and in particular, people with disabilities as they access social services provided by government.

· Strategy to reduce vacancy rates in the Public Service, and the period it takes to fill vacancies, 2012 - the strategy advocates for the robust recruitment of people with disabilities was developed to ensure that the equity targets of 2% set for disability are achieved and more persons with disabilities are recruited into the Public Service, this strategy identified persons with disabilities as a special group that should benefit.

· Policy on reasonable Accommodation and Assistive Devices (PRAAD), 2012 – this is a new policy that is to be presented in Cabinet soon. The policy provides guidelines to assist departments to develop measures to remove key barriers to recruitment, appointment and retention of people with disabilities and to plan and budget for reasonable accommodation measures for employees with disabilities.

· The HODs 8 - Principles Action Plan for Promoting Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality Within the Public Service, 2007 – the action plan had identified 8 principles which HODs/DGs are expected to integrate into their policies and departmental programmes to ensure gender transformation of the public service workplace. Two of the eight principles include people with disabilities. The first principle deal with transformation for non-sexism, which advocates for the protection of the rights and human dignity of women, including women with disabilities. The second principle requires departments to meet 50% equity target for women at Senior Management Services (SMS), including women with disabilities. Including women with disabilities in meeting the equity target for women at SMS also assist departments to achieve their 2% target for employment of people with disabilities, and ensures that women with disabilities are not excluded in being employed at SMS.

b) Compliance measures:

· Every department is required to submit a six monthly report to the DPSA on the implementation of the JA. A template for ease of reporting has been developed for this purpose.

· In the departmental self assessment tool (MPAT) of the Department for Monitoring and Evaluation, indicators for disability have been included to ensure that equity for people with disabilities is monitored and reported on.

· In November 2012 the Cabinet took a decision to hold DGs/HODs accountable for the achievement of equity targets by including this key performance area in their performance agreements. To implement this Cabinet decision, this key result area has been included in the revised PMDS of DGs and HODs.

· The DPSA reports regularly to the Governance and Administration Portfolio Committee and to Cabinet on the status of employment equity in the public service.

· Departments that have not met 1% of the required 2% equity target for recruitment of people with disabilities have been closely monitored and are required to submit remedial plans to DPSA to address gaps, with set targets.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 939

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 10 MAY 2013

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) In terms of the announced change in strategic direction and mandate of the Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA) to the School of Government, what qualifications must graduates of PALAMA attain in order to be placed in State employment;

(2) will all public servants have to attain these qualifications before (a) placement or (b) promotion in the Public Service;

(3) does the placement of consultants who will be sourced by government departments form part of the strategic objectives of the School of Government? NW1161E

REPLY

As a preface in responding to the Honourable member, I wish to indicate that I have established an Advisory Task Team (ATT) on the establishment of the School of Government. The mandate of the ATT is to make recommendations on the form, scope, role, operations and structure of the School of Government in meeting public sector training needs at all levels of government in South Africa. Additionally, the ATT is mandated to guide and provide advice on the critical paths and milestones on the transformation of PALAMA into the School of Government. It will also seek to develop a critical narrative and trajectory on the establishment, operationalisation, consolidation and diversification of curriculum development, research, training, teaching and learning in the public service and administration. The Advisory Task Team commenced its work on 19 February 2013 and is to conclude by 31 March 2014.

Having contextualised this, the Honourable member would appreciate that work is currently underway by the ATT, and the decisions based on their recommendations still have to be made. The responses to the questions posed are nevertheless reflected below:

(1) Noting that the public service is a diverse entity with wide-ranging occupational classifications and related entry requirements, the task of the School is not to determine pre-service entry requirements (including the levels of qualifications). Rather when an individual is accepted to enter the public service, then the School becomes the first port of call to induct new public servants into the ethos and values of what is expected of a professionalised public service cadre. The competency to determine national norms and standards for entry and mobility in the public service still rests with the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA).

(2) One of the core pillars of the School of Government is to instil a culture of lifelong learning among public service cadres. The School will therefore focus on a matrix of public service qualifications, which we deem necessary to establish norms and standards for a curriculum framework to support acquisition of competencies in line with national competency framework for entry and mobility in the public service and for mobility within structured career paths. This curriculum framework will lead to qualifications that will be specific requisites for placement and job mobility in the public service and those that will equip public servants with core competencies for their day to day work. These qualifications may be offered solely within the School of Government or in partnership with institutions of higher learning.

(3) Another key focus area of the School of Government will be on organisational development with intentions of improving institutional capacity in government. Through this approach, coupled with customized learning and development packages, it is anticipated that government institutions will minimize their reliance on external consultants.

>b)

· Departments that have not met 1% of the required 2% equity target for recruitment of people with disabilities have been closely monitored and are required to submit remedial plans to DPSA to address gaps, with set targets.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 938

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 10 MAY 2013

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

How many consultants currently in each specified government department are former public servants? NW1160E

REPLY

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) does not have a database on consultants used by the government departments.

DPSA did not make use of consultants who are former public servants.

Reply received: July 2013

QUESTION NO.: 904

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 3 MAY 2013

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

(1) (a) What has been the total current cost of corruption in the public service in the (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13 financial years, (b) how many public servants are involved, (c) what action was taken against officials who were found guilty of corrupt practices, (d) what steps were taken to recover the losses incurred and (e) how will she ensure that corrupt and fraudulent practice among public servants are minimised;

(2) whether there was any intervention programme to rehabilitate these officials; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1126E

REPLY

(1) (a) Based on the allegations reported to the National Anti-Corruption Hotline, the

cost of corruption was R91 003 299.00 in the 2011/2012 financial year whereas the cost of corruption amount to R63 626 126.00 in the 2012/ 2013 financial year.

(b) A total of 1002 officials were found guilty of misconduct related to corrupt activities during the 2011/12 to 2012/213 financial years.

(c) The following are the types of sanctions that were taken against the officials that were charged and found guilty of misconduct since 1 April 2011 to and 31 March 2012:

2011/2012

2012/2013

Description

901

38

officials were dismissed from the Public Service

5

1

officials were fined (e.g. not receiving three month salary)

0

4

officials were demoted

11

14

officials were given final written warnings

0

4

officials were prosecuted

23

2

suspended

Total 939

63

(d) The successful investigation of cases of alleged corruption reported through the NACH cases resulted in the recovery of R300 million from perpetrators since the inception of the NACH.

It is, therefore, evident that the NACH has yielded positive results in the fight against corruption in the Public Service. Effective investigation of reported cases of alleged corruption by departments /PSC can yield the desired results of combating corruption in the Public Service.

(e) I am establishing the Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate corruption related cases in all three spheres of Government. The Bureau will investigate high level corruption, fraud cases and manage disciplinary hearings on behalf of departments.

The Bureau will set up Central database of offenders. Public servants found guilty of serious corruption cases will be blacklisted and registered in the database. This tool will prevent a situation where officials move to other departments in the Public Service after being found guilty of corruption.

In 2012, Cabinet approved the proposal made by the Public Service Commission to prohibit public servants from doing business with the state. This new provision is included in the Public Administration Management Bill.

DPSA had developed the electronic system (eDisclosure system) which will be implemented across the public service. The System will be located on the DPSA website. All SMS members will be required to capture and submit their declarations electronically in 2014. The system is linked to other relevant existing databases (e.g. Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), Deeds Registration office, e-NATIS.

The Public Sector Integrity Management Framework was tabled in cabinet on 16 April 2013. Once the Framework is approved, all employees in the Public Service will be required to declare their financial interests. Departments will in turn be required to set up ethics offices and appoint ethics officers and committees.

(2) The DPSA does not manage any programme to rehabilitate offenders. The intention of establishing the Bureau is to rid the public service of all corrupt employees.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 898

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 3 MAY 2013

Dr C P Mulder (FF Plus) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) (a) Besides the SA Police Service and the SA National Defence Force, what has been the racial composition of the public service since 31 October 2010 and (b) in the light of employment equity targets, in which departments has there been an underrepresentation of (i) white, (ii) brown, (iii) Indian and (iv) black people;

(2) whether any steps have been taken to correct the underrepresentation that has been prevalent since 2005; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW1119E

REPLY

(1) (a) The Employment Equity Act no 55 of 1998 classifies racial groups as Africans, Asians, Coloureds and Whites. The designated groups that are meant to benefit from affirmative action as a corrective measure due to imbalances of the past created by Apartheid policies are classified as follows: blacks who include (Africans, Asians, and Coloureds), women and people with disabilities. To this end, my response to this question will be based on these official categories rather than the categories (white, brown, Indian and black people) used by the Honourable member.

The national picture of the country's demography because this picture is what should inform government's transformation agenda, (which includes employment equity amongst others). The White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service of 1995 states that there is a need to "create a genuinely representative public service which reflects the major characteristics of South African demography, without eroding efficiency and competence".

Figures in Table 1 below provides the national population distribution released in the most recent census report of 2011 by Statistics South Africa. The figures tell us that African people constitute the majority of the population at 79.2% followed by Coloureds and Whites at 8.9% each, Asians at 2.5% and others at 0.5%. Within this total, females constitute 51.3% of the population and males 48.7%.

Table 1: Population Statistics: Source: Statistics South Africa

Population

Group

National population distribution (census 2011)

Male

Female

Total

African

19 912 717

21 088 220

41 000 938

38.4%

40.8%

79.2%

Coloured

2 228 108

2 387 293

4 615 401

4.3%

4.6%

8.9%

Asian

645 463

641 467

1 286 930

1.2%

1.3%

2.5%

White

2 231 682

2 355 156

4 586 838

4.3%

4.6%

8.9%

Other

170 821

109 633

280 454 (0.5%)

Total

25 188 791

26 581 769

51 770 560

48.7%

51.3%

100%

Figures in table 2 below reflect the demography of the public service as extracted from PERSAL. These figures illustrate the patterns from September 2010 to March 2013. They indicate that:

a) Indeed the Public Service has been racially transformed in a way that reflects the demography of South Africa;

b) When you compare the population statistics in the country with employment statistics in the Public Service, there is a correlation between the two figures.

c) There is no over-representation or under-representation of any race group in the public service as at March 2013.

Table 2: Trends of race representation in the Public Service: PERSAL

Race

September 2010

October 2011

October 2012

March 2013

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

Number

%

African

813 399

79.94

851 032

80.61

861 865

80.80

852 223

80.80

Asian

27 147

2.67

27 674

2.62

27 896

2.62

27 823

2.64

Coloured

88 552

8.70

89 123

8.44

89 840

8.42

88 771

8.42

White

88 394

8.69

87 868

8.32

87 063

8.16

85 960

8.15

Total

1 017 492

1 055 697

1 066 663

1 054 776

The table below provides a gender and disability breakdown per province which shows that in the public service, women are more than men just as with the national demographics. The table also reflects that government has not improved on employment equity.

Table 3: Representation of different races by gender 31 March 2010: PERSAL

FEMALE

MALE

African

Asian

Col

White

Total

African

Asian

Col

White

PWD

Total

E Cape

61%

0.23%

4.6%

3.1%

68.9%

26.8%

0.23%

2.1%

1.4%

0.20%

142 076

F State

49.8%

0.06%

2.0%

10.1%

61.9%

32.3%

0.06%

1.1%

4.3%

0.20%

56 599

Gauteng

54.0%

1.5%

2.0%

10.9%

68.4%

25.6%

0.7%

0.9%

3.4%

0.12%

148 269

KZN

56.7%

6.1%

1.0%

2.6%

66.4%

28.1%

3.6%

0.41%

1.1%

0.13%

186 945

Limpopo

56.7%

0.07%

0.07%

1.3%

58.1%

41.0%

0.07%

0.04%

0.6%

0.23%

116 169

Mpu

58.3%

0.25%

0.35%

4.4%

63.3%

34.4%

0.24%

0.3%

1.7%

0.34%

73 133

N Depts

25%

1.4%

3.0%

5.6%

35%

48.2%

3.1%

5.4%

8.0%

0.25%

393 651

N West

58.1%

0.23%

1.0%

5.7%

65.0%

31.9%

0.23%

0.5%

2.1%

0.40%

55 473

N Cape

29.1%

0.26%

25.1%

8.4%

62.8%

17.9%

0.27%

15.7%

3.0%

0.20%

22 300

W Cape

14%

0.57%

38.6%

12.0%

65.1%

7.2%

0.37%

20.8%

6.0%

0.33%

77 696

(2) I would like to assure the Honourable member that based on the figures above, at this point; there is no under-representation of any racial group within the public service. To ensure that we never go back to the past when the public service was not reflective of the national demographics, the DPSA developed policies and frameworks that would guide the process and simultaneously translate the ethos of the Constitution regarding the representation of the demographics of the country. Some of them are listed below:

(i) The White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service of 1995. This policy identified a need to "create a genuinely representative public service which reflects the major characteristics of South African demography, without eroding efficiency and competence."

(ii) The White Paper on Human Resource Management in the Public Service of 1997: it introduced a shift from personnel administration to human resource management and set the policy framework for managerial autonomy in terms of managing human resources effectively and strategically as part of the wider transformation agenda.

(iii) The White Paper on Affirmative Action of 1998: The White Paper calls for a Public Service which is representative and draws on the talents and skills of the diverse spectrum of the South African society and, is not only geared towards providing better services for all sectors of our society but also enjoys legitimacy in the eyes of South African people (1998:5). Section (ii) (2) – inculcate in the Public Service a culture which values diversity and supports the affirmation of those who have previously been treated unfairly and disadvantaged.

(iv) Cabinet also adopted employment equity quotas that would ensure that departments continuously manage their human resources in an equitable manner. The DPSA develops annual employment equity reports that reflect the demographics of each department. Where departments do not reach their targets, remedial plans have to be submitted with clear targets for correcting the gaps. From tables two and three above, it is clear that racial representation has not been a problem in the public service; what has been problematic has been equity targets for people with disabilities.

(v) Departments are also required to develop their employment equity plans which are submitted to the Department of Labor.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 890

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 3 MAY 2013

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(a) What was the total cost-to-company of the Community Development Workers programme (CDW) in the (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 financial years, (b)(i) how many CDW workers are employed in the national and provincial spheres of government and (ii) what amounts are appropriated to the different provinces for this purpose, (c) to who are the CDWs accountable for work done and (d) what were the detailed costs for hosting (i) the National CDW Indaba on 14 and 15 March 2013 and the (ii) provincial CDW Indabas? NW1109E

REPLY

(a) The Community Development Workers Programme (CDWP) is implemented by the provincial sphere of government, within the department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in all provinces, with the exception of Free State where the Programme is implemented in the office of the Premier. The provinces are responsible for funding of the programme. The overall costs incurred by government in implementing the programme are about R576, 5m.
(b) The number of Community Development Workers employed by provinces is captured in the following table;

PROVINCE

NUMBER OF CDWSEMPLOYED BY THE PROVINCE

Eastern Cape

530

Free State

286

Gauteng

425

Kwa Zulu Natal

474

Limpopo

435

Mpumalanga

368

Northern Cape

273

North West

280

Western Cape

176

ii. The following are amounts appropriated to different provinces for employment of community development workers:

PROVINCE

2010/2011

2011/2012

2012/2013

2013/2014

Eastern Cape

R80 949 282

R87 042 238

R93 593 804

[1]R122 415 000

Free State

R56 500 000

R60 500 000

R60 391 618

R61 365 000

Gauteng

R98 000 000

R99 000 000

R110 000 000

R102 000 000

Kwa Zulu Natal

R75 900 000

R76 500 000

R75 700 000

R87 300 000

Limpopo

R70 867 016

R89 331 326

R93 414 000

R91 784 578

Mpumalanga

R77 926 000

R78 569 000

R82 569 000

R83 435 000

Northern Cape

R12 051 464

R12 532 918

R12 521 624

[2]R280 000

North West

R60 213 640

R63 495 000

R65 185 000

R71 537 000

Western Cape

R39 650 000

R45 661 000

R46 017 029

R48 356 501

(c) Community Development workers are permanent employed public servants although they are operating at municipality level. They are accountable to the provincial department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs through governance structures established within the department in each province. Each province has employed a coordinator and support staff to drive the programme.

(d) The National Conference on 14-15 March 2013, costs the following;
Venue and conference package= R463 418.00

As background information, Free State and Western Cape approached (through written requests) the Department of Public Service and Administration to assist with payment of transport and accommodation costs for their CDWs as the two provinces did not have money to bring their CDWs to the Conference. Other provinces were in a position to cover costs for their CDWs to attend the Conference and did not approach the DPSA in this regard.

i. Road transport for 50 community development from Free State to Kempton Park and back= R9 6122.00

ii. Air transport for 50 community development workers from Western Cape to Kempton Park and back = R229 293.00

iii. On arrival at the OR Tambo Airport, road transport was arranged for the same 50 community development workers from Western Cape for a period of three days. The transport was a shuttle bus that transported them from Airport to the hotel where they were staying, from hotel to the conference venue including the last day when they were transported to the OR Tambo Airport. = R17 717.00

i. Two nights' accommodation for 100 community development workers from both Free State and Western Cape = R 133 465.00

(ii) Provincial indabas (workshops)

PROVINCE

PURPOSE

AMOUNTS

Kwa Zulu Natal

Accommodation for 70 community development workers

R104 452.00

Mpumalanga

Accommodation for 100 community development workers

R108 050.00

Northern Cape

Accommodation for 100 community development workers

R 104 452.00

Gauteng

Transport for about 400 community development workers

R 335 652.00


[1] Joint budget for the Municipal Public Participation, there is no separate budget for Community Development Workers Programme

[2] This is a joint budget for the public Participation Directorate and not for CDWP only

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 888

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 3 MAY 2013

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What is the amount of overtime paid to public servants over the (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13 financial years, (i) to how many servants was this paid, (ii) in which departments do they serve and (iii) what are the reasons for working overtime in each case? NW1107E

REPLY

(a) An amount of R 5,114,331,949 was paid in respect of overtime pay in the 2011-12 financial year; while (b) R 5,539,618,509 was paid in respect of overtime pay in the 2012-13 financial year.

(i) 294,001 public service employees received overtime pay in the 2011-12 financial year and 269,786 public service employees received overtime pay in the 2012-13 financial year.

(ii) The number of employees who received overtime pay in the departments where they are employed for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 financial years, respectively, are depicted in the tables attached:

(iii) The actual reasons for the performance of overtime are not captured on the PERSAL system. These are contained in the authorising documentation on departmental files at institutional level. Suffice to indicate that an executing authority may, among others, in terms of Public Service Regulations, 2001 Chapter 1 Part V Regulation D, read with the applicable collective agreements, compensate an employee for overtime work if the department has a written policy on overtime and the executing authority has provided written authorisation in advance for the overtime work. The overtime policy must, among others, determine the circumstances under which a supervisor may authorise overtime work for an individual employee; how a supervisor should record authorisation for overtime; and other control measures, if necessary.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 706

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 APRIL 2013

Mr A R Ainslie (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What measures are being taken by her department to professionalise the Public Service to ensure that it will be able to deliver on the goals of the National Development Plan? NO902E

REPLY

The following measures are being taken to professionalise the public service in order to achieve the goals of the National Development Plan:

1. Establishment of the School of Government to ensure that public servants are continuously equipped with skills to deliver on the mandates of the Government;

2. Implementation of the Compulsory Induction Programme to ensure that all public servants are conversant with the functioning of the state and the policy objectives of a developmental state that places citizens at the centre of service delivery;

3. The launch of the Public Service Charter that will instil correct ethos in public servants and commit them to drive the public service to high productivity, to adhere to high ethical standards, professionalism and a duty to serve the people of South Africa;

4. The establishment of the Office of Standards and Compliance to promote compliance to baseline norms and standards determined by the MPSA;

5. The establishment of the Anti-corruption Bureau to assist departments with investigations and disciplinary hearings of corruption related misconduct cases to ensure that timelines are adhered to; and

6. The introduction of the Public Administration Management Bill to set common norms and standards for public administration which applies across the three spheres of Government.

In addition to the above, the Ministry is also attending to weaknesses and problem areas identified by the Auditor General and the Public Service Commission. Chief amongst these are the following:

(a) Improving better performance management by improving the quality of strategic plans and performance reporting, in particular, the signing of performance agreements, and ensuring that evaluations of heads of department are done. There is need to put in place control measures to prevent unauthorised, irregular as well as fruitless and wasteful expenditure;

(b) Use people better through improvement in Human Resource Management. This covers the filling of funded vacant posts, reduction of the time it takes to fill vacant posts, consideration of the proposal to amend the Public Service Act in order to locate the human resource functions with heads of department to ensure quick filling of posts. This also includes better management of discipline and the reduction of long periods of precautionary suspensions;

(c) Root out corruption and maladministration by addressing ethics and integrity. This covers the reduction of the number of SMS charged with financial misconduct, improvement of compliance by heads of department with the submission of financial disclosure forms and the prohibition of public servants from doing business with Government.

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 705

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 APRIL 2013

Mrs J D Kilian (Cope) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

How does she intend to implement, administer and monitor the biometric register to crack down on teacher absenteeism and (b) has any settlement been reached with the SA Democratic Teachers' Union and other teacher unions about corrective measures to be taken against repeat defaulters? NO896E

REPLY

In responding to this question, I wish to draw the Honourable member's attention to my response to a Ministerial Statement on 19 March 2013 wherein I indicated that the biometric register was a subject for consultation with unions after the Minister for Basic Education was satisfied with the results of the pilot undertaken in the Northern Cape.

Should there be agreement between the Minister of Basic Education and the unions, any prospective teacher "biometric" access/ attendance system for will be a "clock-in" and "clock-out" system. This will be similar to a Fingerprint Identification Management System at SAPS that is used to store and verify fingerprints to confirm identity of criminals and non-criminals. This system was developed by SAPS in 1995 and supported by SITA, which system obtain fingerprints using police forensics techniques to "lift" fingerprints for crime exhibits.

The biometric register can be created from data already in the Home Affairs National Information System - Automated Fingerprint Identification System HANIS-AFIS (the fingerprints), PERSAL and National Population Register (the identities) to cater for both PERSAL and non-PERSAL paid teachers (such as School Governing Body appointed teachers). So each school must have a "subset" of HANIS-AFIS so that attendance system can be recorded at school level. The biometric register at each school can be verified on a regular basis with AFIS and PERSAL.

There are approximately 28 000 schools in South Africa using a variety of different School Admin Systems. Each school will have to communicate attendance records to a new central monitoring system, which means all participating schools, have to be connected to the Government Network.

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION NO.: 701

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 APRIL 2013

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

(1) What are the current qualifications and experience breakdown of the training agencies that were established to deal with skills shortages and to enhance job opportunities;

(2) when were they last monitored and evaluated;

(3) whether the specified agencies are accountable for the allocation of bursaries;

(4) whether any irregularities were reported in the 2011-12 financial year; if so, what action was taken? NW891E

REPLY

(1) At the outset, I wish to advise the Honourable Member that, as Minister for Public Service and Administration, I am responsible for one training agency (Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy – PALAMA) that is established in terms of the Public Service Act (as amended).

(2) The Honourable Member would be aware that PALAMA is a national department with the mandate of providing or facilitating the provision of training in the public service. In terms of the current business model, PALAMA training provision is outsourced to individual independent contractors (IICs) and through strategic partnerships with higher education institutions (HEIs).

Based on this background, my response is as follows:

(i) As a training agency under my domain, PALAMA is an accredited training provider. It currently has contractual obligations with a total of 144 IICs who facilitate training across the spectrum of leadership, management, administration and induction training streams in the Public Service. Each of these four training streams outline their training facilitation requirements based on the nature of the training course/programme, and IICs are accordingly selected based on their qualifications and expertise, and are graded from introductory, intermediate, advanced to the expert levels. Additionally, the Academy is also engaged in strategic partnerships with five higher education institutions which are renowned places of learning and education in South Africa (University of Pretoria; Free State University; Fort Hare University; Stellenbosch University; and WITS University) and 20 private training organisations which are accredited training and education bodies under the South African Qualifications Authority framework.

(ii) PALAMA currently has a Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, which is responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of all PALAMA training. This is undertaken through the completion of reaction evaluation questionnaires after each training intervention; on-site evaluations; and the facilitator evaluations. In the 2012/13 financial year, a total of 56 facilitators were evaluated and feedback provided to the training stream managers. From an organisational perspective, PALAMA also undertakes its own performance monitoring and auditing in line with National Treasury and audit prescripts. The organisational performance is monitored on a quarterly basis.

(iii) As with all government departments, provision is made within the budget of PALAMA for the training and development of its personnel, including for the allocation of bursaries. PALAMA"s training providers have no role nor are they beneficiaries in the allocation of these bursaries.

(iv) In terms of the 2011/12 Annual Report, there have been no irregularities reported. PALAMA has been receiving unqualified audit opinions from the Auditor General since 2008/9 to 2011/12 financial years.

Reply received: July 2013

QUESTION NO.: 693

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 APRIL 2013

Mrs J C Moloi-Moropa (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

When will her department's clean-up of the persal system in the Public Service, in collaboration with the National Treasury, be (a) fully realised and (b) completed? NO861E

REPLY

(a) The Government is now realising the benefits of PERSAL clean-up. In 2012/13 the clean-up focused on unfunded vacancies at National and Provincial Departments which resulted in abolishing of 217 435 posts between 1 April 2012 and 15 April 2013. This contributed substantially to the decrease in the vacancy rate of the Public Service from 16% in March 2012 to 8% at the end of February 2013; this constitutes a 48% decline bringing the vacancy rate below the 10% target. The table attached provides details on the number of posts that were abolished by each department:

(b) The above achievements constitute the completion of the initial objectives of the PERSAL clean-up. However, the PERSAL Clean-up Steering Committee identified 18 key priority fields that requires auditing in terms of completeness, validity, coherence and comparability which must be done in the 2013/14 financial year (viz. Post type; Post status; Post Filled/vacant date; Post level; Post indicator; Programs; Nature of Appointment; Appointment Act; Key scale; SMS indicator (package); Salary level; Management level; Major Occupational classification; Sub-major Occupational classification; Minor Occupational classification; Unit Occupational classification; Occupational classification (CORE); Post Occupational classification). This work will be completed by the end of the 2013/14 financial year.

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION NO.: 690

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 APRIL 2013

Mrs D M Ramodibe (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What progress has been made in her department to meet the 2% target of employment of persons with disabilities? NW856E

REPLY

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) has achieved 1.97% target of employing people with disabilities. As at 01 April 2013, the Department had a staff compliment of 455 employees and nine (9) of those are employees with disabilities. The Department is working on achieving 2% target, it has entered into a partnership with the Disabled People of South Africa, as well as established links with Disability Rights of the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities - to have all adverts to fill vacancies circulated within their constituency to improve access of information. The department intends to increase the number of organisations to partner with in this regard.

Other measures employed by the Department to ensure participation and inclusion of people with disability include the following:

Improving access

In order to improve participation and inclusion of people with disabilities, the Department equally interacted with the University of Pretoria for their expertise on workplace audits to improve issues of access for people with disabilities as well as information on graduates with disabilities in the fields relative to the functions of the Department.

Physical access- the department has improved the entrances to the building and changed some of the doors to automatic doors to enable people with mobility impairment ease of access.

Mainstreaming

The Department is working to ensure that people with disabilities are retained in the employ of the department. To this end, has:

a) Established a Mainstreaming Policy Review Committee. Mainstreaming is a method to promote inclusion and to address the barriers that exclude people from designated groups from full and equal participation in the workplace. Mainstreaming is essential to tackle the exclusion of people from designated groups. The Mainstreaming Policy Review Committee is intended to assist the department to analyse its policies through the gender and disability management lenses, and propose requisite alignment in this regard.

b) The Department has also developed a draft Retention Strategy that seeks to ensure that people from designated groups are retained.

c) The department has developed a draft Disability Management Strategy which outlines actions for the year 2013/14 and 14/15 that the department will be implementing towards the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Raising awareness and Advocacy

a) The Directorate: IDM&T, publishes monthly articles in the internal DPSA communication hub to share more information and create understanding of disabilities.

b) Managers are provided with opportunities to attend workshops on understanding and managing disability in the workplace.

c) The department established the 'Disability Management Forum' that is aimed at creating a platform where disability issues can be raised and channelled for decision making.

d) The Department has drafted and consulted on the Disability Management policy –outlining the commitment to mainstreaming disability management and workplace equity.

Improving representation

The 2013/14 EE plan has set itself a target of 3% for people with disabilities and identified the requisite posts to be filled through such a representation.

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION NO.: 689

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 APRIL 2013

Mrs D M Ramodibe (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

What programmes and budget are in place to benefit and transform the lives of (a) women and (b) persons with disabilities? NW855E

REPLY

A number of policy initiatives have been put in place to benefit and transform the lives of women and people with disabilities. The programmes being implemented to achieve this objective include, amongst others,

a) The Gender Equality Strategic Framework for the Public Service, 2008 (GESF): The strategy strongly emphasises the advancement of women in the belief that gender equality cannot be achieved until and unless women have been empowered. The Strategic Framework is premised on increasing representation of, and participation by women in all work place activities, and increasing access to opportunities for employment, skills development and upward mobility in the workplace. It encourages the removal and elimination of all barriers to entry, advancement and development of women in the Public Service.

b) Public Service Women Management Week, 2008: This is the implementation platform for the HOD's 8 Principles stated above. Each year, every Department has to arrange a meeting between women Senior Managers and the Head of Department during the last week of August to discuss progress made in implementing the Head of Department (HOD) 8-Principle Plan of Action for Promoting Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality within the Public Service Workplace. The meeting must be chaired by the Head of Department and the report back must be based on the 8 Principles. The purpose of the programme is to institutionalize a meeting where the women managers interact, get a report back and plan (with the HOD) for further improving their work environment.

c) Handbook on Reasonable Accommodation for People with Disabilities in the Public Service in 2007 (Handbook); the handbook is part of the JOBACCESS Resource Kit for recruitment, employment and retention of persons with disabilities in the Public Service. It provides guidelines on how departments can provide reasonable accommodation as part of the organisation's operational requirement rather than as a special action.

d) JobACCESS Strategic Framework for the Appointment, Recruitment and Retention of people with Disabilities (JA) 2009 and its Implementation Guidelines. The JA is a tool intended to assist departments with steps to follow in order to remove and eradicate barriers that exist in the employment of persons with disabilities. The ultimate aim is to ensure that all persons with disabilities in the Public Service, irrespective of race, sex, or creed, are provided with equal opportunities to employment which was previously denied. It advocates for sensitisation and workplace preparation, workplaces becoming disability competent, eliminating discrimination, engaging organisations of persons with disabilities, accessibility of workplaces and strengthening monitoring roles.

e) The latest PSCBC Resolution 1 of 2012 and Determination and Directive on Leave of Absence in the Public Service-August 2012 are also some of the documents that are benefiting women and persons with disabilities. These documents provide for issues ranging from maternity leave, incapacity leave, sick leave, pre-natal leave, training, fitment, adjustment and maintenance of assistive devices for employees with disabilities. All these provisions have budgetary implications and the money paid to employees during these times would be deemed to be addressing equity and benefit for the two identified groups. Departments make provisions for these needs in their budgets.

According to 2011 Survey on the status of gender mainstreaming in government departments, the findings show that out of the 66 departments that responded, at least 12 national and 17 provincial departments had gender dedicated budgets that amounting to R154 326 092. The 12 national departments and for women with disabilities R1 424 374. For the 17 provincial departments, women's empowerment had R689 334 282 budget while for women with disabilities they had R66 664 722 budget.

What follows below is a summary of other programmes that have budgetary implications that are provided for in the Public Service:

(a) (1) implementation of Flexi time policy;

(2) Implementation of Child Care Facilities Guidelines;

(3) Mentorship/ Coaching programmes for empowerment of women;

(4) Gender Mainstreaming Training by PALAMA;

(5) Implementation of the Head of Department's 8 Principle Plan of Action for promoting Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality within the Public Service Workplace (HOD's Principles);

(b) (1) The Public Service JobACCESS Implementation Guidelines and Plan on the

Recruitment, Employment and Retention of Persons with Disabilities;

(2) Collaboration with Disabled People's Organizations (DPO's);

Reply received: June 2013

QUESTION NO.: 687

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 APRIL 2013

Mrs J C Moloi-Moropa (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether her department abandoned or discontinued the practice and concept of Batho Pele as a fully entrenched and institutionalised programme of the Public Service; if not, what strategies are in place to revive this practice; if so, what are the relevant details? NW853E

REPLY

Batho Pele is a principle and a founding corner stone of our worldview as a democratic state. It forms the basis of all our efforts to improve the culture of the Public Service.

Batho Pele comprises several key programmes aimed at ensuring improved service delivery in the Public Service. These programmes include the Batho Pele Change Management Engagement programme, Khaedu Programme, Service Delivery Improvement Plans/ Programmes, Performance Management and Development System, Know Your Service Rights and Responsibilities campaign, Public Service Week (which has now been transformed into a Month-long annual programme), Africa Public Service Day and others.

The Department has embarked on the following programmes to re-enforce the Batho Pele principles:

1. Advocacy programme which is aimed at ensuring buy-in and obtain commitment.

2. The capacity building workshops on change management and Khaedu programme. The revised Khaedu strategy phase 1 is completed and Phase II is being implemented in this quarter. It is envisaged that Phase III will be implemented during this current financial year.

3. Since 2004 the DPSA has been focusing on changing the behaviour and attitude of public servants towards their work so as to ensure that they uphold the spirit and practice of Batho Pele.

4. Over this period the DPSA has capacitated many public servants ranging from the lower operational staff to the HODS including MECs in some instances.

5. The DPSA is also engaged with improving Public Service Performance and Productivity as part of broadening the concept of Batho Pele. To meet the goals of the NDP, the DPSA is finalizing a Productivity Management Framework, a Public Service Charter and developing an approach towards professionalizing the Public Service. The framework will also add to efforts to build an accountable Public Service.

6. A draft document is being developed on the Productivity Management Framework. A productivity study pilot will be conducted by June 2013 and the final framework should be available for Public inputs by September 2013. The framework will be ready for endorsement and implementation by 2014. Stakeholders include the Public Service Commission, Productivity SA and the Department of Communications.

7. A Public Service Charter has been finalized. The document awaits inputs from Labour and Civil Society partners. Once satisfied at our joint bargaining structures (PSCBC & NEDLAC), the Charter will be ready for implementation.

It is worth to highlight the 8 Batho Pele Principles and their primary objectives. The eight Batho Pele principles were developed to serve as acceptable policy and legislative framework regarding service delivery in the public service. These principles are aligned with the Constitutional ideals of:

  • Promoting and maintaining high standards of professional ethics;
  • Providing service impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias;
  • Utilising resources efficiently and effectively;
  • Responding to people's needs; the citizens are encouraged to participate in policy-making; and
  • Rendering an accountable, transparent, and development-oriented public administration

The Batho Pele principles are as follows:

  1. Consultation
    There are many ways to consult users of services including conducting customer surveys, interviews with individual users, consultation with groups, and holding meetings with consumer representative bodies, NGOs and CBOs.
  1. Setting service standards
    This principle reinforces the need for benchmarks to constantly measure the extent to which citizens are satisfied with the service or products they receive from departments. It also plays a critical role in the development of service delivery improvement plans to ensure a better life for all South Africans. Citizens should be involved in the development of service standards.
  1. Increasing access
    One of the prime aims of Batho Pele is to provide a framework for making decisions about delivering public services to the many South Africans who do not have access to them. Batho Pele also aims to rectify the inequalities in the distribution of existing services. Examples of initiatives by government to improve access to services include such platforms as the Gateway, Multi-Purpose Community Centres and Call Centres.
    Access to information and services empowers citizens and creates value for money, quality services.
  2. Ensuring courtesy
    This goes beyond a polite smile, 'please' and 'thank you'. It requires service providers to empathize with the citizens and treat them with as much consideration and respect, as they would like for themselves.
    The public service is committed to continuous, honest and transparent communication with the citizens. This involves communication of services, products, information and problems, which may hamper or delay the efficient delivery of services to promised standards. If applied properly, the principle helps demystify the negative perceptions that the citizens in general have about the attitude of the public servants.
  3. Providing information
    As a requirement, available information about services should be at the point of delivery, but for users who are far from the point of delivery, other arrangements will be needed. Managers and employees should regularly seek to make information about the organisation, and all other service delivery related matters available to the public.
  4. Openness and transparency
    A key aspect of openness and transparency is that the public should know more about the way national, provincial and local government institutions operate, how well they utilise the resources they consume, and who is in charge. It is anticipated that the public will take advantage of this principle and make suggestions for improvement of service delivery mechanisms, and to even make government employees accountable and responsible by raising queries with them.
  5. Redress
    This principle emphasises a need to identify quickly and accurately when services are falling below the promised standard and to have procedures in place to remedy the situation. Public servants are encouraged to welcome complaints as an opportunity to improve service, and to deal with complaints so that weaknesses can be remedied quickly for the good of the citizen.
  6. Value for money
    Many improvements that the public would like to see often require no additional resources and can sometimes even reduce costs. Failure to give a member of the public a simple, satisfactory explanation to an enquiry may for example, result in an incorrectly completed application form, which will cost time to rectify.

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION NO.: 686

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19 APRIL 2013

Mrs J C Moloi-Moropa (ANC) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether she intends to re-assert the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) as a favourable provider of choice for all government departments; if not, why not; if so, how does she intend to deal with the (a) high costing and (b) efficiency thereof? NW852E

REPLY

Yes, it is my intention to re-assert SITA as a favourable provider of choice. It is for this reason that we have appointed the Chairperson of the SITA Board and instituted an Interim Board which is tasked with developing and implementing a 6 months Rescue Plan for SITA to focus, amongst others, on key weaknesses such as supply chain management and pricing. These are the main areas over which concerns have been raised by client departments and stakeholders over a period of time.

(a) As part of the rescue plan, the SITA Board of Directors has committed to a Supply Chain Management turn-around plan which will encompass the following: revisiting control of legislative powers of procurement budgets and processes; utilization of scale to reduce costs on procurement as well as to use the capacity of state in bulk procurement to realize economies of scale. The engagement of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's) and other suppliers in this regard is planned to explore and reach common ground on how best to realize these economies of scale;

(b) In relation to efficiency, through its Human Resource and Remuneration sub-committee, the Board is currently addressing the capacity issue within SITA and is fast tracking the organizational architecture program, which is also aimed at addressing the issues of low staff morale; At an operations level, the Board is also in a process of engaging relevant stakeholders on the Integrated Financial Management Systems (IFMS) to ensure an integrated approach in financial management of Government; and the full implementation of e-Government to move government from a decentralized model to a more integrated efficient and effective (single-public service) administration, where citizens can have easy access to all government-supplied services.

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION NO.: 646

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 28 MARCH 2013

Mr J F Smalle (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) How many claims were instituted against her department (a) in the (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10, (iv) 2010-11 and (v) 2011-12 financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2012 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

(2) in respect of each specified financial year, (a) what amount was claimed, (b) how many claims were (i) finalised in court, (ii) settled out of court and (iii) are still outstanding and (c) what amount has been paid to each plaintiff in each case that was (i) finalised in court and (ii) settled out of court? NW805E

REPLY

The information requested by the Honourable is provided in the table below:

Financial year

2007-2008

2008-2009

2009-2010

2010-2011

2011-2012

2012-2013

(1)

No of claims instituted

One(1)

Two (2)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Two (2)

Two(2)

(2)(a)

Amount claimed

R100000

R719000

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

R5983000

R5939000

(2)(b)(i)

No of claims finalized in court

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

(2)(b)(ii)

No of claims settled out of court

Two(2)

Three(3)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

(2)(b)(iii)

No of claims still outstanding

One(1)

Zero(0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Two(2)

Two(2)

(2)(c)(i)

Amount paid to each plaintiff in each case that was finalised in court

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

(2)(c)(ii)

Amount paid to each plaintiff in each case that was settled out of court

1) R1000

2) R565000

1)R100000

2)R642000

3)R770000

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Zero (0)

Reply received: April 2013

QUESTION NO.: 558

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 22 MARCH 2013

Dr C P Mulder (FF Plus) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:†

How many posts were there in the Public Service on (a) 31 December 2012 and (b) 31 December 1997 at the level of (i) director-general, (ii) deputy director-general, (iii) chief director, (iv) director and (v) deputy director? NW716E

REPLY

The information on the number of posts in the Public Service as at 31 December 1997 is not available on the system because the PERSAL system was created as a payroll system first, then only in 2000 was it developed further as an information management tool.

Nevertheless, the information as at 31 December 2012 is as follows:

Post Level

Number of Posts in the Public Service (Excluding Department of Defence)

31 December 2012

(i) Director-General

159

(ii) Deputy Director-General

642

(iii) Chief Director

2 501

(iv) Director

7 782

(v) Deputy Director

21 191

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION NO.: 457

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 15 MARCH 2013

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

(1) Whether the 365 750 posts that have been vacant since 2011 have been filled; if not, why not; if so, (a) what (i) levels and (ii) grades of positions, (b) what are the numbers for each known vacant post and (c) how many of these are funded posts;

(2) whether the organograms have been approved for these positions; if not, why not; if so, how many (a) fall within the organograms, (b) are out of these structures and (c) of these vacancies are older than three months? NW610E

REPLY

(1) As of 30 June 2011, the number of vacant posts in the Public Service was 297 310 according to information extracted from PERSAL contrary to 367 750 posts as per the Honourable member's question. Table 1 attached gives a detailed breakdown of the 297 310 vacant posts as of 30 June 2011.

(a)(b)(c) Table 2 attached provides the number of vacant funded posts, levels and grades as at 28 February 2013.

Table 3 provides a detailed breakdown of the vacancy rate for period from 1 March 2012 to 28 February 2013.

The Ministry for Public Service and Administration has committed to the reduction of average vacancy rate in the Public Service to 10 per cent by 31 March 2014. We can indeed report that the target has been met long before the stipulated date. The strategy to reduce the vacancy rate has been successful mainly as a result of, amongst other things, the removal of unfunded vacant posts from PERSAL; the roll-out of the Occupation Specific Dispensation and targeted recruitment measures at departmental level. The DPSA will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that line departments are adhering to the provisions.

(2) In terms of the Public Service Regulations, 2001, Executive Authorities of various departments holds the authority to approve organizational structures after consulting with the Minister for Public Service and Administration. The DPSA only ensures that organizational structures comply with Organisational Design norms and principles.

Reply received: May 2013

QUESTION NO: 418

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 15 MARCH 2013

Mr J F Smalle (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) (a) When was the investigation into ghost employees in Limpopo launched, (b) what were the findings of the investigation and (c) how many ghost employees were found;

(2) were all departments included in the investigation; if not, which departments were not included;

(3) what (a) was the total amount spent on ghost employees over the past three years, (b) amount has been recovered by her department and (c) action has been taken against any official in this regard? NW567E

REPLY

(1) The Department of Public Service and Administration did not launch any investigation into ghost employees in Limpopo, but instead it undertook a PERSAL clean-up exercise as part of the Section 100(1)(b) in the departments of Education, Provincial Treasury, Health, Public Works, and Roads and Transport to ensure the reliability and credibility of personnel information. PERSAL clean-up is an exercise intended to identify and remove unfunded vacant posts from organizational establishment of departments so that there is reliable data about the total number of public servants. As a result the exercise would not be able to indicate how many ghosts were found. It can only indicate how many unfunded vacant posts were found and removed from the departmental establishments. The results of the PERSAL clean-up done in Limpopo are as follows:

Department

Unfunded Posts disestablished

No of Funded Posts remaining

Education

8754

69371

Health

30868

38307

Provincial Treasury

222

488

Public Works

4447

2759

Roads and Transport

3279

4447

(2) No, the PERSAL clean-up referred to above did not involve all departments. The following departments were excluded: Social Development, Agriculture, Sports, Arts and Culture, Office of the Premier, Cooperative Governance Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs, Safety Security and Liaison, and Economic Development Environment and Tourism.

(3) This question is not applicable since there was no ghost employee exercise undertaken in Limpopo. However, in terms of the PERSAL clean-up exercise, there are no funds spent when removing unfunded vacant posts on the departmental establishments. The reason why they are being removed is that they give a false sense that organizational establishments of departments are bloated and that the personnel budget seems to be bloated. PERSAL clean-up does not seek to punish officials involved in managing structures since these are not the results of intentions to contravene the law. In most cases, proper processes have been followed resulting with the posts being created, but the challenge is that they are not funded. The Department of Public Service and Administration is tightening the approval of organizational structures and is compelling departments to secure funding before new posts are added to organizational structures and establishments. Assistance is also being given to departments to clean up their PERSAL systems. In Limpopo further exercises to clean up personnel information and achieve data integrity include verification of learners, educators, health professionals and officials' numbers in the Departments of Education and Health by Statistics South Africa (The Health and Education Census Project) which would help facilitate easy planning.

Reply received: March 2013

QUESTION NO.: 233

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 22 FEBRUARY 2013

The Leader of the Opposition (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

Whether she intends tabling the public sector integrity framework in Parliament this year; if not, why not; if so, when will it be tabled? NW249E

REPLY

The Public Sector Integrity Management Framework will certainly be tabled to Parliament as soon at it has been approved by Cabinet. It is my aim that this should serve before Cabinet before June 2013.

Reply received: March 2013

QUESTION NO.:152

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14 FEBRUARY 2013

Dr S M van Dyk (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(1) How many legal matters were dealt with by her department (a) in the (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12 financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2012 up to the latest specified date for which information is available;

(2) (a) how many of the specified legal matters were dealt with by (i) the State Attorney and (ii) private attorneys during the specified periods and (b) what are the reasons why her department was not represented by the State Attorney in each specified case;

(3) what total amounts were paid by her department to (a) the State Attorney and (b) private attorneys during the specified periods? NW158E

REPLY

(1) For the purpose of our response, the reference to "legal matters" has been limited to instances where external legal assistance was sought on matters pertaining to litigation, labour disputes and legal opinions. Legal matters dealt with in this context by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) for the following financial periods are-

FINANCIAL YEAR

NUMBER OF MATTERS

(a) (i) 2009/0

8

(ii) 2010/11

4

(iii) 2011/12

11

(b) 1 April 2012 to 31 January 2013

7

(2) (a) All specified legal matters during the financial period 2009 to 31 January 2013 were referred by the DPSA to the State Attorney; and

(b) no specified legal matters during the financial period 2009 to 31 January 2013 were referred to private attorneys directly.

(3) (a) The total amount paid by the DPSA to the State Attorney for the following financial periods are:

FINANCIAL YEAR

AMOUNT PAID

(i) 2009/10

R448 000-00

(ii) 2010/11

R165 000-00

(iii) 2011/12

R588 000-00

(iv) 1 April 2012 to 31 January 2013

R378 298-63

(b) No amount was paid by the DPSA to private attorneys directly during the financial period 2009 to 31 January 2013.

Reply received: March 2013

QUESTION NO.:119

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14 FEBRUARY 2013

Mr S J F Marais (DA) to ask the Minister of the Public Service and Administration:

(1) Whether (a) her department and (b) any entities reporting to her paid any bonuses to senior officials in December 2012; if so, in each specified case, (i) to whom and (ii) what amount was paid;

(2) whether the specified bonuses were performance-based; if not, what is the justification for each bonus; if so, in each case, from which budget were the performance bonuses paid;

(3) whether, in each case, (a) a performance agreement was signed with the official and (b) regular performance assessments were conducted; if not, why not, in each case; if so, what are the relevant details in each case? NW125E

REPLY

Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA)

(1) DPSA did not pay any bonuses in December 2012.

(2) Not applicable

(3) Not applicable

State Information Technology Agency (SITA)

(1) No bonuses were paid to SITA senior officials in December 2012.

(2) Not applicable

(3) Not applicable

Public Service Commission (PSC)

(1) The PSC did not pay bonuses to senior officials in December 2012.

(2) Not applicable

(3) Not applicable

Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI)

(1) The Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI) did not pay any bonuses to senior officials in December 2012.

(2) Not applicable

(3) Not applicable

Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA)

(1) No bonuses were paid by PALAMA during December 2012.

(2) Not applicable

(3) Not applicable

Government Employee Medical Scheme (GEMS)

(1) a) and b) GEMS paid bonuses to Executives in December 2012.

i. Executive: Contracts and Operations - R287,504.00

ii. Executive: Communication and Member Affairs – R287,504.00

iii. Executive: Governance and Compliance – R287, 504.00

iv. Executive: Finance – R406, 734.00

v. Acting Principal Officer – R494,041.81

(2) The payment of the bonuses was performance-based. Each Executive signed a performance agreement in January 2012 and were assessed quarterly on their key performance areas. If the performance is satisfactorily then Executives are awarded bonuses. The bonuses are included in the Scheme budget at the beginning of every year and there is a separate line item for bonuses.

(3) (a) Each Executive signed a performance agreement in January 2012.

(b) The Executives are assessed quarterly on their key performance areas.

Reply received: March 2013

QUESTION NO.:86

DATE OF PUBLICATION: 14 FEBRUARY 2013

Mr G G Boinamo (DA) to ask the Minister for the Public Service and Administration:

(a) How many tickets did (i) her department and (ii) any of its entities purchase to attend business breakfasts hosted by a certain newspaper (name furnished) (aa) in the (aaa) 2010-11 and (bbb) 2011-12 financial years and (bb) during the period 1 April 2012 up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (b) what was the total cost in each case? NW92E

REPLY

Department of Public Service and Administration DPSA

Department of Public Service and Administration did not buy any tickets to attend business

breakfast hosted by any newspaper.

The Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA)

The Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy (PALAMA) did not purchase any tickets for business breakfasts in any of the specified financial years to date.

State Information Technology Agency (SITA

(a) The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) never purchased tickets to attend business breakfast hosted by any newspaper.

(aa) N/A

(bb) N/A and

(b) N/A

Public Service Commission (PSC)

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is an independent Constitutional body, and its budget is appropriated via the Minister of Public Service and Administration. The PSC did not purchase any tickets to attend business breakfasts hosted by any newspaper in the financial years mentioned.

Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI)

(a)(ii) The Centre for Public Service Innovation did not purchase tickets for or attended any business breakfasts hosted by (aa) The New Age in the (aaa) 2010-11, the (bbb) 2011-12 financial years or (bb) during the period 1 April 2012 up to the 14th of February 2013 and (b) no cost was incurred by the entity.

Government Employee Medical Scheme (GEMS)

GEMS has no business relationship with The New Age and did not purchase any tickets to attend business breakfasts hosted by any newspaper in the financial years mentioned.