Questions & Replies: Presidency - National Planning Commission
2013-08-19
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Reply received: November 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 3025
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 1 NOVEMBER 2013
3025. Mrs J D Kilian (Cope) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
(1) Whether, with regard to the adoption of the National Development Plan (NDP) in 2012, Cabinet considered and approved 5-, 10- and 15-year implementation targets for line departments; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether his department performs any monitoring function to oversee implementation of the NDP over the specified period; if not, who is responsible for overseeing the Government's implementation of the NDP; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) what (a) functions and (b) responsibilities are currently performed by his office and the National Planning Commission in respect of the NDP?
NW3578E
Reply:
(1) Yes. Earlier this year Cabinet mandated the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation to work with the National Planning Commission Secretariat to produce the draft Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF). The final version of the MTSF will be adopted by the new administration after 2014 elections as the first 5 year implementation plan of the National Development Plan. The MTSF will have targets for the responsible line departments.
(2) No. That is the responsibility of the Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation.
(3) The core activities of the National Planning Commission include:
· Advising government on implementation of the plan
· Conducting and using research to deepen understanding of the challenges and opportunities for implementation
· Mobilising support for the plan
· Facilitating the development of sectoral partnerships bringing different parties together to contribute to the Plan
· Reporting on progress; identifying blockages and bringing them to the attention of decision makers.
Reply received: September 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 2232
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23 AUGUST 2013
2232. Mr T D Harris (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
(1) Whether any persons have been appointed to Statistics SA in the (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13 financial years without the posts being advertised; if so, (i) when, (ii) who are the persons concerned and (iii) what were the reasons for each person's appointment;
(2) whether any employees of Statistics SA have participated in the Centre for Regional and Urban Innovation and Statistical Exploration (Cruise) programme of the University of Stellenbosch; if so, (a) what has been the cost to Statistics SA and (b) which members of the SA Statistics Council participated in the course;
(3) whether Statistics SA carried the cost for the participation of the members of the SA Statistics Council?
NW2650E
Reply:
(1) No.
(2) Yes.
a) R 599, 496.00
b) Howard Gabriels
(3) No.
Reply received: September 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 2231
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23 AUGUST 2013
2231. Mr T D Harris (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
Whether Statistics SA has lost the data of the Post Enumeration Survey (PES) from Census 2001; if so, what is he doing in this regard?
NW2649E
Reply:
No.
Reply received: September 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 2230
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 23 AUGUST 2013
2230. Mr T D Harris (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
Whether the adjusted population and household estimates from the Census 2011 as published are less than the adjusted results for some provinces; if so, (a) which provinces and (b) by how much?
NW2648E
Reply:
No.
(a) Falls away
(b) Falls away
Reply received: August 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 2173
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 AUGUST 2013
2173. Mr F A Rodgers (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
(1) Whether any staff member in his office (a) performed work in addition to the responsibilities related to his or her work, outside normal working hours, in the (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10, (iii) 2010-11, (iv) 2011-12 and (v) 2012-13 financial years and (b) has been performing such work during the period 1 April 2013 up to the latest specified date for which information is available; if not, how is it determined whether such work is being performed or not; if so, in each case, (aa) how many staff members and (bb) in what job or work categories are the specified staff members employed;
(2) whether approval for such work was obtained in each case; if not, what are the relevant details; if so, (a) what is the policy of his department in this regard, (b) by whom are such applications considered and approved, (c) how many contraventions of this policy were brought to the attention of his department in the (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13 financial years and (d) what steps have been taken against transgressors?
NW2598E
Reply:
(1) (a) (i) – (v) and (b) No. In terms of Section 30 (1) of the Public Service Act (Proclamation 103 of 1994), employees shall not engage in remunerative work outside his or her employment in the relevant department, except with the written permission of the executive authority of the department. In addition, all senior public servants are expected to complete a financial disclosure form on an annual basis that includes a disclosure with regard to remunerated work outside the Public Service
(2) Falls away
Reply received: August 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 2071
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 AUGUST 2013
2071. Mr T D Harris (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
(1) Whether, subsequent to the release of the Census 2011 results in October 2012, there were any revisions to the Post-enumeration Survey; if so, what was the outcome of such revisions;
(2) have the results been made public?
NW2493E
Reply:
1. No, there were no revisions to the Post Enumeration Survey subsequent to the release of Census 2011 results in October 2012.
2. Not applicable
Reply received: August 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 2070
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 AUGUST 2013
2070. Mr T D Harris (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
Whether the Post Enumeration Survey (PES) team continued to work on the PES until March 2012; if so, what were they doing five months after the release of the results?
NW2492E
Reply:
Yes the Post Enumeration Survey team continued to work on the PES not only until March 2012; but currently continue to do so.
It is common cause that any research endeavour attracts new questions that require answers. In this regard the work that was done until March was triggered by the questions posed by Professor Moultrie and Professor Dorrington of CARe at the University of Cape Town who critiqued the consistency in the extent of correlation of the coefficients of variation between undercount levels and the standard errors of undercount per province and suggested that based on their analysis, Census 2011 performed badly compared to Census 2001. Stats SA produced a report for both professors that demonstrated that the correlation in the coefficient of variation between undercount level and associated standard error of the undercount between Census 2011 and Census 2001 were consistent, thus dismissing the argument that Census 2011 produced an inferior quality compared to Census 2001.
Reply received: August 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 2069
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16 AUGUST 2013
2069. Mr T D Harris (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
Whether any eligible internal users have been refused access to statistical aggregate information relating to how Statistics SA derived from the Post Enumeration Survey the adjustment factors used in Census 2011; if so, (a) which users and (b) what were the reasons for such refusals?
NW2491E
Reply:
No eligible internal users have been refused access to aggregate information relating to how Statistics SA derived the adjustment factors from the Post Enumeration Survey and applied them to Census 2011. The individuals who were responsible for the PES, but later removed from the reopened PES remained members of the steering committee of Census 2011 and participated fully in receiving the results and in the ensuing technical discussions of how the adjustment factors were applied and witnessed the generation of the results. They also were party to technical meetings that the Statistics Council convened from the 20th of October.
Consultants to Council were privy to the methods of adjustment including the adjustment factors that were applied. Professors Moultrie and Dorrington of CARe at the University of Cape Town, ceased to be consultants to Council on their own volition and thus disqualified themselves from privilege of access to any material that consultants to Council had.
t d �te� H` t with the written permission of the executive authority of the department. In addition, all senior public servants are expected to complete a financial disclosure form on an annual basis that includes a disclosure with regard to remunerated work outside the Public Service
(2) Falls away
Reply received: August 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 2023
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 8 AUGUST 2013
2023. Mrs M Wenger (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
What was the (a) make, (b) model, (c) year, (d) purpose, (e) date and/or dates, (f) financial cost and (g) sum total of kilometres driven in respect of each vehicle hired for use by him since 1 January 2012?
NW2431E
Reply:
See attached table.
Reply received: August 2013
QUESTION NUMBER 1875
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 2 AUGUST 2013
1875. Mr G G Hill-Lewis (DA) to ask the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission:
What (a) buildings under his administration and (ii) and under the administration of entities reporting to him are national key points and (b) criteria were used to classify them as such?
NW2224E
Reply:
Disclosure is prohibited in terms of Sec 38 (a) and 38 (b) (1) (aa) of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Act 2 of 200).