ATC080611: Report Budget Vote 8

Public Service and Administration

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on Budget Vote 8 (Department of Public Service and Administration), dated 11 June 2008.

The Portfolio Committee received a briefing by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) on Budget Vote 8 for 2008/09 on the 27 February 2008. After having deliberated, the Committee reports as follows:

1.         Introduction and Overview

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) is responsible for public service personnel matters relating to conditions of service, management of compensation, human resources, labour relations, public service governance, service delivery, state information technology, capacity building and skills management. The department has oversight on all state departments as they deliver services to the people ofSouth Africa.

The DPSA aims to lead the modernization of the public service by assisting government departments to implement their management policies, systems and structural solutions within a generally applicable framework of norms and standards, in order to improve service delivery.

The Department has the following policy priorities and developments for the 2008/09 financial year until 2010/11: 

Improving the level and frequency of interactions between government and citizenry through izimbizos, e-government and fifty one-stop centres; ensuring improved co-operation among all spheres of government through integrated planning, monitoring and evaluation; and implementing the single public service, which will align structures of remuneration and responsibility to allow staff to move across the three spheres of government, with the aim of improving service delivery. 

Delivery of the following legacy projects: remuneration and retention, human resource development, service delivery access and improvement, African Governance agenda, monitoring and evaluation. 

Implementation of the Public Service Amendment Bill is a priority for the Department, as this was declared an Act and published in the Government gazette in January 2008.

Preparations and tabling the Draft Single Public Service Bill in Parliament is a priority for the Department. It is scheduled for tabling in Parliament in June 2008.

The Department has the following programmes:

Programme 1: Administration;
Programme 2: Human Resource Management and Development;
Programme 3: Management of Compensation;
Programme 4: Information and Technology Management;
Programme 5: Service Delivery Improvement; and
Programme 6: Governance.

2.         Budget allocation

The DPSA was allocated a total budget of R412 306 000, which is a 7.35% increase from its allocated budget for 2007/08.

The budget is divided per programme as follows:

Administration (programme 1) is allocated R96 386 000 for the financial year 2008/09. The objectives of Administration are to provide policy, strategic leadership and overall management of the department.
Human Resource Management and Development (Programme 2) is allocated R45 062 000 for the 2008/09 financial year. The purpose of this programme is to develop and implement an integrated strategy, monitor employment practices, conduct human resource planning and diversity management, and improve the health and wellbeing of public service employees.
Management of Compensation (Programme 3) is allocated R110 362 000. The purpose of the programme is to develop and implement compensation policies and guidelines for the public sector and ensure coordinated bargaining.
Information and Technology Management (Programme 4) is allocated R38 747 000 for the 2008/09 financial year. The purpose of the programme is to ensure the effective use of IT in government and facilitate the use of IT for modernising government and establishing e-government practices, within an acceptable information security environment.
Service Delivery Improvement (Programme 5) is allocated R90 198 000. The programme’s purpose is to engage in supportive interventions and partnerships which improve efficiency and effectiveness as well as innovative learning and knowledge-based modes and practices of service delivery in the public service.
Governance (Programme 6) received R31 551 000 for the 2008/09 financial year. Its purpose is to improve governance and public administration systems for improved service delivery in Africa and other participating countries worldwide. The aim of the programme is to support the vision of efficiency and increased public participation in governance, by fighting corruption and carrying out participatory monitoring. 


3.         Conclusion
The Committee adopts Budget Vote 8 for 2008/09.
3. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on Budget Vote 9 (Public Service Commission), dated 11 June 2008.

The Portfolio Committee received a briefing by the Public Service Commission (PSC) on Budget Vote 9 for 2008/09, on the 5 March 2008. The Committee deliberated on the budget presented, and reports as follows:

1.         Introduction and Overview

The Public Service Commission (PSC) is the only body empowered and constitutionally mandated to oversee and evaluate the functioning of the Public Service with a view to establishing good governance and best practice principles. Through its oversight, investigative and directing role, the PSC plays a significant role in transforming the Public Service. The PSC has revised its organizational structure to ensure that it fulfills its constitutional mandate and strengthens its strategic and operational support. Line functions have been restructured around six key performance areas, which translate into the PSC’s following strategic goals: 

Monitoring and evaluation ; 
Assessing service delivery and evaluating compliance; 
Reviewing leadership and human resources; 
Improving labour relations; 
Investigating public administration; and
Promoting professional ethics.

The Deputy Director-General, Mr. MJ Diphofa, briefed the Committee on the PSC’s budget vote. He gave an overview of the strategic objectives of the Public Service Commission and how the budget allocated will be spent to fulfill the objectives the PSC has set itself. 

It was indicated that the PSC has four programmes for 2008/09, instead of the 3 programmes it previously had. The Programmes are:

Administration;
Leadership and Management Practices;
Monitoring and Evaluation; and
Integrity and Anti-Corruption. 

The new programme for the financial year 2008/09 is the Integrity and Anti-Corruption programme, which would focus on government-wide monitoring of integrity and anti-corruption.

2.         Budget allocation

The PSC was allocated a total budget of R111 172 000, which is a 2.71% increase from its allocated budget for 2007/08.

The budget is divided per programme as follows:

Administration is allocated R56 487 000 for the financial year 2008/09. The objectives of Administration is to manage, organize and provide administrative support to the Public Service Commission and its office.
Leadership and Management Practices is allocated R14 649 000 for the 2008/09 financial year. The purpose of this programme is to promote sound public service leadership, human resource management, labourrelations and labour practices. Objectives and measures include improvement of Public Service labour relations and policies by increasing the number of investigations of grievances and complaints finalized from 800 to 1000 in 2008/09.
Monitoring and Evaluation is allocated R18 249 000. The purpose of this programme is to establish a high standard of service delivery, monitoring and good governance in the Public Service.
Integrity and Anti-Corruption is allocated R21 787 000 for the 2008/09 financial year. The purpose of this programme is to undertake public administration investigations, promote a high standard of ethical conduct among public servants and contribute to preventing and combating corruption.

The Deputy Director General announced that the PSC was proud that it had a record of receiving unqualified audit reports for the previous seven years.

3.         Conclusion
The Committee adopts Budget Vote 9 for 2008/09.
4. Report of the Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration on Budget Vote 10 (South African Management Development Institute), dated 11 June 2008.

The Portfolio Committee received a briefing by the South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI) on Budget Vote 10 for 2008/09, on the 28 May 2008. After having deliberated, the Committee reports as follows:

1.         Introduction and Overview

The South African Development Institute’s (SAMDI) primary responsibility is to ensure the provision of training and management development for public servants in order to improve the capability of the state. The aim of SAMDI is to provide and co-ordinate the provision of training and management development interventions that lead to improved performance and service delivery in the public sector. 

SAMDI’s six strategic objectives are to: 

Develop and administer a training framework of curricula and materials orientated to service delivery to be used by providers of transversal skills training for junior and middle management.
Co-ordinate the provision of executive development programmes for the senior management services.
Capacitate public sector departments to identify and meet their management development and training needs in relation to their service delivery objectives.
Develop and implement a suitable quality management and monitoring system.
Establish and maintain partnerships and linkages with national and international management development institutes and training providers.
Arrange customized training programmes in support of South African foreign policy within the African union and the New Partnership for Africa’s development (NEPAD) programme.

2.         Budget allocation

SAMDI was allocated a total budget of R105 527 000, which is a 24% decrease from its allocated budget for 2007/08. This amount includes additional funding of R10 million. The budget is divided per programme as follows:

The Administrative programme is allocated R54 220 000 in total for the financial year 2008/09. SAMDI’s first programme is Administration. The aim of the Administration programme is to facilitate the overall management of SAMDI and to provide for the policy formulation and management responsibilities of the Minister, Director-General, Deputy Directors-General and other members of the SAMDI management. Other aims of Administration include: organizing the Department, providing centralized administrative, legal and office support services, managing staff and financial administration, determining working methods and procedures, and exercising internal control. This amount is further allocated as listed below:
Compensation of Employees is allocated R19 423 000 for the financial year of 2008/09. 
Goods and Services is allocated R 32 358 000.
R2 439 000 is budgeted for expenditure on capital assets. 

SAMDI’s second programme is Public Sector Organisational and Staff Development. This programme is allocated R51 307 000 in total for the period under review; and provides demand driven organizational development interventions to the public sector, as well as the administration and augmentation of the training. There are two sub-programmes:
Public Sector Organisational and staff development, which administers the training trading account and coordinates the training of chief directorates located in the training account.
Augmentation of training trading account, which provides monthly transfers for augmenting the trading account.

3.         Conclusion

The Committee adopts Budget Vote 10 for 2008/09.