Deputy
Speaker, the reply to that question is as follows: In the lead up to the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, MTBPS, as members of the ministerial committee, we met with the Minister of Finance on a few occasions on the issue of managing the fiscus generally and in particular, management of the wage bill.
These engagements with the Minister of Finance have therefore been ongoing before and after the MTBPS. The Minister of Finance, over and above that, is a member of the committee of Ministers which I chair. At the very first meeting of this committee in August 2019, the Minister of Finance presented a financial outlook of which the wage bill was a key component. After the MTBPS, a meeting of the committee on 19 November 2019 also took place. The Minister was in that meeting represented by one representative.
There is an agreement that our approach to this particular matter must be extended to the cost of running public administration generally. The key issues that relates to this are the following: firstly, the leaks and wastage in the fiscus, namely, wasteful and fruitless expenditure, unauthorized and irregular expenditure; secondly, litigation costs to the state with regard to awards against and the general administration of litigation, the cost of ICT to the state, the cost of building rentals, leases, maintenance and refurbishment - these are the issues that are involved in the first issue. Second one, costs associated with the conditions
of service for the elected public representatives - this is contained in the reviewed ministerial handbook and was done in relation to the range benefits and privileges pertaining to the travel and subsistence, accommodation and housing, office personnel and tools of trade for the members of the executive.
The next one is the management of the wage bill as the current wage bill is not sustainable with the fiscal challenges facing the country. The committee of Ministers has appointed six Ministers into a smaller committee to work out all the relevant and detailed issues relating to the wage bill and it is something that is ongoing. Thank you very much Deputy Speaker.