Thank you, hon Chairperson. Hon Minister, reducing poverty and equality is the overriding concern of South Africa's development policies and programmes. From the onset of our democracy - from 1994 - in the Reconstruction and Development Programme to the current National Development Plan Vision 2030, the guiding principles, as captured in the NDP is that no political democracy can survive and flourish if the mass of our people remain in poverty, without land, without tangible prospects for a better life, and attacking poverty and deprivation must therefore be the first priority of the democratic government. What is the role of National Treasury in ensuring that government departments respond adequately in addressing the social challenges facing our country,
especially the triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment?