Chairperson, Deputy Minister, congratulations to you, Deputy Minister, on your appointment that is accompanied by new responsibilities.
Hon members, this is our last engagement for the Third Parliament. All things considered, we have an admirable record of political decisions. This, at times, was as a result of robust engagements which invariably produced democratic and progressive outcomes. In the Select Committee on Finance we were frequently challenged by contentious issues, but hopefully the results proved edifying. I thank my colleagues in the Select Committee on Finance for their co-operation in ensuring progress in the completion of the committee's work. I also wish the public representatives to have successful election campaigns in raising political awareness and making voters aware of the significance of exercising their vote.
This Division of Revenue Bill is the last Bill of its kind in this Third Parliament. In the next Parliament, the Division of Revenue Bill will be governed by a new National Act of Parliament - the Money Bills Amendment Procedure Bill.
The Division of Revenue Bill is tabled annually on a Budget day and epitomises intergovernmental fiscal relations. Essentially, the Division of Revenue Bill reflects the legal division of revenue between the three spheres of government. The Bill divides revenue horizontally within the provincial and local government spheres. Politically, the Division of Revenue Bill relates to the allocation and division of revenue across government spheres for the purpose of improving service delivery. The collection of revenue and its allocation is determined by policy and political decision-making. The Bill is predominantly a political evaluation and assessment of financial resource allocation. We observe, for example, a nexus between the key provisions of the Division of Revenue Bill and the ANC's 2009 election manifesto. Key provisions of this Bill, particularly the new conditional grants, provide the legislative means by which key provisions in the ANC's 2009 election manifesto will be implemented. The new conditional grants include various grants.
The Ilima/Letsema projects grant helps poor farmers to increase production and to adopt modern farming methods. This grant has been allocated R650 million over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. It also includes the Overload Control Grant which has been allocated R21 million over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for initiatives to reduce overloading practices by trucks on the network; the Sani Pass Road Grant which is receiving R34 million for road infrastructure projects that promote integration and development between South Africa and Lesotho; and the Expanded Public Works Programme incentive grant for municipalities encouraging provinces to increase spending on labour-intensive programmes.
Furthermore, some of the other conditional grants are: the Public Transport Operations Grant which is receiving R11,5 billion over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework for the subsidisation of commuter bus services; the Technical Secondary Schools Recapitalisation Grant which has been allocated R280 million for equipment and facilities in these schools; the Health Disaster Response (Cholera) Grant is receiving R50 million; and the Housing Disaster Relief Grant is receiving R150 million to respond to natural disasters. The ANC, in its 2009 election manifesto, has identified five priority areas, which are as follows: the creation of decent work and sustainable livelihoods; education; health; rural development, food security and land reform; and the fight against crime and corruption. The improvement in the circumstances of the poor, who are seen as suffering from the legacy of apartheid, is the central thrust of the ANC's 2009 election manifesto. The reduction of poverty is based on the creation of new jobs. The struggle against poverty remains the central political task of the ANC's 2009 election manifesto. This Division of Revenue Bill is a vehicle for incrementally achieving the targets laid out in the manifesto, which are politically significant to the successful future of a democratic South Africa.
The Select Committee on Finance calls on the members of the NCOP to endorse the 2009 Division of Revenue Bill. I thank you. [Applause.]