Chairperson, hon Minister, hon Deputy Ministers, comrades and hon members, this budget is being delivered in "the year of working together to speed up effective service delivery to the people". In declaring this, the ANC seeks to ensure that each government department responds to this theme and it is within this context that we engage in this debate today.
The Budget Vote reflects that the Services to Citizens programme of the Department of Home Affairs had an increase of 4,68% in nominal terms. In real terms, this is a decrease, which, of course, must be of concern. The reasons for this, however, need to be articulated during this debate. What cannot be doubted is the commitment to the delivery of services that meet the needs of all citizens alike.
Pressures on this Budget Vote have been amplified by the increase in applications for travel documents, passport systems, identity documents, the upcoming Fifa World Cup and the 2011 local government elections.
The ANC believes that the civic services have to underpin the turnaround strategy and the turnaround strategy must speak to this. The strategy brings together and harnesses all our resources in a coherent and purposeful effort that can be sustained into the future. In this regard our people, with their aspirations and collective determination, are our most precious resource.
The turnaround strategy requires a partnership between the Department of Home Affairs, communities and civil society. What informs us historically is the Reconstruction and Development Programme, which focused on the most immediate needs of our people. It relies in turn on their energies to drive the process of meeting these needs.
The ANC is in the process of constructing a developmental state. The nature of this state promotes participation, accountability and an active, informed and empowered citizenry. It respects and engenders a culture of human rights in society. It acts as the key force for social integration and nation-building. It has to ensure the necessary institutional capacity to play an interventionist role in catalysing socioeconomic transformation, working in partnership with different social forces. In this regard, the ANC's 2004 election manifesto, the people's contract, called for integrated service delivery.
Local communities know better their daily experience and needs. These need to be addressed in an integrated manner. It is through an integrated approach that quality service delivery can be accelerated. In the same vein integrated approaches recognise that human needs are diverse and consistently changing.
This approach has to be driven, and as Members of Parliament we have a constitutional and direct responsibility to do this. Meeting the people's needs means that our constituency offices have to be turned into mobilising centres, centres of information and centres of activism, promoting within the meeting of people's needs the concept of an activist Parliament.
In this manner, we can ensure an integrated approach with government while at the same time exercising oversight on the programmes directed towards serving the people's needs. The active working relationship between Members of Parliament and the communities, especially in the areas of jurisdiction of this Budget Vote, is crucial. It is a relationship that should be issued- based to advance quality service to our people.
This budget picture speaks to the priorities of the ANC at present. The turnaround strategy has reduced the time taken for the reissuing of identity documents to 30 days through operations management, process reviews and an ID track and trace system. The turnaround time for the first- time issue of an ID has increased to 90 days, because the first issue requires birth records and for permanent residence or naturalisation to be verified, which takes up to two months. Also, implementing the biometric access control management system resulted in slower mass data inputs. The average turnaround time for a passport is 19 days.
Online fingerprint verification had been introduced at 226 offices by the end of September 2009. As the ANC, we regard this as significant progress. This technology-based approach enables front office personnel to verify the identity of clients on application, reducing the need to forward applications to the central ID production facility. Temporary identity certificates can be issued on the spot.
In the 2008-09 financial year the department opened 45 new service points, of which 20 are permanent service points, 7 are district offices and 18 are services centres. In 2009, the contact centre handled about 1,1 million contacts, which included calls, faxes and e-mails.
Even prior to the turnaround strategy, the department had recognised that operational efficiency required modern, integrated information systems and communication networks, especially at service delivery points. There have been ongoing improvements to systems and processes, including their management. These include a new passport system implemented in April 2009; security features improved on birth certificates; on-line birth and death registration done at 119 hospitals; on-line verification rolled out to 273 offices; the implementation of track and trace functionality with regard to birth registration; third-party on-line fingerprint verification piloted with the South African Banking Risk Information Centre, Sabric; measures being put in place for the 2010 Fifa World Cup successfully piloted during the Confederations Cup and Fifa draw in December; a campaign under way to reduce backlogs in late registration of births; backlogs in provinces have been reduced; 176 late-registration-of-birth committees in place and functional, and other support functions.
The ANC has consistently treated the fight against corruption as a priority and has given its full support to the anticorruption partnerships. A national anticorruption programme was developed and adopted by the public, business and civil society. It should be remembered that combating corruption and crime is one of our priorities.
Significant progress has also been made in areas of capacity constraints and improvement of infrastructure. With regard to the flow of skills into the public sector, the customisation of the induction and orientation programme for pilot departments is progressing, but there are challenges.
The turnaround strategy has to bring about real change in the Department of Home Affairs, in line with the spirit of Batho Pele. The transformation of Home Affairs has gained momentum. This turnaround was not about superficial restructuring but about deep and fundamental change. The transformation process within the department will not be an event but a deep-seated process. As a result, it was anticipated that there would be certain levels of difficulty, particularly the need for a larger budget to ensure the necessary resources.
One of the key elements of the turnaround strategy is to get the right people into the right positions within the new structure. The ANC refers to the entrenchment and necessity of a new cadre with a new consciousness that must serve the people with dignity and dedication. It also means that as transition occurs, from the old Home Affairs model to the new one, there is the need to consolidate gains. The department should ensure that people are able to do the jobs they are required to do, and that they are placed in positions on the basis of their strengths and skills. [Time expired.] Thank you. [Applause.]