MPs challenge Public Service and Administration spending

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts on Wednesday challenged the Department of Public Service and Administration on its unauthorised expenditure for the 2013/2014 financial year.

The committee met to discuss the department’s audit outcomes for 2013/2014. National Treasury made a submission to the committee that the Department of Public Service and Administration reported R8.8 million in unauthorised expenditure.

In its expenditure report‚ the Department of Public Service and Administration reported a final appropriation of R829m and audited expenditure of R809m for 2013/2014. It also reported under-spending of over R20m against over-spending of R8m.

Public Service and Administration Director General Mashwahle Diphofa explained to the committee that the unauthorised expenditure was due to over-spending on the department’s sub-programme under the goods and services line item.

He said the over-spending was caused by the goods and services requirements of the minister’s advisory body and additional personnel.

 Treasury’s submission to the committee recommended‚ amongst other things‚ that the Department’s unauthorised expenditure of R8.8m be financed using its budget for 2016/2017 financial year.

However the committee members took exception took to the idea of condoning the inconsistencies in the department’s expenditure report.

 Committee member for the IFP‚ Mkhuleko Hlengwa‚ said: “Under-spending speaks to a failure to deliver and that the plans you had you failed outright to implement. We cannot sit here and condone under-spending and allow the department to duck out on explaining that“.

Committee member for the DA‚ David Christie Ross‚ said the Department of Public Service and Administration needed to leave the committee meeting “learning a lesson of internal audit function“.