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In reply to a Democratic Alliance (DA) parliamentary question, the Minister of Labour, Mildred Oliphant, has revealed that her department spent over R50 million on travel expenses for 2009/10.

A copy of the reply follows below.

The reply further reveals that the department’s travel bill increased by over R11 million between 2007/8 and 2009/10.

While it is logical that a travel bill for an entire government department would be sizeable, I will be submitting follow-up questions to the Minister to determine the full details of the trips that contributed to her department’s travel bills since 2007/8. I will be asking for a comprehensive breakdown of costs, including the location of each trip, which officials attended and why, and what outcomes each trip achieved.

This administration has become characterised by its use of state money to fund pricey overseas trips. Minister Oliphant needs to explain why her department is any different, and why she regards this R50 million bill as the most effective use of her department’s funds.

This is particularly pertinent given Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s assertion in this year’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, that “we have to address inefficiency, extravagance and waste in public administration, for trusteeship is at the heart of the contract between government and its citizens.”

There are numerous initiatives overseen by the Labour Department which could have benefited hugely from even a small portion of the money it spent on travel.

For example, Productivity SA, which has the smallest budget of all the entities falling under the Labour Department, is in desperate need of additional funding. This entity seeks to boost levels of productivity in ailing companies, thereby saving jobs and creating new job opportunities. It could have used extra money from the department to help it save many more companies, and therefore many more jobs.

Ultimately, this is a matter of priorities. Minister Oliphant’s department has a vital role to play in addressing poverty, unemployment and inequality. The Minister needs to assure Parliament that every spending decision is made with this in mind.