Budget Policy Vote 11: Public Works TW Nxesi MP Minister of Public Works “Improving the way we do business”
Honourable Chairperson,
Members of Cabinet and MECs,
The Chair and members of the Portfolio Committee,
Honourable Members of Parliament.
Let me also recognise in the gallery the presence of:
Chairpersons and CEOs of Public Entities and Professional Councils;
The Director-General and senior management of the Department of Public Works, as well as HoDs of provincial departments;
Members of the Audit Committee;
Representatives of labour, disability and women’s organisations;
Representatives of the property and construction sectors;
Academics from institutions of higher learning;
Beneficiaries of DPW’s school support, bursary, and training programmes;
Participants from EPWP programmes;
Bishop and Mrs Abrahams;
Bishop and Mrs Ndabambi;
Rev Lennox Mcubisi;
Members of my family, particularly my wife and son;
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
The Departmental budget allocation over the medium term is R21.4 billion. Of this total amount, R18.3 billion (or 85.5%) is earmarked as transfers and subsidies:
R6.4 billion goes to EPWP Incentives intended for the creation of job opportunities and income support as articulated in government’s 2014-2019 Medium Term Strategic Framework and the National Development Plan (NDP).
R11.4 billion goes to funding the operations of the PMTE (Property Management Trading Entity).
The balance of the budget will be utilised for operational priorities such as:
- Combating fraud and corruption,
- Strengthening oversight of the public works sector, and
- Enhancing the department’s delivery capacity.
This Budget Vote debate takes place against the backdrop of low growth and constraints on government spending. The direction set by SONA (State of the Nation Address) and the Finance Minister’s Budget Speech makes clear demands on government departments and entities, including to: contain costs, cut waste, combat fraud and corruption, and renegotiate all leases on property and equipment – to ensure value for money.
I want to assure this House that, as the Department of Public Works and the PMTE, we are taking action on all these fronts. Leases are being renegotiated and we have already met with landlords with a view to containing the cost of accommodation to government.
By strengthening our legal unit, we have reduced the high rate of default judgements against the department with consequent savings to the state. Moreover, civil claims to the value of around R300 million against the department were successfully defended.
Cost cutting measures have been implemented in relation to goods and services, and logistics. Human resource plans are being reviewed to contain administrative and management costs, whilst focusing available resources on acquiring, training and retaining the professional and technical skills needed to improve the core business of the department. To drive this effort we have strengthened the Professional Services function of the department.
In 2015/16 - 1,291 beneficiaries participated in Public Works bursary and skills development programmes, with a projected 1,067 beneficiaries targeted for 2016/17. Additionally, the PMTE is in discussion with SAPOA (South African Property Owners Association), the leading provider of Real Estate training – and universities - to design and implement a programme for PMTE Real Estate officials.
I have stated previously that services such as security and cleaning must not be out-sourced. We have now completed the in-sourcing of the security function in the Head Office – creating 79 decent jobs - with plans to now roll this out in the regions.
The Turnaround Plan
This is my fifth Budget Policy Vote presentation as Minister of Public Works. Many of you will remember that when I announced the Turnaround Strategy in 2012, I said that it would be based on two pillars:
- A zero tolerance of fraud and corruption, and
- Improving the way we do business.
I also said that this would be implemented in three phases:
- Stabilisation – to stop the bleeding;
- Efficiency enhancement – to improve the way we do business; and
- Sustainable growth – so that DPW increasingly plays a leading developmental role ensuring that public buildings are user friendly, safer, accessible and sustainable, whilst the state’s property portfolio is utilised to facilitate community and economic development.
To this effect, we worked closely with National Treasury to develop a 7-Year Plan to Rebuild Public Works. Four years on, I am here today to provide a progress report:
In relation to improved audit outcomes – the Department has bedded down the gains made during the stabilisation phase of the Turnaround. The Main Vote again maintained its unqualified audit opinion in 2014/15. The PMTE on the other hand maintained its qualified audit opinion in 2014/15 but with only two areas of qualification, down from seven in the previous year. In preparing for the current audit, we are actively addressing all outstanding issues.
The positive audit outcomes reflect improvements in the Department’s operations, particularly in lease management and the procurement environment. Stringent checks are carried out by the Inspectorate and Compliance Unit to prevent any irregularities in the procurement process, whilst we have worked closely with the National Treasury’s Chief Procurement Officer to review Supply Chain Management processes to make them fit for purpose in the specific construction and property environments.
The department is now utilising the National Treasury’s e-Portal to transparently advertise all competitive bids for easier (and cheaper) access. I need to add that efforts to reform procurement processes were further spurred on by the department’s commitment, in 2014, to implement the remedial findings of the Public Protector’s Report into the Security Upgrades at the President’s Residence in Nkandla.
The department has implemented all the remedial actions of the Public Protector, as well as the recommendations of the SIU and the Ministerial Task Team. This includes the following actions taken:
- DPW finalised a lease agreement with the Ingonyama Trust for use of land where police and defence facilities are built;
- Matters were forwarded to the SIU (Special Investigating Unit) to investigate irregularities and any acts of criminality;
- All officials who were found to have failed to comply with procurement policy and prescripts were subjected to internal disciplinary processes;
- A civil claim has been instituted against the Principal Contractor, to recover approximately R150 millions;
- Delegations were withdrawn from Regional Offices to approve tenders of above R50 millions;
- A draft policy on the Implementation of Security Upgrades at the residences of the President, Former President(s), Deputy President and Former Deputy President(s) is being developed to be presented to Cabinet for approval.
Public Works has learned from this experience. More importantly, systems are now in place to prevent any recurrence in the future.
- In relation to the first pillar of the Turnaround – ‘zero tolerance of corruption’ you will remember that I have previously announced that one of my priorities for the five years of this Administration is the full operationalization of the Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) Branch to combat fraud and corruption and to strengthen governance and compliance.
I need to mention that when we conceptualised the GRC Branch, back in 2012, we engaged with officials of SARS. They advised us along these lines: that whilst it was necessary to investigate and prosecute wrong-doers, it was even more important to put in place strong governance structures and controls to deny the opportunity for corruption in the first place.
This has necessitated a comprehensive Fraud Risk Assessment conducted for the first time during the year under review, to be repeated annually, with the intent of identifying and addressing fraud risk to prevent malpractice before it occurs.
With the focus on strong governance practices, I am pleased to announce that, over the past two years, the Department has demonstrated incremental improvement in its MPAT assessment results – government’s Management Performance Assessment Tool - which provides a barometer for improvements in governance practices.
I have informed the Director-General that I expect a perfect score for MPAT compliance over the five-year period of the Strategic Plan. He consequently introduced this commitment as a target in the department’s annual performance and strategic plans.
The Anti-Corruption Unit within the GRC branch has investigated a total of 340 allegations reported for the period 2009/10 to date (51 were reported in the current year) of which 235 have been completed, 57 referred to the SAPS, SIU or other entities for further investigation, and 52 are in progress. These investigations resulted in 176 disciplinary recommendations (of which 49 were processed in the past year).
During the year under review the department initiated 7 disciplinary actions specifically for the charges of serious fraud and corruption. Four of these have been finalised and resulted in 3 dismissals and 1 resignation. Completed investigations have also resulted in 6 civil proceedings for the recovery of approximately R322 million.
Investigations are also underway into conflicts of interest in 122 matters where departmental officials are suspected of having had interests in companies doing business with the Department, and possibly of having participated in related procurement processes.
A departmental review of work by built environment professionals contracted on the renovation of 16 ministerial houses in the Western Cape informed the Department’s decision to recommend, thus far, that the SIU recovers monies in 8 of these cases, and to refer the evidence of overpayment and unprofessional conduct to the built environment professional councils for further action. Potential recoveries, at this stage, amounting to several million rands, are being quantified.
In terms of a proclamation, the SIU investigations into irregularities in the procurement of leases are also underway. These investigations have thus far resulted in 2 criminal cases being referred to the National Prosecuting Authority. Two acknowledgments of debt have been signed to the value of R200,000 and the department has recovered over R2 million from overpayments for space and VAT. Six matters have also been referred to the department to institute disciplinary proceedings. Further recoveries and disciplinary action is expected to emerge from this investigation.
Honourable Chairperson,
We have successfully re-launched Operation Bring-Back in 2015 within the Public Works family to specifically: identify, investigate and recover state properties that have been unlawfully occupied or disposed of.
Working with provincial departments, a total of 9,719 properties are currently under various stages of investigation or resolution, having been red flagged for possible irregularities mainly from anomalies identified through our asset register rebuild programme and whistle-blower reports.
Computer-based interrogation of deeds records will identify further anomalies for investigation. As part of our data analytics exercise, we have linked the PERSAL data with the deeds data and have identified just over 300 employees of the state that have been red flagged for possible investigation. In Gauteng, the Department of Infrastructure Development has identified around 20 employees who are being investigated for being involved with transactions that are irregular.
More than 1,300 properties owned by the national Department of Public Works, having been detected as irregularly occupied through our physical verification exercise, will be either reclaimed or occupancies regularised by means of lease agreements or other financial arrangements with the occupants.
Our colleagues in the provinces from the public works family have also identified various high value properties that are illegally occupied. In Gauteng, the popular Roodeplaat Dam has been invaded by occupants arriving with caravans for a weekend stay, and who have now moved in permanently. In the Eastern Cape popular resorts featured in the Getaway magazine have illegally built hotels and chalets. The banks of the Kei River have now also been illegally occupied.
Investigations completed by the GRC Anti-Corruption Unit have also uncovered 15 properties that were irregularly alienated from the Department. These properties are being recovered through the relevant legal processes. A further 35 similar allegations are under investigation in the provinces.
The department has also referred 14 allegations of properties illegally transferred to private individuals to the relevant national, provincial, and municipal custodians for further investigation.
Honourable members, the good news is that, as Public Works and the PMTE, we are now getting to grips with this large backlog of corruption and maladministration.
Moreover, I believe that combatting fraud and corruption and strengthening financial management and governance structures is an essential precondition for us to make progress on the second pillar of our Turnaround: ‘Improving the way we do business’.
- The second pillar: ‘Improving the way we do business’
This has taken centre-stage as we moved decisively into the second phase of the Turnaround: ‘Efficiency Enhancement’ – and at the heart of this is the operationalization of the PMTE (Property Management Trading Entity) – which you remember I announced as one of the key priorities during the five years of this Administration. The PMTE is responsible for the core business of the Department: the provision of accommodation to government and management of the state’s property portfolio.
The vision that was articulated for the PMTE is to: ring-fence, better manage, maintain and optimally utilise the massive state property portfolio to build value, generate income and bring savings to the state - as well as other socio-economic benefits – particularly job creation and empowerment - whilst improving service to client departments.
During 20016/17, the PMTE will be conceptualising income generating initiatives on the back of the massive property portfolio under its custodianship. I have requested the Director General to conclude a finance model for the PMTE during the 2016/17 year to guide the strategies and tariff structures of the Entity, as well as to provide various alternatives and innovative ways to generate revenue from assets.
In pursuit of empowerment objectives, the PMTE has embraced the state procurement directive to target 30% of appropriate categories to engage SMMEs and cooperatives. In 2015/2016, the value of construction contracts to SMMEs amounted to R478 million.
I am pleased to announce that the PMTE will present a comprehensive and reliable GRAP-compliant (Generally Recognised Accounting Practice) Immovable Asset Register for 2015/16 which comprises 105,586 immovable assets on 31,310 land parcels.
Fair values have now been assigned to the assets resulting in an increase in disclosed value from R3.5 billion in 2012/13 to an expected value in the region of R100 billion for 2015/16 – thus more appropriately reflecting the value of state immovable assets on the national balance sheet.
I need to mention that unemployed graduates were recruited and trained to complete the verification exercise – thus also embedding capacity within the Department.
The completion this year of the Immovable Asset Register Enhancement Programme is crucial for the operationalization of the PMTE – providing the database underpinning asset management, property and facilities management programmes, as well as being the platform on which the aforementioned financial model will be built. It has also supplied critical data to Operation Bring Back on possible irregularities for further investigation.
During 2015/16 the PMTE commenced with a project to understand fully the contents of this massive property portfolio and to segment it so as to ensure optimum utilisation and to unlock its value and development potential.
Key to this initiative will be the development of a strategy around the utilisation of its vacant properties which amount to 13,043 land parcels and 1,939 buildings of varied nature and usage. All available options will be investigated, including the identification of those properties that could benefit government programmes such as human settlements, land reform, and the requirement for student accommodation, amongst others.
During financial year 2015/16, I approved the release of 36,494 hectares to address the following government requirements:
- Human settlements – 8,959 hectares
- Land Reform – 26,828 hectares
- Other socio-economic objectives (e.g. servitudes for water & electricity, educational purposes) - 707 hectares.
The Department will also enhance opportunities for the letting of some of these vacant properties to the public and private sectors (with a view to generating income to secure and maintain the portfolio) as well as availing properties to emerging black and female entrepreneurs in the construction and property sectors.
This initiative will build on the 100 properties identified in 2015/16 for allocation to B-BBEE property developers, and will also avail similar opportunities to property management and letting agencies. Where properties are identified as having no utilisation potential, a disposal option, among others, will need to be considered.
These various initiatives are supported by the PMTE’s recently established Research Unit that focuses on market research of all aspects of the construction and property industry. This Unit will assist to undertake a comprehensive portfolio analysis for the purpose of informing the department in its property decision-making processes, and especially to ensure a sound benchmarking approach to expenditure in all operational areas.
Initial research by the Unit already indicates that Government is paying considerably above market rate for leases in the Tshwane Metro. These findings support our current negotiations with landlords in regard to cost containment.
The department remains intent on finding an appropriate balance between the state-owned portfolio and reliance on leased-in accommodation as an interim measure. Where positive opportunities present themselves, the department will acquire readily available stock for its portfolio, exemplified in the 2015/16 acquisition of the Telkom Towers office precinct in the Pretoria CBD as permanent accommodation for the Head Office of the South African Police Services.
This acquisition substantially reduces the requirement for leased accommodation in Pretoria – resulting in long-term savings to the state of R1.3 billion over 10 years.
The recent acquisition of the Parliament Towers Building, just across the road from Parliament, which accommodates our Directors-General, will also go a long way in reducing the state’s financial exposure to leasing.
The backlog of lease renewals has been substantially renegotiated with considerable savings and long-term reductions in projected annual rental and escalation rates paid to landlords. The recent study by our Research Unit has revealed that leases in Pretoria CBD constitute 74% of all leases expiring in 2016 in terms of occupied space and about 11% of the total leasehold portfolio. Depending on the actual building/property grades, the potential savings of just the Tshwane leases, will be between R 44 million and R 69 million for the first year if renewed at the existing market rates.
Improved lease management has already impacted positively on audit outcomes, and will be further strengthened through the roll-out of an integrated electronic lease management system.
Performance standards have been developed for government immovable assets to measure: energy and water consumption, utilisation levels, condition and functionality. 400 buildings have been prioritised for performance assessment.
A huge challenge that we are still faced with, however, is that numerous state properties are vacant and neglected, leaving them susceptible to theft, vandalism, and illegal occupation. In other cases, the conditions of some of our occupied buildings are so poor that it doesn’t properly enable our user departments to fulfil their service delivery mandates.
As part of the Efficiency Enhancement Phase of the Turnaround Plan, the PMTE has identified the implementation of a maintenance strategy to improve access to, and the quality of, the state’s immovable assets. The strategy aims to increase the portfolio of properties which meet the requirements of user departments.
In this regard, as part of our comprehensive Facilities Management function, we are developing a high-level maintenance strategy that will focus on preventative, day to day, unscheduled, and planned maintenance. This is an area targeted for empowerment opportunities, job creation and skills development.
The aim is to appoint and train apprentices, artisans and professionals to build strong institutional capacity to implement the maintenance strategy. This approach will also reduce the incidence and cost of unplanned maintenance, and preserve the longevity and condition of the Department’s immovable assets.
In line with a client-centred approach, facilitated by the PMTE’s User Demand Management Unit and the cooperation of user departments, for the first time, we obtained all 42 U-AMPS (User Asset Management Plans) from the user departments.
While there is room for improvement in the quality of some of the plans, this represents a significant milestone in terms of compliance with GIAMA (Government Immovable Asset Management Act) as well as supporting implementation of IDMS (Infrastructure Delivery Management System). By more accurately matching needs to available accommodation, the purpose is to save costs and ensure that accommodation is fit for purpose, thus assisting line departments to enhance their service delivery.
To drive the Efficiency Enhancement Phase of the Turnaround, the PMTE has identified a number of projects to run over the next three years – designed to bring large efficiency gains and to improve service delivery, whilst also supporting the PMTE’s SONA obligations. These projects will be coordinated by the Project Management Office in the office of the DG, and are as follows:
- Project 1: PMTE Business Improvement – includes organisation redesign; change management; finalisation of the PMTE policy framework; Immovable Asset Planning; securing, training and retaining technical and professional expertise
- Project 2: Improving water management services at state-owned facilities - The department is currently maintaining and refurbishing 50 water treatment and wastewater treatment plants using an innovative biotechnology solution. This involved the recruitment and training of 102 water professionals in 2015/16. This number will increase to 180 in the present year, with an additional 110 young people to be trained in various professional and technical capacities.
- Project 3: Small Town Precinct Development – the creation of a focused Planning and Precinct Development Unit seeks to redress racial spatial imbalances, guided by the NDP, as well as to integrate government infrastructure planning to create efficiencies, balance the leased portfolio, save costs, and make services more accessible.
The Unit is currently active in Polokwane and Mbombela, as well as smaller town developments in Mandeni, Mount Fletcher, Secunda and Howick – and is targeting 24 integrated precincts for development by 2020.
The Precinct and Planning Unit also assists to facilitate the planning and regeneration of the country’s capital, Tshwane. Progress includes the following:
- In the Southern Precinct (Salvokop), the Stats SA Head Office building is in its final stages of completion.
- At the Capital Hill Precinct, the refurbishment and upgrade of Agrivaal Building has been completed, providing a 40,000 square metre state-owned facility which has achieved a 4 star green-design rating for energy efficiency and water savings. It is now the Head Office of the DPSA (Department of Public Service and Administration.)
- Project 4: Systems development to manage payment of property rates and municipal services
An Inter-Governmental Task Team was established in 2015 comprising the Department of Performance and Monitoring in the Presidency, the Department of Cooperative Governance, National and Provincial Departments of Public Works, National Treasury, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to ensure the settlement of inter-governmental debt to municipalities.
The process of verification, led by the Department of Public Works, established debt as at 31 March 2015 to be R3.5 billion. Of the verified amount of R982 million owed by national departments, the National Department of Public Works owed R411 million.
During the 2015/2016 financial year, the Department of Public Works paid a total of R317 million, representing 77% of the verified debt. The remaining amount for the entire government will be verified to ensure that it is settled. This greatly assists struggling municipalities - for whom these payments provide a critical revenue stream – essential to effect service delivery.
- Project 5: Immovable Asset Registry - consolidation of work done and provision of support to the wider public works sector to complete and manage their asset registers.
- Project 6: Energy and Water Efficiency Monitoring and Verification – in 2015/16 energy savings of over 262 million kWh (kilo-Watt-hours) were recorded, with a further 250 million reduction targeted for 2016/17. A National Green Building Sector Plan has been concluded with provincial departments. Working with the Department of Energy and other state-owned entities, plans are being developed for the installation of solar panels in government buildings. Some 5,500 green jobs are targeted for 2016/17 as part of the EPWP programme. In future, we will ensure that all leases PMTE enters into will involve Resource Efficient buildings.
To date, water savings achieved are in excess of 40 million kilolitres over the last 7 years, this translates to R 422 million in monetary savings. This programme will be extended in 2016/17.
- Project 7: Development of Integrated ERP Systems and ICT Master Plan – to roll-out an integrated ICT solution across the PMTE to support line function operations and to manage all transactions, secure efficiencies and enhance service delivery.
This will also support government’s commitment to pay service providers within 30 days. In 2015/16, 76% of invoices paid under the Main Vote were within 30 days, whilst the figure for PMTE was 86%. The roll-out of the automated invoice tracking and integrated ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems during 2016, together with continued work-shopping of service providers, we believe, will once and for all address these delays.
- Project 8: Small Harbours development – to upgrade proclaimed harbours in the Western Cape as well as to develop un-proclaimed small harbours in KZN, Northern Cape and Eastern Cape – as part of Operation Phakisa: Oceans Economy. This initiative is expected to contribute approximately R118 million to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the 2016/17 financial year.
- Project 9: Establishment of a Strategic Partnerships Office - in line with the Minister of Finance’s Budget speech call to establish partnerships to re-ignite infrastructure development and growth through co-funded syndicated projects and shared best practice.
- Project 10: Finance Efficiency Improvement and Sustainability Intervention – the point here is that we do not become complacent with the improved audit outcomes, and that we strive for continuous improvement and introduce further efficiencies in the financial management of the PMTE.
- Project 11: Construction Turnaround – the Construction Branch has been characterised by insufficient professional capacity and out-dated infrastructure delivery models. The following initiatives are being intensified to address these short-comings and include the following:
- Establishment of the SCM war room to track infrastructure projects
- The PMO will coordinate the infrastructure delivery value chain across the various business units of PMTE, and the implementation of IDMS (Infrastructure Development Management Strategy).
- Utilisation of government implementing agencies – particularly IDT (Independent Development Trust), the DBSA (Development Bank of South Africa) and COEGA to deliver projects.
- Establishment of joint teams with major client departments to identify and address project delivery blockages.
- Recruitment of professionals to assist in rebuilding technical capacity and mentoring young graduate professionals.
- A priority in this year is to re-engineer business processes and enhance ICT systems to drive improvements in planning, execution and monitoring of construction project management.
I need to flag the important contribution being made by IDT to realising the priorities of the Department: in relation to facilitating the delivery of social infrastructure; job creation (including 51,000 EPWP work opportunities); and its B-BBEE spend and support for youth and women contractors. The Department is working with Treasury to finalise a sustainable business case for the IDT. This process is now at an advanced stage.
In summary, the key strategic objectives of the PMTE for 2016/17 are:
- To fully operationalise the PMTE. We are on track to finalise the approval and implementation of the organisational structure in 2016;
- Reducing the cost of doing business and the optimisation of state assets;
- Improving property portfolio performance monitoring and evaluation for informed investment decisions;
- Improving needs assessments by focusing on the user departments and their requirements;
- Optimising the portfolio mix between leased-in and state-owned properties;
- Development and delivery of function-specific accommodation which is fit for purpose, such as service points, police stations, courts and so on;
- Developing and implementing the Facilities Management function, including a maintenance strategy;
- Completing the development of the financial model for PMTE, including revenue generating initiatives.
In relation to Construction Management the priority remains to strengthen capacity to:
- Ensure spending of all allocated funds;
- Tackling the backlog of projects; and
- Ensure that projects are delivered on time, to the required specifications and within budget.
- Towards Phase III of the Turnaround: Sustainable Development
In closing, I need to say that ring-fencing and professionalising the property management activities within PMTE has also focused attention on the need to clarify, and enhance, the other mandates and roles of Public Works, in summary:
- To nationally coordinate the EPWP - Honourable Deputy Minister Cronin will address this in detail;
- Oversight and governance in relation to the public entities (cidb, IDT, Agrement SA and CBE) as well as the six professional councils, and the PMTE;
- Oversight, policy and standard setting in relation to the wider public works family – in term of the concurrent mandate; and
- To transform and regulate the built environment – the construction and property sectors. To implement this mandate the Department is assisted by its entities: the Council for the Built Environment and the Construction Industry Development Board.
In this respect I should also congratulate the Property Sector Charter Council for successfully aligning their sector codes with the revised B-BBEE Act, 2013 (Act No 46 of 2013). We also wish the parties to the Construction Sector Charter Council well in their continuing efforts to find common ground – with the purpose of promoting enterprise and supplier development of disadvantaged groups, as well as skills development.
In terms of the concurrent mandate, national and provincial public works departments already cooperate across a number of areas, including: coordination and implementation of EPWP, implementation of IDMS (the Infrastructure Delivery Management System), the Green Building policy, maintenance of immovable asset registers, coordination of payment of rates and taxes owed to municipalities, and implementation of GIAMA.
The department has embarked upon a major policy review to produce a new White Paper which will culminate in the tabling of a Public Works Act to clarify the mandate of the Department.
This process also lays the groundwork for the third phase of the turnaround: Sustainable Development.
No doubt, honourable members are eagerly awaiting the medical metaphor with which, by tradition, I end these budget vote inputs. I will not disappoint you.
Thanks to the aggressive surgery, I’ve outlined, accompanied by positive therapeutic rehabilitation, I believe that the cancer of weak governance and corruption is now in remission… But to prevent any relapse requires continuous monitoring – amongst others, by members of this House.
I thank you!
