Private Notice Question

To ask the Honourable Minister of Social Integration and Economic

Empowerment –

Whether, in regard to the National Empowerment Foundation (NEF), he will

state if he has taken note of the comments made by the Director of Audit in
the Report thereof on the Accounts of the Republic of Mauritius for the
Financial Year 01 July 2017 to 30 June 2018 and, if so, indicate if he has since
had any meeting with the Board of the NEF to discuss the issues raised?

Madam Speaker,

I thank the Honourable Leader of the Opposition for his interest in the
activities of the National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) in-as-much as he
himself was from May 2010 to August 2011 the Minister of Social Integration
and Economic Empowerment.

His Private Notice Question gives me the opportunity to state facts on the
NEF and my Ministry, in light of the comments made by the Director of Audit.

Madam Speaker,

In fact, I have not waited for the comments of the Director of Audit to
have meetings with those responsible for the NEF, and I shall continue to do so
to find workable solutions to problems encountered by the NEF.

Madam Speaker,

I wish to inform the House that as soon as I took cognizance of the

comments of the Director of Audit in her Report for the period 1st July 2017 to
30th June 2018, I personally chaired a meeting with the Chairman of the NEF
Board, the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, other officials of the
Foundation and my Ministry on Thursday 28 March 2019 to look into the
comments made by the Director of Audit and to take remedial actions on the
observations made.

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 It was noted that the Financial Statements for the period 1st January 2016
to 30th June 2017 have already been prepared and are presently being examined
by the National Audit Office.

The Financial Statements for the period 1st July 2017 to 30th June 2018
have already been submitted to the National Audit Office in January 2019 by
NEF.
The Committee also took note that there was a backlog wherein the
Financial Statements for the year ended 2012, 2013 and that of 2014 were never
submitted.

I am pleased to inform the House that the Financial Statements for the
year 2012 have already been audited by the National Audit Office and filed at
the Registrar of Companies. The Financial Statements for the period ended 31
December 2013 would be released shortly by the National Audit Office. As
regard the Financial Statements for the year ended December 2014, same is at
the level of the National Audit Office for audit purposes.

The Financial Statements for period ended 31 December 2015 and period
1 January 2016 to 30th June 2017 have already been prepared and are being
st

examined by the National Audit Office.

Madam Speaker,

When this Government took over in December 2014, it was noted that
the situation was chaotic at NEF.

Madam Speaker,

With regard to the Action Plan, the Foundation submitted same in July
2017. However, the Ministry requested NEF that the Action Plan be submitted
in a prescribed format with detailed information. Same was submitted in
February 2018.

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 Since July 2018, quarterly progress reports are being submitted by the
NEF. May I emphasize that my Ministry is monitoring the implementation of
projects/activities through regular meetings.

Madam Speaker,

The goals of my Ministry have been achieved.

As regards social housing, out of the Rs 221 Million provided in the

financial years 2016/2017 and 2017/18, an amount of Rs 115 Million has been
earmarked for the construction of 126 fully concrete housing units which are
ongoing and are expected to be completed by June 2019. An amount of Rs 19
Million has already been earmarked for 19 additional housing units and
construction works are expected to be completed by December 2019.

Another Rs 50 Million has been earmarked for the construction of 50

housing units throughout the island. The contract has already been awarded
and construction work will start in May 2019. A second tender for construction
of 24 housing units with an estimated cost of Rs 24 Million has already been
launched and the offers are presently at the evaluation stage. This makes a total
of 219 houses.

Madam Speaker,

The current budget 2018/2019 also makes provision for the construction
of 6,800 housing units by the NHDC over the next two years and 10%, that is,
680 housing units are reserved for SRM beneficiaries. This makes a total of 899
housing units.

Since December 2016 to June 2018, over 10,000 families, representing

more than 40,000 beneficiaries, have been supported through the various
Income Support and Empowerment Schemes under the Social Integration and
Empowerment Act 2016. Out of which some 2000 beneficiaries have moved out
of poverty since December 2016.

Madam Speaker,

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 The main schemes and programmes implemented by the Ministry of Social
Integration and Economic Empowerment for the fiscal year July 2017 to 30 June
2018 are as follows:

• Some 10,000 households have been assessed to be eligible under Social

Register of Mauritius and have signed a Marshall Plan Social Contract.

• The main support includes an income support in the form of a monthly

subsistence allowance to the 10,000 households and educational support
to 17,000 school children. The educational support is provided in the form
of a monthly child allowance, school materials, school premium, free
examination fees and payment of crèche fees.

• Subsistence allowance, amounting to Rs 217 044 561, has been paid to

ensure that the basic needs of people living in absolute poverty are
effectively met so that they ultimately move out of the poverty trap.

• School Materials for the sum of Rs 33 688 808 have been distributed to
children of pre-primary, primary, secondary schools and pre-voc
institutions.

• School Premium Scheme, amounting to Rs 7 225 000, has been paid to

children of SRM households, who have passed the School Certificate and
the Higher School Certificate examinations.

• Crèche Scheme, representing Rs 1 312 700, has been provided in respect

of children of SRM households as an incentive to encourage unemployed
mothers to take up employment or undergo training. This Scheme pays a
maximum of Rs 2000 monthly to the day-care centres in favour of each
child admitted.

• Free Examination Fees, totalling Rs 2 670 390, have been disbursed to

provide an opportunity to children of households to have a second
attempt, free of charge, at their SC or HSC examinations irrespective of the
outcome of their first attempt.

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• Child Allowance Scheme of Rs 90 832 062 has been paid in respect of
children of eligible SRM households, as an incentive to encourage them to
attend school regularly and to meet at least 90% of attendance.

• Fully Concrete Housing units of 40/50 m2 each are being built throughout
the island for families living in absolute poverty and who are owners of a
plot of land but do not have the means to build a housing unit.

 The Ministry has worked towards the necessary institutional

arrangements through the setting up of a National CSR Foundation with
defined priority areas and the restructuring and functioning of the NEF.

 Financial support has been provided to 173 NGOs for the implementation
of 231 projects in the ten (10) approved priority areas of intervention
through the National CSR Foundation for a total amount of Rs 203 m.

Madam Speaker,

Echoing the statement of the Director of the Audit herself at Section 15.1
of her Report, the vision of my Ministry unflinchingly remains the eradication
of extreme and chronic poverty to create an inclusive and more equitable
society. Its mission remains steadfastly to support and empower the vulnerable
groups registered and found eligible for social aid under the Social Register of
Mauritius. The constant and consistent aim is to mainstream them in society
and improve their quality of life in a sustainable manner through the provision
of an effective and efficient service delivery, imbued in equity, fairness and
impartiality.