Cost of Running the Foreign Missions of the Department of International Relations in the various Financial Years 2005 – 2006, 2006 – 2007, 2007 – 2008, 2008 – 2009, 2009 – 2010, and 1 April 2010 up to date; as well as the amount of Bilateral Commissions signed by each Mission

QUOTE

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO: 1954

PUBLISHED IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO: 17 OF 26 JULY 2010

Mr S Mokgalapa (DA) to ask the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation:

(a) What was the cost of running each of her department’s foreign missions (i) in the (aa) 2005-06, (bb) 2006-07, (cc) 2007-08, (dd) 2008-09 and (ee) 2009-10 financial years and (ii) during the period 1 April 2010 up to the latest specified date for which information is available, (b) how many bilateral commissions were signed by each mission in each of these financial years up to the latest specified date for which information is available and (c) what was the value of each bilateral commission?    

REPLY:

(a) The total cost of running foreign missions between 2005 and July 2010 is R9, 968 058, 615.


(b) 26 Bilateral Commissions were signed between 2005 and July 2010.

(c) Bilateral Commissions are not signed by the respective missions but by Members of Cabinet, Bilateral Commissions provide a platform for the governments and technical departments of respective states involved to liaise in order to establish, strengthen and deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interest. It is, therefore, impossible to apply monetary value to Bilateral Commissions, as the issues cover a variety of subjects and a range of sectoral agreements, which cannot be quantified in financial terms. These issues span the political, economic, social and technical fields of interstate relations.

UNQOUTE