Reply: According to records available from the Small Farmers Welfare Fund, there are currently 921 registered breeders who are serviced by 19 veterinary officers of the Division of Veterinary Services (DVS) of my Ministry. With regard to livestock breeders, the free veterinary services include, inter-alia, treatment to animals, artificial insemination, vaccination and active surveillance in respect of diseases. Also, on call services are provided after office hours and during public holidays and weekends. In January 2024, owing to a shortage of veterinary officers at the DVS, the previous Government approved the recruitment of veterinary officer from Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member Countries on a contract basis for a period of one year, renewable on the same terms and conditions. It was also agreed that the recruitment would be extended to countries other than SADC countries. The Public Service Commission (PSC) had accordingly delegated the responsible officer of this Ministry the power to recruit veterinary officers from SADC Countries. However, the exercise was unsuccessful. Subsequently, on 20 February 2025, 10 vacancies for the post of veterinary officer were reported to PSC, out of which, only one vacancy was filled on 15 December 2025. A recommendation has been made to the PSC on 13 January 2026 to re-advertise the post for the filling of nine permanent vacancies locally. Should not all vacancies be filled, my Ministry may explore the possibility of recruiting from SADC Member countries anew. FOUNDATION PROGRAMME IN LITERACY, NUMERACY AND SKILLS – IMPLEMENTATION & GOVERNANCE