A MEMBER of the DTA party has asked Prime Minister Nahas Angula to start investigating the extent of paid extra work civil servants are doing.

McHenry Venaani yesterday asked Prime Minister Nahas Angula how many civil servants had received his permission to do other work for pay over the past three financial years, and whether the Secretary to Cabinet had also obtained permission.

The Prime Minister quickly replied that the Cabinet Secretariat had been placed under the Office of the President a few years ago and he was thus no longer responsible for it.

Venaani however said that in his view the extra jobs and business ventures pursued by civil servants had reached huge proportions and this justified an investigation to establish who had permission and for what work.

"According to the Public Service Act of 1995 it is mandatory for all civil servants to acquire (written) permission from the Prime Minister's Office. Will you consider an investigation?" he asked.

"I cannot invite myself to do that," Angula replied.

"If a citizen has relevant information on that matter, this should be forwarded to me so that I have a basis to ask Government to pursue an investigation."