This week (25-29.6.23) the Knesset State Control Committee discussed three of the reports published by the State Comptroller in recent months.
Oz Barko, Director of E Department in the Social and Welfare Audit Division, and the Audit Director Ronen Shaked, presented (26.6.2023) the findings of the report in the matter of the establishment, maintenance and operation of sports facilities, which was published by the Comptroller in May 2023. The Comptroller checked and found that there are only 44 soccer fields in Israel per one million residents, as opposed to 607 fields in Germany and 547 in England. In Iceland there are 12 times as many soccer fields per resident as opposed to Israel – and it succeeded in qualifying for the World Cup in 2018. The Comptroller also found that there are thousands of basketball facilities which do not comply with the safety standard, and in the weak authorities there are 40% less sports facilities than in the affluent authorities.
"Studies show a direct link between practicing sports and economic and social effects (such as a reduction in crime), demographically and socially", said Barko. The report notes that in the ultra-Orthodox authorities there are 90% less sports facilities per resident than in the non-ultra-Orthodox authorities – and in the Arab authorities there are 38% less sports facilities per resident than in the Jewish authorities.
"It is difficult for children in the Arab sector to engage in any sport if it is not soccer", said Barko. "If we are talking about crime in the Arab sector – for children who do not continue in the academic track there is nothing to do. If they had more sporting frameworks perhaps the situation would be different".
Among the recommendations of the report, the Comptroller recommended that the Ministry of Culture and Sports conduct long-term planning containing reference to the allocation of land for the facilities, taking into account the sport's requirements, the increase in the population, the future transport infrastructures and the construction of new cities and neighborhoods. "20% of the sports facilities which can serve the community are not fully available to the public", noted Barko.
In the discussion, the Minister of Culture and Sports, Miki Zohar, related to the report's findings and recommendations and outlined the measures which his ministry had begun to adopt in order to rectify the defects. "There is indeed a severe problem of facilities in Israel", said Minister Zohar, "We must reduce the many years' gaps. I am giving my attention to the matter".
The Committee reconvened the following day (27.6.2023) to discuss the follow-up report published by the State Comptroller last February, on the matter of the treatment of lone soldiers during their military service and after their discharge.
The findings of the follow-up report regarding the rectification of the defects in the previous report in the matter from 2018 were presented by Eitan Dahan, Director of the Defense Forces Audit Division, the Director of A Department in the Division Yardena Doron and her deputy Vardit Marsiano-Sharon.
"6,613 lone soldiers served in the IDF in December 2021 – about 50% of them lack any kind of family support. About 38% of the lone soldiers noted that the military salary covered less than 50% of their living expenses, and it is clear that this is not enough", said Dahan.
The Comptroller found that apart from the subsistence allowance, in 2022 lone combat soldiers earned only 54 shekels a month more than what they received in 2017. Most of the lone soldiers live in rented apartments, but 44% of them find it difficult to pay the rent.
In the matter of the IDF's assistance in meeting the day-to-day needs of the lone soldiers, apart from housing, Dahan said that "The Personnel Directorate has not examined all of the lone soldiers' subsistence needs since 2010".
This week the Committee also discussed the findings of an additional report published in February 2023 by the Defense Forces Audit Division, about strengthening the tank forces, but the discussion conducted in this matter was confidential. The audit raised that even though the Reserve Service Law compels the Minister of Defense to present the level of the reserve forces capability to the Government once a year, from 2016 to 2022 the level of the reserve forces capability in the tank units has not been presented to the Government.