BY ALFRED PAGEPITU
GIZO
HON. George Solingi Lilo, MPA for Ward 18 South Rendova applauds the Executive Government for heeding the PAC call to allow for due Assembly process in dealing with the Revised Budget Estimate in Western Province.
Lilo in contributing to the Assembly last week said, as a matter of fact, the 2018/2019 Draft Revised Budget Estimate was tabled on 24th October. All accompanying documents were submitted over the next few days. The Committee, however, began its deliberations on 24 October to assess the budget papers and set-up the hearing schedule.
Lilo said the public hearings begun on Friday 26th October to Monday 5th November 2018. He said the initial was insufficient for the Committee to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the 2018/2019 Draft Revised Budget Estimate, hence, the reason for extension into two weeks.
“Before I comment on the Budget itself, I wish to briefly sketch the background to the thrust of my statement and I would like to do that by outlining some fundamental issues from which the Government has drawn its assumption in the formulation of the Draft Revised Budget.”
“Most critical issue that has directly impinged on the Revised Budget is the absence of the Executive Government’s Policy Document the hat should shape the budget outcome during the budget preparation process,” he added.
“This is a serious matter because in the absence of this policy intervention, the budget is being influenced by the preceding year’s policy performance,” said Lilo.
He said by then, the preparation of the 2019/2020 Appropriation Bill would have due and ready for debate on the second or third week of March 2019 as required by PGSP assessment criteria.
