Quite a way to go for $4b budget passage

By EDDIE OSIFELO

PARLIAMENT is still to pass the $4 billion budget after the start of the committee of supply on Wednesday.

It had completed scrutiny of only nine stakeholders’ recurrent budget into the $4 billion budget since the start of the Committee of Supply.

They are;

1. Solomon Islands Electoral Commission;
2. Office of the Ombudsman;
3. Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock;
4. Office of the Auditor General;
5. Ministry of Education and Human Resources;
6. Ministry of Finance and Treasury;
7. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade;
8. Office of the Governor General and
9. Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

There are 21 ministries left for Parliament to complete the scrutiny of their recurrent budgets.

After, Parliament will continue the scrutiny of their development budgets before the passage of the budget.

Both Government and Opposition spent most of their time on scrutinised the recurrent budgets of Ministry of Education and Human Resources and Ministry of Health and Medical Services.

Ministry of Education has a recurrent budget of $1.1 billion while Ministry of Health has a recurrent budget of $427.6 million.

A total of $2.7 billion is allocated under the recurrent budget to meet the expenses and charges of all the ministries and constitutional offices in the government.

About $938 million is allocated under the Development Budget.

While $258.5 million is allocated under Budget Support Expenditures.

It is still not sure how long it will take Parliament to pass the budget.

Parliament continues with the sitting at 9.30am today.