WITH a number of challenges raised by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) about a number of new Government Ministries included in the Budget Estimates for 2015, the Government has no choice but to gazette those Ministries, thus certifying them as budget agencies recognized by law. Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Barton Scotland addressed the House last evening on the issue after a meeting with representatives from both the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, and the Opposition PPP/C.
Coming out of that meeting, it was agreed between the two sides that a number of new agencies would have to be gazetted before they can be considered in the Budgetary Estimates for the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly, which first sat yesterday.
The Ministries of the Presidency, Communities, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Public Infrastructure, Social Protection, Public Security, Public Health, Tourism, and Business, are now to be included under the Third Schedule of the Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Act, which lists the budget agencies.
These new ministries were made effective when the new Administration came into office following the May 11 election.
“An order to this effect will be issued by the Minister of Finance and shall be gazetted to take effect from the 22nd August, 2015,” the Speaker told the House. This move will ensure a smooth transition into the consideration for estimates under the new agencies, which were listed in the 2015 Budget even though they had not yet been legally listed as budget agencies.
Aside from this, the Speaker noted that a number of constitutional agencies had been placed under Government Ministries. This was incorrect, since those very agencies were given financial independence based on the amendments to the Constitution, as well as the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act under the David Granger Administration.
Those agencies include the Chamber of the Director of Public Prosecutions; the Judicial, Public, Police, and Teaching Service Commissions; the Public Service Appellate Tribunal; the Public Procurement Commission; Office of the Ombudsman; Guyana Elections Commission; Supreme Court of the Judicature; Parliament Office; the Rights Commissions; and the Ethnic Relations Commission.
Those agencies previously were catered for under a table in the estimates titled “Subsidies and Contributions to Local Organisations,” but will now be classified under “Local Organisation only (strictly speaking local Organisations) and Subventions to Constitutional Agencies.”
The Speaker lauded the collective efforts of both sides to work to a compromise. “This takes us quite a far way forward, and we hope that we can build on it, in a matter which we think matters here this evening and beyond,” he said.
He explained further that the constitutional agencies will form part of the considerations. The Speaker expressed hopes that all the estimates that were to be considered for the Monday session would be concluded on that day.
Even with these challenges, the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly, which approves budgetary estimates, will continue to sit until Wednesday, without extension, as stipulated by a Government motion