THE Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives approved expenditures of $911,700,000, $17,884, 670 and $333,682,220 respectively as it concluded its fourth day of deliberations on the 2022/2023 budget on Monday.
The committee held its fifth and final day of meeting on the budget on Tuesday. The House later approved the budget.
The Senate begins its debate on the budget at 10 am on Wednesday.
Under its standing orders, the Senate cannot vote on money bills (such as the budget) or deliberate on such bills in their committee stage.
By law, the House and Senate are required to approve the budget before the end of October, when the current fiscal year ends.
Before the approval of expenditure for her ministry, Public Administration Minister Allyson West promised it would continue to focus on improved public-service delivery and enhance the capacity of the public service during fiscal 2023.
West said in keeping with the directives of the Prime Minister, the ministry has been seeking to implement and enhance digital technology in different aspects of its operations.
Earlier in the meeting, on Monday, Planning and Development Minister Pennelope Beckles-Robinson said there was an allocation of $1 million in the budget for the Public Administration Ministry to look at the development of a work-from-home (WFH) policy. She added that her ministry and the Public Administration Ministry are collaborating on this, so she could not give a timeline as to when such a policy might be implemented.
But she said, "For us, this is an important exercise."
The PNM offered the implementation of WFH policies for the public and private sectors as one of its campaign promises in its 2020 election manifesto.
On March 9, then leader of government business in the Senate Clarence Rambharat said a sub-committee comprising permanent secretaries and heads of department of different ministries and the Personnel Department were looking at the issue.
At a news conference on September 26, after Finance Minister Colm Imbert presented the budget, the Prime Minister said the public sector was not ready at this time for a major WFH policy. Dr Rowley noted that some private-sector entities have WFH arrangements.
Before the committee approved expenditure for the Office of the President, Minister in the Ministry of Finance Brian Manning said these funds would allow the office to continue to provide support services to President Paula-Mae Weekes.
Responding later in the meeting to a question from Barataria/San Juan MP Saddam Hosein, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the Office of the President will hold a public awareness programme to enhance the public's knowledge of its roles and responsibilities in fiscal 2023.
Hosein asked if this initiative would be rolled out in schools or generally to the public.
"Both," Imbert replied.
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