Skerrit to present an EC$526 million budget on Friday

When parliament meets on Friday next week, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit will present to the nation a budget of EC$525,959,958 for the fiscal year 2015-2016. The recurrent budget is $341,738,098 and the capital budget is $184,221,860.

The Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development receives the largest chunk of the recurrent budget -$66,785,390; followed by the Ministry of Health and the Environment-$52,073,934 and the Ministry of Finance-$50,815,104. The Ministry of Commerce, Enterprise and Business Development receives the smallest slice-$558,305.

From the capital estimates the Ministry of Public Works and Ports receives $69,538,328; the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries -$24,706,311; the Ministry of Health and the Environment-$19,540,000; the Ministry of Trade Energy and Employment-$14,724,979.

Compare Last Year's Figures

Comparatively, last year the prime minister presented a recurring budget of just over EC$316m; recurrent budgets includes salaries and wages. The largest slice (EC$62,887,928) went to the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, with nearly EC$48m to the Ministry of Health, EC$42m to the Ministry of Finance and EC$33m to the Ministry of Public Works, Energy and Ports. The Ministry of Tourism received approximately EC$15m.

Last year the capital budget (capital budgets include grants for capital projects) was EC$174m.

A quick calculation shows that Government intends to spend $25 million more this year on salaries, wages and supplies and materials- the recurrent budget. The sum for capital projects is $10 million more than in the 2014- 2015 fiscal year.

Other Matters for Parliament to Deal With

During Friday's meeting of Parliament, which starts at 10 am on Friday 24th July 2015, the opposition United Workers Party (UWP) parliamentarians are scheduled to ask Government ministers a number of questions.

The first question on the Order Paper is related to expenditure of ministers of Government at a Global Parliamentary Conference in 2015.

Secondly, Joseph Isaac, the UWP parliamentary representative for the Roseau Central Constituency is scheduled to ask the Minister of Tourism and Urban Renewal about the fate of a Roseau Reinstatement Project that was prepared in 2000 by Deseau-Soprin International of Canada.

There are also questions about a basketball court at Bath Road in Roseau and trips by Government officials to Malaysia.

Also during the meeting of the House of Assembly, Government ministers intend to introduce a number of Bills including:

• a Bill for an Act to amend the Tax Information Exchange Act Chap. 67:02

• a Bill for an Act to amend the Exempt Insurance Act 1997, No.14 of 1997

• a Bill for an Act to amend the International Exempt Trust Act 1997, No. 10 of 1997

• a Bill for an Act to amend the International Business Companies Act 1996, No. 10 of 1996

• a Bill for an Act to amend the Offshore Banking Act 1996, No. 8 of 1996.