As the allocations in the budget were scrutinized on Friday opposition parliamentarians queried various allocations to ministries, in particular an increase in contracted staff at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.
Dr Frank Anthony fielding questions from the opposition revealed that an increase of seven to eighty-four contracted staff members was as a result of the ministry’s ab-sorption of Guyana National Service personnel.
The minister said in response to several queries that the body disbanded in 2003 was under the responsibility of the ministry, which took some time to process its inclusion under the ministry’s budgeted funds.
The personnel now showing up in the capital expenditure estimates, Anthony explained, was as a result of their employment with the Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training programme.
Minister within the Ministry of Finance Jennifer Webster was taken to task by opposition MPs with regard to the allocation of funds to the National Parks Commission (NPC).
She was called upon to answer whether the NPC has been receiving value for money. The minister informed the House that funds were allocated for the payment of staff.
In answering queries in connection with the Environ-mental Protection Agency and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology the minister informed Parliament that in terms of receipts the EPA had paid for vehicles themselves.
She also informed opposition MPs that of a sum of $68M allocated to the Office of the President most of that was going toward the printing of gazettes, internet fees, furniture repairs and payments to the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI).
An allocation of $13M to OP as well was described as applying to electricity charges for senior officials such as Judges, the Chief Parliamen-tary Officer, and the Chan-cellor.
It was revealed that the Head of the Presidential Secretariat receives some $190,000 per month while the Assistant Archivist receives some $130,000 from an allocation of $56M. The remainder, some 75% of the sum, goes toward political advisors and the electronic monitoring of ministers’ residences.
The guard services which provide the monitoring are the GEB and MMC.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds was asked why a sum of $12M connected to the Guyana Elections Commis-sion (GECOM) was allocated for rental. He replied that the rental of the K.P. Thomas building following the fire at GECOM’s Kingston headquarters required that sum.
Allocations surrounding the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) were also queried, in particular the reductions in staff numbers. Hinds who dealt with questions in this regard noted at first that the institution was downsizing.
Questions were also asked about the allocation of funds to the Public Service Appellate Tribunal when no one was at present sitting on the board. The Prime Minister told the National Assembly that these funds were based on the future projections of the government that a board would be appointed at some time in the future. The answer was similar with regard to questions on funds allocated to the Ombudsman.
Allocations for the Unserved Areas Electrifi-cation Programme (UAEP) were also queried. In response to the question of how many people have so far accessed service from this programme, Hinds stated that the numbers were too low but they were working on it.
Various funds allocated to the Ministry of Public Works were brought under scrutiny by the opposition parliamentarians who asked about sums allocated to the Harbour Bridge and the New Amsterdam/Moleson Creek Road, among others.
