Senate Passes Supplementary Appropriation Bill

Beverly Williams

There was also the presentation of a Supplementary Appropriation Bill which comprised three sums of money: one for thirteen million dollars under the recurrent expenditure and an additional forty-two point eight million dollars under the Cap Two budget and another fourteen point eight million dollars under Cap Three budget. These add up to seventy point five million dollars. Courtenay explained that Senator Chris Coye, who is the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, called a meeting to explain the appropriation, but that only two senators attended that meeting. U.D.P Senator, Beverly Williams shared her concerns about the government having to come back to present supplementary bills and thereafter, P.U.P Senator, Collet Montejo rose to explain why the Bill was necessary.

Beverly Williams, Senator, U.D.P

“It is a fact that in March of 2022, we came to this honourable House for a budget for one point four billion dollars. It is a fact that four supplemental – this one at sixty-six point five, the first one at sixty-eight point six, the second one at seventy-six point two, and the third one was twenty-eight point seven – a total of two hundred and forty million dollars, Madam President. There are only three months left in this fiscal year. Will we be getting another one? It seems that it comes every quarter. So there are concerns about the forecasters and what’s happening there. It’s a total of eight supplementals over the last two years.”

Collet Montejo, Senator, P.U.P

Collet Montejo

“We come here and we speak about the government, when in fact, these monies are allocated for the use of the public service, of which all of us are the government. When vehicles are parked, it’s not for ministers. It’s for the public servants to be able to get their job done. So what’s the problem? And I can go through this budget and I do not see – listen, it is emphasized and stressed over and over again, and anyone with any kind of financial knowledge – I’m not – well I took a few courses in accounting here and there, but everybody knows that when a budget is set out it’s simply a guide.”