The Public Accounts Committee hearing into the 2018 Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2018 ended successfully on Thursday 16th August 2018.
It took four days for the PAC to hear from sixteen government Ministries and agencies who are requesting additional funds or supplementary appropriation for the year ending 31st December 2018.
The 2018 Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2018 is the eleventh bill of 2018 and it seeks to appropriate an additional two hundred and twenty five million, nine hundred and sixty two thousand, and six hundred and seventy three dollars ($225,962,673) from the Consolidated Fund for the financial year ending 31st December 2018.
Just to give a brief overview from the additional Supplementary expenditure, a total of twelve ministries are requesting additional funding which total up to Two hundred million, one hundred thousand, and five hundred and thirty six dollars ($200,100,536).
Of that amount forty three million, six hundred and twenty seven thousand, one hundred and sixty four dollars ($43,627,164) will be for recurrent expenditure while one hundred and fifty six million, four hundred and seventy three thousand, three hundred and seventy two dollars ($156,473,372) for development expenditure.
Four ministries have been requesting additional supplementary expenditure for both recurrent and development spending. These include the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, Ministry of Communication and Aviation and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources.
On Contingency Warrant, only the National Judiciary is requesting one million, three hundred and forty two thousand, nine hundred and seven dollars ($1,342,907) while eight ministries are requesting appropriations using Advance Warrants which totaled up to twenty four million, five hundred and nineteen thousand, two hundred and thirty dollars ($24, 519,230).
Five out of the sixteen ministries have requested the largest amount in their supplementary appropriations. They are Ministry of Infrastructure Development $112,427,008, Ministry of Finance and Treasury $20,334,446, Ministry of Health and Medical Services $17,706,306, Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development $14,452,809 and the Ministry of Home Affairs $12,488,680. The remaining eleven Ministries supplementary appropriations are totaling up to forty eight million, five hundred and fifty three, six hundred and ninety four dollars ($48,553,694).
In terms of variations in expenditure, there is a reduction of three million, five hundred and nineteen thousand, nine hundred dollars ($3,519,900) from what was appropriated in the 2018 Appropriation Act 2018 for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services. This amount is transferred to the Health Lifestyles Promotion Fund that is managed under the Tobacco Control Act 2010 by the ministry.
Another transfer of six million dollars ($6,000,000) which was appropriated in the 2018 Appropriation Act to the Ministry of Home Affairs is now transferred to the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet for the preparation of the 2023 Pacific Games.
All in all, Supplementary Appropriations which includes Additional Supplementary Expenditure , and expenditure using Contingency Warrant and the Advance Warrant totals up to two hundred and twenty five million, nine hundred and sixty two thousand, and six hundred and seventy three dollars ($225,962,673) for the year ending 31st December 2018.
The Ministries or agencies that have appeared before the PAC during the four days hearing include the Central Bank of Solomon Islands, Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, Ministry of Communication and Aviation, Ministry of Commerce, Industries, Labor and Immigration, Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs, National Judiciary, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Ministry of Public Service, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade.
A report containing the PAC’s recommendations from the hearing will be compiled later for Members of Parliament to prepare them in their second reading debate of the Bill when Parliament resumes on Wednesday 22nd August 2018.
You can access the copy of the 2018 Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2018 on our website for more details.