Finance Minister Opens Budget Debate on April 28

KINGSTON — Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, will open the Budget Debate in the House of Representatives April 28, where he will outline how the Government intends to finance the $544.7 billion budget for 2011/12.

The presentation will be streamed live on the Jamaica Information Service’s website at: www.jis.gov.jm.

Minister Shaw, on April 14, tabled the Estimates of Expenditure in the House of Representatives, which provided details on how the programmes will be funded and what the various Ministries and agencies will receive for Recurrent (house-keeping) and Capital (development) expenses.

The Standing Finance Committee, comprised of all 60 members of the House of Representatives, met from April 19 to 21 to consider the estimates, which reflect approximately $48 billion more in spending over last year’s revised figure of $497 billion.

The Budget Debate will run until May 11, with selected members of the Government and the Opposition making presentations.

Opposition Spokesman on Finance, Dr. Omar Davies, is expected to make his contribution on Tuesday, May 3, while presentations will be made by a Government Minister and an Opposition Spokesman on Wednesday, May 4. 

On Thursday, May 5, Opposition Leader, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller is scheduled to make her contribution to the debate.

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding is slated to make his presentation on Tuesday, May 10.  The Finance Minister will close the debate on Wednesday, May 11.

After the Budget Debate is completed, other members of the House of Representatives will make their presentations in the Sectoral Debate, which follows.

By TRACEY THOMPSON, JIS Senior Editor