Budget Promises

$1.3B for Tobago

By CHARLEEN THOMAS

FOR THE first time in history, Tobago will have access to $1.3 billion in funds for a fiscal year. However, only $900 million will be given in cash, with the other $400 million to be realised with the assistance of the Ministry of Finance.

The announcement of Tobago’s share in the national pie was made by Prime Minister Patrick Manning yesterday when he presented the 2003/2004 Budget in the Red House. The announcement of the allocation was met with an approving nod from Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Orville London. London later confirmed to reporters that he was not “exactly surprised” with the allocation, but “in the final analysis it is not just about the numbers but about the capacity to deliver.” Hochoy Charles, a minority leader in the THA, expressed concern with the “composition of the spending...I don’t think the present crop in the THA will do justice to it.” Manning said bearing in mind his statement last year that Tobago needed to play “catch up” with Trinidad, the recurrent Budget for fiscal 2004 “stands at $734 million and the development budget at $166 million. “Beyond this, the Minister of Finance will assist the Assembly in accessing funding up to a maximum of $400 million to undertake urgent and critical capital investment projects.” He boasted, “This is a first for Tobago and means that for fiscal 2004, the total resources available to the Assembly will amount to $1.3 billion.”

Manning said the resources will enable Tobago to undertake several projects, including the reconstruction of the Scarborough Library, the transportation hub in Scarborough, desilting of the Hillsborough dam, expansion of the Crown Point airport terminal and the Scarborough jetty, a new financial complex, the Roxborough Plaza and Market and the construction of a number of bridges and repairs to secondary schools. Manning also announced that Government had received a proposal from France to build a bridge between both Trinidad and Tobago, and a feasibility study will be done this year. Manning noted that there was now a fruitful and harmonious relationship between central Government and the THA, which he said was due in “no small measure to the quality of PNM governance on both islands of the Republic.” He added, “This is quite a change from the bad old days, and the improved relationship has enhanced the programme delivery capabilities of both levels of Government.”

London further told reporters after the Budget presentation that the central Government and the THA were attempting to provide the kind of funding and resources to deliver to the people, which he said could be achieved.“We got about 90 per cent of recurrent expenditure and about 60 per cent of development, and we also have to bear in mind that when you examine the Budget, there were a number of other areas from which Tobago benefited, like the police stations at Roxborough and Old Grange, and the social sector programmes, so when you look at it, I am fairly comfortable that we will be able to achieve our objectives.” London said he was also happy with the overall Budget. Also expressing satisfaction was Secretary for Finance in the THA, Anslem London. He said it was a reasonable reflection of what Tobago needed and  the basis for moving forward on many of the objectives. “Broadly I don’t think there is any reason for us to complain.” Regarding the proposal of the bridge, both Londons said it was an interesting  idea. In response to Charles, London (O) said any central Government would be comfortable giving millions to the present THA administration, and if he was in central Government he would have had great difficulty in giving any kind of money to the previous THA administration.

$6B for 6 Ministries

Six Government Ministries have been allocated more than a billion dollars each in  the $21.8 billion 2004 Budget presented in the House of Representatives yesterday by Prime Minister and Minister of Finanec Patrick Manning. However the largest allocation was for Charges on Account of the Public Debt totalling $4,688-,955,644.

The Ministry of Education received $2,841,179,433, the highest allocation among the Ministries, followed by the Ministry of National Security which was allocated $1,900,300,400. Details are contained in the Draft Estimates of Expenditure for 2004 which was laid in the House among Budget documents.  Other Ministries receiving over a billion dollars were Ministry of Finance $1,793,515,183; the Ministry of Health $1,641,-939,136. The Ministry of Works and Transport $1,219,912,759 and The Office of the Prime Minister $1,210,112,490. The lowest allocation among the ministries went to the Ministry of Social Development $37,265,132. Allocation for the Judiciary totalled $193,699,166.  The Ministry of Science, Technology and Tertiary Education was allocated $720,958,981. The allocation for the Tobago House of Assembly amounted to $900,561,461, while the allocation for the Ministry of Local Government was $722,436,486.

$1.6B for PSIP

By SEAN DOUGLAS

Aids, wildlife and university education are the subjects of this year’s Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP). Of the $22 billion 2004 National Budget, some $20.28 billion is allocated for Recurrent Expenditure, while just $1.677 billion has been allocated to capital investments in the PSIP.

The PSIP document distributed yesterday said the $1.677 billion will be allocated to five areas — Social Infrastructure, Economic Infrastructure, Public Administration, Planning and Project Programme Development, and Productive Sectors. The chief allocation is to Social Infrastructure to which $934 million or 55 percent of PSIP is to be allocated. Social Infrastructure consists mainly of Education ($364 million), Health ($270 million), Housing and Settlement ($115 million), Social and Community Services ($93 million), Human Resource Development ($86 million) and Training and Support for Employment ($5 million).   Economic Infrastructure has been allocated $388 million or 23 percent of PSIP, consisting mainly of $124 million for Roads and Bridges, $66 million for Agriculture, $51 million for Other Economic Services, and $45 million for WASA. Some $341 million or 20 percent of PSIP has been allocated to Public Administration which consists of $245 million to Administration, and $95 million to Public Order and Safety. Planning and Project Development is allocated $11 million, while the Productive Sectors (consisting solely of Agriculture) has been given $1.3 million.

The Overview to the PSIP document said the PSIP had been increased by 84 percent on last year’s allocation. “To intensify the efforts to combat crime, enhance public safety and improve public services, the level of expenditure on public administration will increase almost two fold from $177 million in 2003 to $341 million in 2004. Details of the PSIP were listed in the document’s appendix. The largest items of PSIP expenditure were the Establishment of a National Parks and Wildlife Authority ($103 million); National Highways Programme ($1,935 million); IBRD Fourth Education Programme to build primary schools at Scarborough and Ste Madeleine ($494 million) and the Secondary Education Modernisation Programme ($945 million).