National Budget by month end

Sources added that Government was now working towards a September 28 date for the Budget.

The date of the Budget is generally announced at the opening of Parliament.

The House of Representatives will hold its last meeting of this — that is for the Third Session — next Monday. (The Senate held its last meeting for the session yesterday.) After this, Parliament will take a three-week break during which time repairs are to be done in the Parliament Chamber, library and ancillary offices.

Government was originally looking at a September 5 Budget, but this proved impossible because key Budget documents, including the Estimates of Expenditure, were not ready.

Sources said yesterday that these documents were still being prepared and that the Ministry of Finance should have all the documentation ready by the end of September.

The Budget will be presented by Prime Minister Patrick Manning, who holds the portfolio. On the other side, Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday usually leads off the debate.

With reports circulating that Panday is seriously considering stepping down, however, sources are speculating that UNC’s Budget response will fall to St Augustine MP Winston Dookeran who is qualified in economics, or his peer, Gerald Yetming who is practiced in the field. Panday, who has been in London for the past month, is due to return home tomorrow before flying out again on Thursday to attend a conference in Fiji, which will be held between September 1 and 10.