Classic FM – November 5, 2024
The minister of Finance and Planning has appealed for more time to enable him table the expenditure report for the 2023/24 financial year.
Marial Dongrin Ater, responding to questions from members of parliament during the second reading of the 2024/25 fiscal year budget in parliament on Tuesday, requested for more time to prepare the performance of the last year’s budget.
He however noted that his predecessor Eng. Awow Daniel Chuang had presented two reports for the first and second quarters for the last financial year, promising to work on the performance report of the last quarter of the budget.
He pledged to table it in parliament without giving specific timeline.
“We have discussed with the leadership of this house [TNLA] when it should be tabled. The report for quarter three is also ready for tabling. And guided by the rules of this house that today [Tuesday] is the second reading, we are dealing with general issue. I am not going to get into detail and I know when I present the budget execution we will go into detail,” said Ater.
This came after the acting chief whip of SSOA, Peter Lomude Francis, questioned the minister about the execution of last year’s budget. Lomude said there is need for the minister to explain how the civil servants and organized forces went for 11 months without pay, despite the parliament approving the budget.
“The ministry of finance and planning is legally required to produce quarterly expenditure reports to this august house. And the who of 2023/24 budget this august house did not receive any single quarter expenditure report on the performance of 2023/24 budget. It should not be the case for this financial year. By now this august house should have received the first quarter [report] of the 2024/25 fiscal year budget,” said Lomude.