PRIME Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said adjustments in the price range presentation explain the apparent increase inside the allocation for the Office of the Prime Minister in the upcoming financial 12 months.
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The OPM’s budget for domestic travel, allowances, office resources and desk-bound, meals, ice and consuming water has multiplied as compared with the 2018/2019 allocation. The budget for domestic tour has multiplied through 60 percent, as an example, up from $136,416 to $256,738. The competition has criticized the increase, with Progressive Liberal Party Leader Philip “Brave” Davis thinking whether the investment is for the high minister’s re-election marketing campaign.
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Dr. Minnis said the day before this within the House of Assembly: “It is essential to factor out that ordinary, the allocation for the Office of the Prime Minister has definitely been decreased. In previous budgets, some of initiatives and gadgets have been displayed as separate line items underneath the Office of the Prime Minister. For instance, the Over-the-Hill Initiative, the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, the Bahamas Investment Authority, the Strategic Planning Committee – which become formerly the National Development Unit, and the BEST Commission, had been all listed as individual and separate line objects below Head 14.
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“This intended that every one of the factors of their respective budgets, inclusive of elements and cloth food, services, journey, and so forth, have been offered inside every of their character line items. So, what previously accounted for the tour for the Office of the Prime Minister, now consists of the journey for all of the devices and departments I referred to earlier.
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“Although it can appear that some items below my workplace could have increased extensively over the year, this doesn’t, in fact, represent a massive increase in the allocation. For example, in this finances, you may see that the allocation for printing and duplication service grew from $3,000 in 2018/19 to $242,250 in 2019/20. However, this now consists of printing services for the following sections: the Office of the Prime Minister in New Providence, which totals $four,750, the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit, which totals $9,500, the Over-the-Hill Initiative, which accounts for $one hundred ninety,000, and the Strategic Planning Committee, which totals $38,000.
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“Similarly, you may see that the allocation for home journey and subsistence improved from $ seventy-four,000 in the final price range to $256,738 on this price range. Again, this line object no longer bills for home journey for the Office of the Prime Minister best, however for all of the other projects and gadgets, consisting of, as an instance: $ forty-two,038 is attributed to home travel for the Bahamas Investment Authority, $eleven,400 for the Strategic Planning Committee travel charges, and $5,1/2 for the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit journey fees.”
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He said $four,750 is for the Bahamas Investment Authority subsistence fees, $2,850 for the Strategic Planning Commission, and $665 for the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit.
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“Again, those allocations for the domestic journey have been previously in the line items of every one of those units in past budgets,” Dr. Minnis stated.
