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{
    "id": 53338,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/53338/?format=api",
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    "content": "The Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Budget Committee is established under the Standing Order No.190. The Committee is mandated as follows:- (i) To examine the Budget Policy Statement (BPS) presented to the House and shall report to the House what, if any, economies should be made consistent with the proper carrying into effect of the policies implied in or by such Statement and Estimate. (ii) To evaluate tax estimates, economic and budgetary policies and programmes with direct Budget outlays. The Budget Committee is further given legal backing under the Fiscal Management Act, 2009. During the review of the BPS, the Budget Committee held eight sittings and one workshop, which we called the Pre-Budget Workshop. Further, the Committee received submissions from Departmental Committees which it considered and are included in this report. The Committee is grateful to the offices of the Speaker and the Clerk of the National Assembly for the support they gave to this Committee during its consideration of the BPS. It is also grateful to the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC), the Assistant Minister in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Ministry of Finance and his staff, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), the Registrar of the High Court and her staff, the Interim Independent Electoral Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer and his staff who appeared before it. Lastly, the Committee appreciates efforts by Ministries and stakeholders who made presentations during the Pre-Budget Workshop. On behalf of the Budget Committee, I now have the honour and pleasure to present this report and recommendations relating to the BPS for the Year 2011/2012 and the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to this House for debate and adoption. I would like to start with the concerns of the Committee before I come to the recommendations. With regard to compliance to the Fiscal Management Act and the Standing Orders, to a great extent, the BPS followed the format prescribed in the Fiscal Management Act, 2009, and the Standing Orders. However, in terms of details, it fell short of expectations such as information breaking down the ceilings to Ministries. Much as this shortcoming was highlighted in the 2010/2011 BPS, a lot is yet to be done. If the BPS is to achieve its intended purposes of establishing the total aggregate of national resources including their distribution, it is imperative that the Minister provides such value adding information. Nevertheless, during the review of the BPS, the Committee sourced for additional information from the Treasury Circular issued on 17th March, 2011. An explanation is, therefore, required as to why this trend persists. The Budget Policy Statement (BPS) has failed to address the issues pertaining to debt servicing charges for the financial year to which the Budget relates and the next two financial years. There is also lack of clarity on the criteria used to allocate the available resources among the various programmes. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, although the BPS mentions the underlying risks to the 2011/2012 Budget, it does not detail the statement of specific fiscal risks and contingent liabilities, including guaranteed loans, pending bills and uninsured risks, promissory notes and other internationally accepted instruments and the rules that determine what constitutes current and future fiscal risks."
}