The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Services and the Ministry of Environment and Housing all received substantial funding increases in the 2016/2017 budget.

The budget for the Office of the Prime Minister increased by $9,845,525 to $17,069,450. The rise is mainly because of increased funding for several high-profile groups overseeing special projects.

These include the National Health Insurance Secretariat, which has received $2.5m, the Antiquities, Monuments & Museum Corporation, which will receive about $2.45m, and the Clifton Heritage Authority, which will receive a substantial increase of about $1.8m to take its total to $2.2m.

The Office of the Prime Minister will also receive $2m as “provision for contingencies”, a much larger allocation than in the past.

The Cellular Liberalisation Task Force will also receive $500,000 while the National Development Plan Unit will receive $176,000.

Although Prime Minister Perry Christie announced in the House of Assembly on Wednesday that $22m has been allocated for an apprenticeship programme that will target unemployed youth - which will be jointly managed by his office and the National Training Agency - that programme and its funding were not included as a line item under the Office of the Prime Minister.

It was also not included as a line item under the National Training Agency.

As for the Ministry of Finance, its budget will increase by $50,289,294 compared to the previous fiscal year.

This is due to a variety of reasons, including a $10m increase for salary purposes (taking its budget up to $20.5m) and more than $3.7m for travel and subsistence purposes.

This is also owing to a $6m increase in issues relating to contracts and a substantial increase in the amount of money allocated for food supplies - up from $10,000 in the last fiscal year to $4m this year.

$20m has also been allocated in the ministry for “tourism contractual obligations” purposes, a new line item in the budget, while $7m has been allocated for the National Drug Plan Arrears, another new line item.

Increases in funding for the Ministry of Public Affairs are mainly because of a $12m increase in money allocated for medical health insurance purposes along with a $6m increase in staff gratuities and pensions.

After dropping substantially in 2015, the budget for the Public Services Ministry will return in the next fiscal year to its 2014 levels.

As for the Ministry of Environment and Housing, an increase in funding of $12,247,622 that brings the total to $18,398,355 is because $15m has been allocated for the Bahamas Public Parks and Beach Authority, a recently established body that received $500,000 last year.

As it relates to capital development projects, the Ministry of Works will also receive a major funding boost of about $12.7m, mainly because of infrastructural projects.

For instance, $5m more has been allocated for road construction in the Family Islands and $10m has been allocated for the construction of a multi-service centre for adults with developmental disabilities.