PREMIER Sharlene Cartwright Robinson has revealed that the new budget for the country will be later than her government had expected.
At a press conference on Thursday (March 2), the Premier explained that on assuming office on December 20, her government learned that the budget process had stopped, and in the last few months they have had to re-start the entire budget process and finalise it.
She did assure that they already have the recurrent budget – which will see spending in the area of law enforcement, policing, primary health care – with major focus on policing and the prison.
“You will see quite a bit of support in these areas from this new government,” the Premier stated.
She added that the Financial Strategy and Policy Statement (FSPS) has already been sent to the United Kingdom.
The premier explained that document was recently amended to include a European Union budgetary support, as the government had just signed the EDF11 which gives the country budgetary support over forty months, and which began in 2016.
Meanwhile, the Premier stated that there will be a House of Assembly meeting sometime this month, during which time they will present a provisional warrant that will allow the government to continue to function until the budget is actually passed.
The government is constitutionally bound to pass the budget by July, the Premier assured, stating that her government is on track to do that and that the country can expect it much earlier than the constitutional deadline.
“We are going to have some additional capital projects that are desperately needed,” Cartwright Robinson said, pointing out that some major infrastructural works will soon be carried out in order to give the country a “facelift”.
These works, she said, will be carried out in several islands.
She added that the budget is not comprehensively a PDM budget, as they are rolling over several projects that were approved by the previous administration.
She noted that her government intends to move forward ambitiously with a number of projects that have been pending since 2015.
The Premier also updated the press on the government’s legislative agenda for the next four years.
The agenda has already been presented to the Attorney General’s chambers.
Cartwright Robinson further noted that her government is supporting the police strongly in the legislative agenda, with other much-needed support to the financial services, planning legislation, environmental legislation and youth work.
