1998 Appropriation (Parliament) Act 1997

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TO APPROPRIATE A SUM NOT EXCEEDING SIX MILLION AND FOUR HUNDRED AND TWO THOUSAND AND ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS OUT OF THE CONSOLIDATED FUND FOR THE REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE OF PARLIAMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDING THE THIRTY FIRST DAY OF DECEMBER, ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY EIGHT.

WHEREAS by Standing Order 74 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives of Fiji, it is the duty of the Standing Select Committee on Parliamentary Appropriations:

(a) To prepare the Annual Estimates and any Supplementary Estimates for the revenue and expenditure of Parliament for inclusion in Parliamentary Appropriation or Supplementary Appropriation Bills;

(b) Report to the House upon the Estimates prepared in accordance with paragraph (a) prior to the consideration by the House of the related Parliamentary Appropriation or Supplementary Appropriation Bill;

(d) Consider and report upon such other related matters as the House may refer to it;

AND WHEREAS the said Standing Select Committee has prepared such estimates for the revenue and expenditure of Parliament for the year ending the 31st day of December 1998.

2. The Minister responsible for Finance may withdraw from the Consolidated Fund, on the recommendation of the Standing Select Committee on Parliament Appropriations, for the service of the year ending thirty first of December, 1998 the sums not exceeding Six Million and Four Hundred and Two Thousand and One Hundred dollars specified in the First Schedule for the purpose of producing the services specified in the Second Schedule.

1	Established Staff	3,312.6
2	Unestablished Staff	275.6
3	Travel and Communications	932.0
4	Maintenance and Operations	170.0
5	Purchase of Goods and Services	271.6
6	Operating Grants and Transfers	21.0
7	Special Expenditures	835.0

	Total Operating	5,817.9

8	Capital Construction	0.0
9	Capital Purchase	0.0
10	Capital Grants and Transfers	0.0

	Total Capital	0.0

13	Value Added Tax	584.2
	Total Expenditure	6,402.1
	Total Aid-In-Kind	45.7


Staff Summary

	Established Posts	143
	Unestablished Posts	18
		$000
Programme 1 - Policy and Administration ACTIVITY 1 - General Administration *(Expenditure Account Number: 12-1-1)*

1.	Established Staff (46)	729.4
2.	Unestablished Staff (24)	275.6
3.	Travel Communications	160.0
4.	Maintenance and Operations	147.0
5.	Purchase of Goods and Services	198.6
6.	Operating Grants and Transfers	0.0
7.	Special Expenditures	135.0
8.	Capital Construction	0.0
9.	Capital Purchase	0.0
10.	Capital Grants and Transfers	0.0
13.	Value Added Tax	169.1

		1,814.7


		$000
Programme 1 - Policy and Administration ACTIVITY 2 - House of Representatives *(Expenditure Account Number: 12-1-2)*

1.	Established Staff (55)	1,769.7
2.	Unestablished Staff	0.0
3.	Travel Communications	588.0
4.	Maintenance and Operations	7.5
5.	Purchase of Goods and Services	50.0
6.	Operating Grants and Transfers	21.0
7.	Special Expenditures	500.0
8.	Capital Construction	0.0
9.	Capital Purchase	0.0
10.	Capital Grants and Transfers	0.0
13.	Value Added Tax	291.5

		3,227.7

$000 Programme 1 - Policy and Administration ACTIVITY 3 - Senate *(Expenditure Account Number 12-1-3)*

1.	Established Staff (33)	685.8
2.	Unestablished Staff	0.0
3.	Travel Communications	163.0
4.	Maintenance and Operations	8.0
5.	Purchase of Goods and Services	17.0
6.	Operating Grants and Transfers	0.0
7.	Special Expenditures	200.0
8.	Capital Construction	0.0
9.	Capital Purchase	0.0
10.	Capital Grants and Transfers	0.0
13.	Value Added Tax	107.4

		1,181.2

$000 Programme 1 - Policy and Administration ACTIVITY 4 - Senate *(Expenditure Account Number 12-1-4)*

1.	Established Staff (9)	127.7
2.	Unestablished Staff	0.0
3.	Travel Communications	21.0
4.	Maintenance and Operations	7.5
5.	Purchase of Goods and Services	6.0
6.	Operating Grants and Transfers	0.0
7.	Special Expenditures	0.0
8.	Capital Construction	0.0
9.	Capital Purchase	0.0
10.	Capital Grants and Transfers	0.0
13.	Value Added Tax	16.2

		178.4

The Legislature Department comprises Parliament which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. Parliament is the law-making institution of government through which he wishes of the people are discussed and decisions are made to reflect majority support on legislative proposals.

- Secretarial Support to provide secretaries in all meetings and to render advice and guidance to ensure that through fair conduct of deliberations issues are resolved;

- Record Keeping-to ensure that records of meetings are accurately maintained and are available to all Members and the media. Records include Minutes of meetings and the compilation of Hansard.

- Information Dissemination-to establish through the Parliament library an information system to facilitate access to information which Members need to support their speeches in debates on any specific topic.

- Political Party Organisation-to lend administrative assistance to parliamentary party offices of both the government and the opposition to facilitate free flow of debates in Chambers.

The Members of Parliament consist of 70 elected members of the House of Representatives, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, and 34 nominated Senators.

- To manage and administer available resources to Legislature to ensure that the legislature function of Parliament is carried out promptly;

- To co-ordinate the complementary role of each of the two Chambers of Parliament so that the legislative process is not delayed unnecessarily;

- To monitor closely the expenditure relating to the working of Select Committees of both Houses and the operation of offices belonging to parliamentary political parties.

- Take firm control over financial commitments of Legislature to avoid over expenditure on the one hand, and to ensure on the other hand that through proper planning funds are always available.

- To provide advice to the presiding officers of the two Houses and to parliamentarians on parliamentary procedural matters. Success may be measured by smooth operation of meetings of Select Committees and debates in Chambers;

- Develop in the next two years an information system in the parliamentary library for members to use to improve their ability to contribute effectively to parliamentary debates in Chambers or in Select Committee work. Apart from physical upgrading of facilities in the library it is planned that trained staff be made available to do simple research work upon request from Members;

- Improve office accommodation and social facilities for Members in the next two years. This includes the establishment of a small printery unit, net-working of computers to speed-up information retrieval and communication, and completion of canteen facilities for Members.

This activity will be provided within a total cost (VAT inclusive) of $1,814,700 in 1998.

- To consider and debate proposed legislation during scheduled meetings of the House and Select Committees, with the view to ultimately enacting these into laws which are necessary for maintenance of good government.

- To study in detail and to critically comment on government's proposals contained in an annual national budget, which outlines expected revenue 'and specific projected expenditure items in the various Ministries of the government for the forth-coming year;

- To debate and decide on any government proposals that affect the social, economic or political interests of people in general, or of specific groups.

- With the provision of efficient secretarial services, record of all meetings are provided promptly for Members on daily basis. A measure of success is the ability of Parliament to debate any given legislative proposals and to dispose of them through the parliamentary process before they are enacted into law;

- Implement a co-ordinated system of correct information recording to which Members have easy access. When Members are able to make cross references to past debates or quote accurately from recorded speeches in Hansard then there is some indication that the information system has achieved a measure of success;

- The overall result is an improvement to the quality of debates which may also mean that legislators are more thorough and balanced in considering measures that affect good government.

This activity will be provided within a total cost (VAT inclusive) of $3,227,700 in 1998.

- To review any proposed legislation that are passed by the House of Representatives and to provide also a further check mechanism when matters pertaining to entrenched legislation are introduced;

- To provide a voice in Parliament for minority groups (racial or otherwise) whose interests may not be directly represented by elected Members of the House of Representatives.

This activity will be provided within a total cost (VAT inclusive) of $1,181,200 in 1998.

- To assist the Opposition Parliamentary Political Parties to form an organised official Opposition whose main objective is to ensure that the government of the day executes its policies to bring about fairness, peace and prosperity to all people. It is universally accepted that a strong Opposition is more than likely to assert its influence to keep a more balanced government in power;

- To encourage the Opposition to maintain its confidence on the neutrality of Legislature and to officially recognise the important role that the opposition is expected to play in the legislative process.

- Minimise potential complaints that Parliament secretariat is biased against the Opposition in any facet of Legislature's administration;

- Allow equal opportunities to staff in Opposition Offices and those in Government Parliamentary Offices in their efforts to manage the parliamentary business of their respective Members.

This activity will be provided within a total cost (VAT inclusive) of $178,400 in 1998.

Passed by the House of Representatives this twenty-eight day of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven.

Passed by the Senate this seventeenth day of December, in the year of our Lord one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-seven.

Fiji Sessional Legislation

1998 Appropriation (Parliament) Act 1997