After two weeks of deliberation, Parliament approved the $21 million first supplementary budget for the current financial year, last night.
Included is $1.6 million appropriated for the salaries of Members of Parliament which were back paid to April and May of the last financial year and $9.5 million has been allocated for support of the COVID-19 assistance.
The supplementary budget will be financed through $19.47 million in additional Grants as well as $4.67 million from reshuffled existing expenditure items.
A total of $4 million has been allocated for Samoa Water Authority and Electric Power Corporation for community service obligations to assist the Authority and Corporation in the implementation of capital works for communities who require the essential services.
There is also $320,000 allocated for the VIP vehicles which was were originally meant to be appropriated, under the Second Supplementary for the past fiscal year 2020-2021 however due to the delays in the announcement of the new Parliament the Second Supplementary was cancelled and focus was directed at the new Main Estimates 2021-2022.
These vehicles are to be housed with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will be used to host and transport visiting Heads of States and dignitaries.
Other expenditures are $7,918 for staff salary adjustments, as per Public Service Commission approval. Another proposed allocation is $830,402 for the lease in Otahuhu New Zealand.
This is to recover finances of the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) for the purchase of the land and facilities at Otahuhu which currently serve as a marketplace for agricultural exports from Samoa.
The arrangement is a lease with the ACC and is paid monthly.
Furthermore a total of $13,879 the additional expenditure for the salary of the stated personnel to cover only the remaining months of the current fiscal year; furthermore close to $200,000 for the First Secretary in Canberra, a nominated officer is expected to take up this new post soon and the provision are to cover personnel costs associated with their relocation to the Mission Office in Canberra, Australia.
A total of $50,000 has been earmarked for ending of violence villages program; $26,000 allocated for the safeguarding of threatened coconut diversity within the upgraded International Coconut Genebank for the South Pacific.
Furthermore the Government is investing close to $50,000 for the safeguarding and Deploying Coconut Diversity with more than $18,000 for Investments in the coconut Industry.
The FAST administration has also allocated more than $100,000 to assist with theChild Labour Survey in the country that will be administered by the Ministry of Commerce and Labour.
Also included in the First Supplementary budget is the $120,000 Agriculture Development Project to construct a feedmill as well as to renovate the residence for staff and a storehouse. As well as $200,000 will be for the refurbishment of the Savai'i Packhouse.
The Ministry of Police and Prisons will receive close to half a million for the construction of a perimeter fence for the lands in Salelologa which have been earmarked for the new police headquarters.