Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Mr. Gaye TheVoice
Published on 2024-03-14 08:20:52
Lamin B. Darboe, the Information Officer at the Ministry of Public Service, Administrative Reforms, Policy Coordination and Delivery, shared important information with members of the national assembly regarding efforts to implement proposed allowance increments.
During a session with the national assembly on March 13, 2024, Hon. Baboucarr Bouy, the Minister of Public Service, discussed how the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs had collaborated with his ministry to explore potential savings on the 2024 Personnel Emolument (PE) Vote. The goal of this collaboration was to make room for the payment of the proposed allowance increments for public servants.
In response to a question posed by Hon. Bakary K. Badjie, the representative from Foni Bintang Karanai, Minister Bouy explained that the delay in the disbursement of Transport and Residential allowances to public servants by the government was due to ongoing discussions and analyses with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.
The Minister revealed to the deputies that during an Emergency Session of the Cabinet on November 15, 2023, the proposal to increase Transport and residential allowances for public servants was approved. The proposed increments included raising the Residential allowance from D1700.00 to D3000.00 and the Transport allowance from D1500.00 to D2500.00.
It was expected that following the approval of the proposal by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs would adjust the Personnel Emolument (PE) Vote of the Civil Service to accommodate these increments. However, Minister Bouy informed the National Assembly that this adjustment was not made before the submission of the 2024 Draft Budget.
The Ministry of Public Service, Administrative Reforms, Policy Coordination and Delivery anticipated that the adjustments to the PE Vote would be made in preparation for the submission of the budget to the National Assembly. Unfortunately, they later discovered that this adjustment had not been carried out as planned.
In conclusion, Minister Bouy assured the National Assembly Members (NAMs) that efforts were ongoing to address the situation and ensure that public servants receive the allowances they are entitled to. The collaboration between the Ministry of Public Service and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs continues as they work towards finding solutions and making necessary adjustments to fulfill the proposed allowance increments.
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