$$ approved for President's Office, Digital Transformation Ministry

THE Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives approved a budgetary allocation of $23,871,470 for the Office of the President (OTP) when it met at the Red House on Wednesday.

Within that allocation was a sum of approximately $1.1 million for a public education programme.

Pointe-a-Pierre MP David Lee asked what this programme was about.

Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis reminded him that in her inaugural address on March 20, President Christine Kangaloo identified educating the public about the role of her office as one of her priorities for her five-year term.

Robinson-Regis said this is what that money would be used for in the next fiscal year.

In her inaugural address at the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain, Kangaloo observed that many people do not understand the role of the Office of the President, after 47 years of republican status.

"During my term, I would like to continue the work begun by my predecessors in trying to demystify the role. I think that a good place to start is at the level of our primary schoolchildren."

Robinson-Regis reminded MPs that part of the OTP's mandate is provide Kangaloo with administrative, advisory and other support services during the course of her duties.

Under the Constitution, Robinson-Regis said, Kangaloo is "the repository of all executive authority."

She added that Kangaloo exercises her powers within certain constitutional limits.

Most of the President's actions are taken on the advice of another authority. Robinson-Regis said that authority is the Cabinet, the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader.

Earlier in the meeting, the committee approved an allocation of $279,645,032 for the Digital Transformation Ministry.

Before the allocation was approved, Digital Transformation Minister Hassel Bacchus said the ministry will be in full implementation mode in fiscal 2024.

He added this will be done by ensuring resources are in place to implement a multitude of transformational projects that are already in motion across several government ministries, including his own.

"Digital technology is transforming the way we live, the way we conduct business, the way we govern ourselves."

Bacchus said his ministry's digital economy programme is designed to increase the contribution of the ICT (information communication technology) sector to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He added there are over 500 registered ICT developers working in TT. Bacchus said they are developing various ICT projects and a long-term hope is the creation of a domestic software-production company.

The committee held its final meeting on Thursday to deliberate on eight expenditure items in the budget.

These were the Parliament, Industrial Court, Equal Opportunity Tribunal, Office of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs, and the Agriculture, Housing, Trade and Industry ministries.

The committee passed the budget at the end of this meeting.

The Senate is now sitting to debate the budget. Under its standing orders, the Senate cannot vote on money bills, such as the budget.