Sparks flew last evening in the National Assembly as government and the opposition clashed over why 16 constitutional agencies got only 60% of the total they had requested for their 2017 programmes.
This is the second year that lump sum allocations for these agencies are being considered separate from the regular budget in accordance with a financial autonomy law passed last year.
The 16 agencies, inclusive of the Parliament Office, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Public and Police Service Commissions, the Supreme Court, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Indigenous People’s Commission, collectively requested budget allocations totaling more than $11 billion dollars however after six hours of strife in the House they were granted a total less than $7 billion.