Appropriation Bill passed

By John Kakande PARLIAMENT yesterday passed the Appropriation Bill, giving authority to the Government to spend sh2,434.07b for the financial year 2000/2001. The passing of the Bill marked the conclusion of the consideration and approval of the national budget that has taken Parliament three months. The Ministry of Defence received the lion's share of sh187b for recurrent expenditure. This financial year, the Government has earmarked sh1,331.6b as development expenditure. But the Bill did not indicate how much money was allocated to various ministries and institutions for development programmes. The Ministry of Finance got sh183b for recurrent expenditure while State House received sh22.8b and President's Office sh27b. The Ministry of Education got sh58b; Health sh25b; Mulago Hospital 14.9b; Makerere University sh23b; and the Ministry of Works sh20b. The Mass Mobilisation department got sh5.8b, which includes recurrent expenditure for the Movement Secretariat and the district Movement chairpersons. The Police was allocated sh49.6b, which includes expenditure on the LDUs and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit. State minister for finance Gabriel Opio, closing debate on the Bill, denied that officials of his ministry unilaterally determine supplementary expenditures for various ministries which overshoot the approved budget. He said the excess expenditure is discussed and approved by the Executive. Opio, however, concurred with MPs that there was need for a law to govern contingency expenditures. He said the Cabinet had already considered the Budget Bill, which was drafted by the parliamentary committee on the national economy last year. "We are ready to appear before the committee to state the Government's stand," Opio added. After passing the Appropriation Bill, Parliament started debating the Acts of Parliament Bill, 2000. The Bill, tabled by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Mayanja Nkangi, spells out the procedure for a Bill to become law. Wandera Ogalo, chairperson of the legal and parliamentary affairs committee, told the House that it was now possible, under the 1995 Constitution, for a Bill to become law without the President assenting to it. Ogalo, presenting the committee's report on the Bill, said its intention was to change the existing law enacted in 1964. Under the old law, a Bill passed by Parliament would only become law after it is assented to by the President.