Dear Editor, On Monday, September 16, after starting at 1pm, Parliament adjourned around 1.27pm to allow MPs to attend the opening of the netball U20 qualifiers. Maybe you should ask your MP whether s/he attended the opening.

Then after resuming on Tuesday, September 17 at 1pm, breaking for lunch at 2.20pm and starting up again after the break at 3.15pm, the MPs were on their way home 10 minutes later – adjourning until December 2024.

On February 29, 2024, Parliament passed the supplementary budget. The budget narrative (page 16 under 3.1.2.1) stated that Parliament needed an extra $72,282 from the ‘Parliamentary sitting’ POBOC (Payment on behalf of the Crown) to cover four sessions from December 2023 to June 2024 (28 days). In the period from July 2023 to June 2024, Parliament sat only 13 days in total.

In the same section (3.1.2.1), it said that $163,483 for ‘MPs Travel and Allowances’ POBOC was needed to address the anticipated shortfall in travel plans for MPs for the remainder of the fiscal year.

In reality (page 41 under 8.5 Schedule 2 – POBOCS), an extra $467,083 was appropriated for a $717,083 total.

I note in the 2024/25 budget (page 203 under 16.5 Schedule 2 – POBOCs) that MP travel/allowances have come down to $450,000 ($200,000 more than 2023/24) – so there shouldn’t be as much travel this financial year (legs crossed). And ‘Parliamentary sitting expenses’ have decreased from February’s supplementary budget ($272,282) to $200,000 (what it was at the 2023/24 budget) so there should be less Parliament sitting days. The MPs have only sat twice in the 2024/25 year (or 12 days in the current calendar year). Next sitting, December 2.

Why bother?

Moana Moeka’a