ID SPEECH ON APPROPRIATIONS BILL
26 MAY 2010-Honourable Speaker, this year’s Appropriations Bill was formulated at an extremely difficult economic time in our country’s history.
LANCE GREYLING, MP
Honourable Speaker, this year’s Appropriations Bill was formulated at an extremely difficult economic time in our country’s history.
The whole world is experiencing a massive economic upheaval, with millions of people having lost their livelihoods across the globe.
The recent crisis in the Eurozone has also shown that the tentative global recovery of the past year has been mainly propped up by unsustainable deficit spending.
We therefore need to be alive to the fact that our own recovery, as shown by the growth figures yesterday, is constantly subjected to threats outside of our control.
The factors that are within our control, however, are the allocation and spending of our budgetary resources.
In this regard the ID believes that you have done a good job at ensuring that different priorities are being met during this difficult period.
The ID welcomes the fact that you have chosen not to decrease social welfare expenditure during this time and that finally the extension of the child support grant to all children under the age of 18 has been implemented.
This is something that the ID has been calling for over a number of years.
The ID also welcomes the announcement that you will be considering the introduction of a wage subsidy for youth, but we would have like to have seen this implemented this year rather than next.
The ID would also have liked to have seen more money being set aside for the gradual implementation of the much-debated National Health Insurance, as the gross inequalities in our health sector need to be urgently addressed.
In addition, the ID is concerned that not enough money has been set aside for the building up of specific green industries.
We cannot keep debating this issue without actually putting forward the funds and policies to build up this potentially huge growth sector.
The ID does, however, welcome the fact that this year’s budget has started to close the financial taps on those non-performing State-Owned Enterprises, particularly those that have become a major drain on the fiscus.
A major challenge that still needs to be confronted though is how we are going to continue to fund the huge infrastructural needs of our country, particularly in the area of energy, water and sanitation.
For too long we have lived in a false economy where we have not invested enough in maintaining and upgrading the essential services of our country and the effects of this are starting to be seen throughout our society.
Allocating the money, however, is only one side of the equation and the ID hopes that you will also live up to your promise of ensuring that we get value for money from every cent of government expenditure.
This includes ensuring that no money is lost through corrupt practices, or through the siphoning off of cash into the coffers of the ruling party under the guise of investment front companies, like Chancellor House.
With this provisio in place, the ID supports the Appropriations Bill.
I thank you.
For media enquiries please call Lance Greyling on 083 2988 553
Honourable Speaker, this year’s Appropriations Bill was formulated at an extremely difficult economic time in our country’s history.
The whole world is experiencing a massive economic upheaval, with millions of people having lost their livelihoods across the globe.
The recent crisis in the Eurozone has also shown that the tentative global recovery of the past year has been mainly propped up by unsustainable deficit spending.
We therefore need to be alive to the fact that our own recovery, as shown by the growth figures yesterday, is constantly subjected to threats outside of our control.
The factors that are within our control, however, are the allocation and spending of our budgetary resources.
In this regard the ID believes that you have done a good job at ensuring that different priorities are being met during this difficult period.
The ID welcomes the fact that you have chosen not to decrease social welfare expenditure during this time and that finally the extension of the child support grant to all children under the age of 18 has been implemented.
This is something that the ID has been calling for over a number of years.
The ID also welcomes the announcement that you will be considering the introduction of a wage subsidy for youth, but we would have like to have seen this implemented this year rather than next.
The ID would also have liked to have seen more money being set aside for the gradual implementation of the much-debated National Health Insurance, as the gross inequalities in our health sector need to be urgently addressed.
In addition, the ID is concerned that not enough money has been set aside for the building up of specific green industries.
We cannot keep debating this issue without actually putting forward the funds and policies to build up this potentially huge growth sector.
The ID does, however, welcome the fact that this year’s budget has started to close the financial taps on those non-performing State-Owned Enterprises, particularly those that have become a major drain on the fiscus.
A major challenge that still needs to be confronted though is how we are going to continue to fund the huge infrastructural needs of our country, particularly in the area of energy, water and sanitation.
For too long we have lived in a false economy where we have not invested enough in maintaining and upgrading the essential services of our country and the effects of this are starting to be seen throughout our society.
Allocating the money, however, is only one side of the equation and the ID hopes that you will also live up to your promise of ensuring that we get value for money from every cent of government expenditure.
This includes ensuring that no money is lost through corrupt practices, or through the siphoning off of cash into the coffers of the ruling party under the guise of investment front companies, like Chancellor House.
With this provisio in place, the ID supports the Appropriations Bill.
I thank you.
For media enquiries please call Lance Greyling on 083 2988 553
