Budget allocations for Home Affairs, Family Affairs and Mayor’s office approved |25 November 2017

The budget for three agencies which fall under the home affairs portfolio -- regional centres, Seychelles Prison Service and Seychelles Police -- have been approved.

The budget allocation amounts to R468,940,570.

It was the designated minister Macsuzy Mondon who was present in the National Assembly yesterday to defend the home affairs budget.

However, four allocations have been frozen under the prison department -- that being for the purchase of uniforms for a sum of R1.36 million, R1.03 million for clothing and bed linen, R16.3 million security and enforcement and R13.7 million building and infrastructure.

28 members voted in favour of the home affairs budget.

The principal secretary for finance Patrick Payet said following recommendations of the National Assembly the uniform procurement process is being reviewed and as from next week the Finance and Public Accounts Committee (FPAC) will receive a copy of the internal audit report.

As the designated minister is also responsible for the Office of the Mayor of Victoria which falls under the local government portfolio, 27 members of the Assembly voted to approve the budget of the Mayor’s Office which amounts to a sum of R4,923 million.

Meanwhile members of the National Assembly have also approved the budget for the Ministry of Family Affairs, the Agency for Social Protection and five agencies under the Family Affairs portfolio.

Present to defend these budget allocations were the Minister for Family Affairs Jeanne Simeon, the chief executive of the Agency for Social Protection (ASP) Marcus Simeon, principal secretary for family affairs Marie Josée Bonne.

24 members voted in favour of the sum of R1,75,686,000 for the benefits & approved programmes for social protection while for the Ministry of Family Affairs 23 members approved a budget of R44,526.50 million and a sum of R31,994.73 for ASP.

A total of 19 members approved the National Council for Children’s (NCC) budget of R4,935 million, and 25 members voted in favour of the allocation of R4,292 million for the National Council for the Disabled (NCD) followed by a further R11,301 million for the National Council for the Elderly and Homes with 18 votes.         

21 members also voted for allocating a budget of R1 million to the Social Workers Council.

The discussions were centred mainly on the concerns in relation to home carers where the members stated there is a lack of home carers on the inner islands, a monitoring and supervision system to ensure that the home carers are delivering a proper service, the low salary and scheme for the home carers especially those who are parents to disabled children.

The members also questioned the role of the newly formed National Council for the Elderly where the minister stated that there is currently a care taker committee working with administrators of homes for the elderly until the new regulation is applied.

“There is a new bill being presented to the National Assembly very soon on the creation National Council for the Elderly and once the standards are established, training is completed with the carers, and then the body will regulate all the services which the elderly receive,” she said.

MNA Clifford Andre enquired about the reduction of retirement benefits from R606 million to R584 million and the reduction of 5% in the sickness benefit.

In the afternoon deliberations began on the budget for the department of habitat and infrastructure and the Seychelles Planning Authority and it is expected to continue on Monday.

On Wednesday afternoon, Assembly members approved the budget allocations for three health agencies – National Aids Council (R5,575m), Public Health Authority (R59,496m) and Seychelles Nurses and Midwives Council (R1,315m).