PARLIAMENT has been further adjourned until Monday 2 December to provide ample time for the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to hold its inquiry into the 2025 Appropriation Bill 2024 and prepare its report before the budget is tabled in Parliament.
The further adjournment was made following the passage of another special adjournment motion tabled by Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele last Friday.
Parliament resumed on Friday after the House passed a special adjournment motion moved by PM Manele on Monday November 4 to give time for Government Caucus and Cabinet to look through the budget and thereafter for the PAC to conduct its inquiry into it before being tabled in Parliament for debate and passage.
When moving the Special Adjournment Motion, Friday, PM Manele said he understood the budget documents have been printed and should be in Parliament on Friday 15 November or during the course of the weekend.
He said the PAC should be able to commence its inquiry into the budget this week and it will take about two weeks for it to complete this scrutiny process.
“The main reason why we move this Motion of Special Adjournment to 2nd December 2024 is so that PAC could do its deliberations on the 2025 Budget and table its report by the time we resume on 2nd December.
“Of course, Members of Parliament and PAC members could take the time of this Special Adjournment to attend to other important matters within their constituencies, but we expect the PAC to deliberate on the budget and have its report ready once we resume on 2nd December,” PM Manele said.
All sides of the house supported the motion, for which the PM thanked them.
By IAN LADDS OSO
Solomon Star, Honiara
