By Andria Kades
NEXT year’s state budget could increase by €10m if 23 amendments tabled by the government, largely concerning hiring dozens of people in the public sector, are implemented, the House Finance committee heard on Friday.
Budget chief Stavros Michail briefed MPs who were largely concerned what it would mean in terms of costs if the amendments should move forward. The 23 amendments, along with another four or five, are set to be tabled on Monday.
The €10m stems from amendments which outline new job openings in parliament, including committee secretaries, a senior employee for European cases, a financial scale management employee and three press officers.
An appropriation sum of €51,000 will also go towards parliament.
Amendments also target the health ministry, the judicial service and the registrar of companies, hiring more staff.
According to Michail, ten stenographers will be hired, ten individuals for the bankruptcy department and four people in co-ops.
Committee chairman Nicolas Papadopoulos said he was concerned this may take the country back to March 2013 circumstances, stressing that although over the past three years the government payroll has cut 3,000 people off it, it is still off the 4,000 mark set by the troika of international lenders.
Additionally, compared to last year, Papadopoulos said statistics revealed more people were employed by the state in 2015 compared to the previous year.
“If (these amendments) are due to petty intentions in light of the parliamentary elections, then this is twice condemnable.”
Another amendment outlines four senior agricultural officer jobs will be scrapped along with 22 forestry department officials.
A new job for an agricultural officer will be opening up along with five seats in the environment department.
Funding will also be upped for the natural gas public company (DEFA) that will be getting up to €7m to cover operating costs and repay €5.5m worth of loans owed to the Co-op bank, and the health ministry which needs €3m to stock some rare drugs.
If amended, the budget will also allow for €238,000 of reparation works to the labour ministry as well as €100,000 for a programme integrating people into the labour force.
Police will reportedly get €2.2m for overtime work.
The ministerial enlightenment committee will be scrapped transferring €100,000 to parties and €280,000 to occupied municipalities.
Another €212,000 will go the ministry of foreign affairs to fund expatriate organisations.
Boosting the air traffic control system, reducing delays in Cyprus’ FIR will get a €1m lump sum, if the amendment is implemented.
Another proposal is integrating the inland revenue department and the VAT to one tax department, regulating any job posts that will be scrapped, transferring permanent posts and filling new ones.
Michail outlined another amendment forbidding filling vacancies that have been vacant for five or more consecutive years for which the procedure to fill them has not yet commenced.
