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Wednesday 12Th July 2017 PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF FIJI PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES DAILY HANSARD WEDNESDAY, 12TH JULY, 2017 [CORRECTED COPY] C O N T E N T S Pages Minutes … … … … … … … … … 2135 Communications from the Chair … … … … … … 2135-2136 Debate on the 2017-2018 Appropriation Bill 2017 … … … … 2136-2277 [Committee of Supply – Head No. 16 – Head No. 31] WEDNESDAY, 12TH JULY, 2017 The Parliament met at 9.45 a.m. pursuant to adjournment. HONOURABLE SPEAKER took the Chair and read the Prayer. PRESENT All Honourable Members were present, except the Honourable Minister for Fisheries, the Honourable N. Nawaikula and the Honourable Ratu S.V. Nanovo. MINUTES HON. LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN PARLIAMENT.- Madam Speaker, I move: That the Minutes of the sitting of Parliament held on Tuesday, 11th July, 2017 as previously circulated, be taken as read and be confirmed. HON. A. SUDHAKAR.- Madam Speaker, I beg to second the motion. Question put. Motion agreed to. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE CHAIR Welcome I welcome all Honourable Members to today’s sitting. I also welcome the students from Nadi Airport School who are here to witness the continuation of the debate on the Budget. We met at your school in and it is great to see you here in Parliament today. Welcome to Parliament. And to the members of the public joining us in the gallery and those watching proceedings on television and the internet and listening to the radio, thank you for taking interest in your Parliament. Parliament Proceedings - Live Airing Moving on with the concerns raised earlier this week by the Honourable Leader of the Opposition with respect to the live airing of the Parliamentary sittings, the Department of Communications had informed that the entire Parliament feed has been live non-stop on live stream as well as on the dedicated Parliament channel on Walesi. For the information of the Honourable Members, the feed was on FBC, Fiji TV and the Broadcast has been lived on both channels and on Walesi Channel 6 and on live stream. It should be noted though that the TV stations, however, switched to their other programmes during the broadcast. 2136 2017-2018 Appropriation Bill 2017 12th July, 2017 Delay – Daily Hansard – Tuesday, 11th July, 2017 Also, for the information of the Honourable Members, the Daily Hansard Report will be delayed due to the prolonged sitting last night. This will be circulated once the Secretariat finalises the report. Thank you. Consideration of Bills I have been advised that there will be no Consideration of Additional Bills today. RESUMPTION OF DEBATE ON THE 2017-2018 APPROPRIATION BILL 2017 HON. SPEAKER.- Parliament will now resolve into the Committee of Supply to resume the debate of the Heads of the Budget Estimates. Committee of Supply: Head 16 – Ministry of Communications MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- The floor is now open for comments. We are looking at Programme 1, Activity 1. HON. P. SINGH.- Madam Chair, Head 16, Programme 1, Activity 1, SEG - 5 - I just need two clarifications. Can the Honourable Minister clarify: 1. What is Fiji In Focus for where a sum of $208,696 has been allocated; and 2. On the same SEG, there is an allocation of $80,000 for Public Awareness - Media Relations. HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- My apologies, Madam Chairperson. I am sorry I did not hear you. I apologise, Honourable Prem Singh. HON. P. SINGH.- Not a problem. Madam Chairperson, Head 16, Programme 1, Activity 1, SEG 5, I just need two clarifications: 1. What is Fiji In Focus for which a sum of $208,696 has been allocated; and 2. On the same SEG, there is an allocation of $80,000 for Public Awareness - Media Relations. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Minister? HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- Sure. The Fiji in Focus, Madam Chairperson, is the expenditure that you have, there is a supplement that Government puts out that comes out once a week or sometimes once every fortnight in the Fiji Sun which has the Department of Information that puts out news on Government activities. You would have seen that, it comes out on a Sunday and that is the cost of producing and publishing that. In respect of the Public Awareness – Media Relations that again, for example, a Minister may go out and open a particular farm initiative or whatever it may be, the cost of all of that is captured over there - Public Awareness – Media Relations. As you know also that a lot of this is good for archiving purposes. You would have seen that Semi Koroi unfortunately passed away over a week ago, he has been hosting “Fiji - Back in Time”, you see footage from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and all the projects that took place. These are part and parcel of building up the Archives so we do need to carry out this particular Public Awareness – Media Relations in respect to that. 12th July, 2017 2017-2018 Appropriation Bill 2017 2137 MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Salote Radrodro? HON. S.V. RADRODRO.- Thank you, Madam Chairperson. Before I could move to have an increase or decrease, may I please have a clarification on Programme 1, Activity 1, SEG 7 on the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union Meeting - $300,000 under “R” whether this meeting is going to be held here in Fiji or overseas? Thank you, Madam Chair. HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- It will be held in Fiji. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Professor Biman Prasad? HON. PROF. B.C. PRASAD.- Thank you, Madam Chairperson. I appreciate the explanation for the Fiji In Focus and $80,000 Media Relations, I have no problem. But I want to move a motion, Madam Chairperson, pursuant to Standing Order 102, I move without notice that the allocation of $1 million for Qorvis Communication is removed from Head 16, Programme 1, Activity 1, SEG 5. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Do you have the amendment? HON. PROF. B.C. PRASAD.- Yes. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Do you have a seconder? HON. P. CHAND.- Madam Chair, I second the motion. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Anare Vadei? HON. A.T. VADEI.- Thank you, Madam Chairperson. My question is on Head 16, Programme 1, Activity 1, SEG 1. The change in the salary, does that cover all the civil servants’ salary increase? HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- Madam Chairperson, as we stated earlier on in the response to the Budget by the Opposition that SEG 1 and SEG 2, all of them have incorporated the salary increases which also includes the Job Evaluation Exercise or the remuneration exercise that took place. That is all built into that – SEGs 1 and 2, for all of them. HON. A.T. VADEI.- All the bands? HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- Everyone. HON. A.T. VADEI.- Okay, thank you. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Aseri Radrodro?. HON. A. M. RADRODRO.- Madam Chairperson, I just wanted to seek clarification on this Special Production of $150,000 noting the explanation given by the Honourable Minister for the Fiji In Focus and Public Awareness. What is this Special Production of $150,000? MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- That is on SEG 5? 2138 2017-2018 Appropriation Bill 2017 12th July, 2017 HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- Again, this covers things like production of the nation’s business Back In Time, coverage of Ministerial assignments and other special videos upon request on an ad hoc basis. In respect of the Public Awareness – Media Relations, just to give you a bit more detail that I was asked to earlier on, this also caters for the travel, airfare and per diem for Information team, News and TV Unit that travels with, for example, if record the Honourable Prime Minister going to the Oceans Conference, where His Excellency the President goes to the Middle East. All of that Public Awareness – Media Relations, the travel for the staff that go there, the per diems is covered. Sometimes, we get requests, so for example if a Minister may be going to Rotuma, the media whether it is any of the media outlets will request for footage. So we then provide them with the footage because they do not necessarily want to cover the expense of going all the way to Rotuma, or for example, there may be a four-day trip to the Lau Group. So our team goes with them and then we share that footage with them. That is what they are catering for. We approximate about $8,000 per tour. Of course, it is very expensive, in particular, if they do, for example, His Excellency the President when he goes to the Middle East and meets our troops, that actually has to pay for the air travel for the staff. We have a cameraman and we may have one reporter, their accommodation, their per diem, all of those costs come from that. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Any other comments on Activity 1 Programme 1? HON. P. SINGH.- Programme 1, Activity 1 SEG 6 - Contribution to Asia Pacific Institute of Broadcasting and Development ($17,000). Does that factor in a fee? HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- It is an annual subscription. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Thank you. There being no other comments. We will move onto Honourable Ratu Kiliraki. HON. RATU K. KILIRAKI.- Madam Chair, SEG 5 Specialised Services – ($7,000). I need clarification on that. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Thank you. Honourable Minister. HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- This is worth $7,000. This caters for the web hosting fee that is paid to Datec which is about $445 a month and hygienic services which is rendered by PestKill which is $235 a month. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Salote Radrodro? HON. S.V. RADRODRO.- I thank you, Madam Chair. On Programme 1 Activity 1 SEG 5 on Qorvis Communications, we note that this is a recurring expenditure.
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