Thursday 7Th July 2016
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THURSDAY, 7TH JULY, 2016 The Parliament resumed at 9.35 a.m. pursuant to adjournment. HONOURABLE SPEAKER took the Chair and read the Prayer. PRESENT All Honourable Members were present, except the Honourable Ratu N.T. Lalabalavu; and Honourable Roko T.T.S. Draunidalo. MINUTES HON. LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN PARLIAMENT.- Madam Speaker, I move: That the Minutes of the sitting of Parliament held on Wednesday, 6th July, 2016, as previously circulated, be taken as read and be confirmed. HON. A. SUDHAKAR.- Madam Speaker, I second the motion. Question put. Motion agreed to. COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE CHAIR Welcome- Honourable Members I welcome all Honourable Members to another day of Budget debate. Matter of Privilege Honourable Members, at the outset, I would like to inform you that I have a request for written ruling on a Matter of Privilege, and I will consider this and give my ruling on notice. Acknowledgment of Visitors I also warmly welcome students from Sigatoka Methodist College and members of the public who are joining us in the gallery and those watching proceedings on television, the internet and listening to the radio. Thank you for taking time and interest in your Parliament. Special Welcome As some of our Honourable Members are aware, there are twinning arrangements between the State Legislatures of Australia and New Zealand House of Representatives and their Pacific counterparts. The Fijian Parliament is paired with the Parliament of Victoria and it, therefore, gives me great pleasure to welcome the delegation from the Victorian Parliament, who are in the gallery with us this morning. (Acclamation) We have the: 2186 2016-2017 Appropriation Bill 2016 7th July, 2016 President of the Legislative Council, the Hon. Bruce Atkinson and Mrs. Elizabeth Atkinson; Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Hon. Telmo Languiller and Ms. Tatiana Astudillo; and Clerk of the Parliament, Mr. Ray Purdey and Mrs. Kaye Purdey. Thank you for joining us today. Our Twin Institution has been a wonderful friend to the Fijian Parliament. We benefitted last year from technical expertise and training, along with a generous donation of media and video editing hardware and software. The capacity building includes not only sending consultants and trainers here to Fiji but also hosting study trips for our Members and work attachments for our staff. The most recent attachment and peer learning benefited our Honourable Party Whips and the Secretary-General to Parliament respectively. I trust they will take fond memories of their brief visit as they journey onward to Tonga together with our own delegation to attend the Presiding Officers and Clerks’ Conference. Committee of Supply - Comments The Parliament will now resolve into the Committee of Supply to continue with the consideration of the Heads in the Budget Estimates and then the Schedules and Clauses of the 2016- 2017 Appropriation Bill 2016. As explained yesterday, for the Committee stage, I will sit at the Table with the Secretary- General and Members should refer to me as Madam Chair. The mace will also be placed in the bracket under the Table. The Secretary-General will announce each Head separately. Members may then stand to speak on that Head. You may speak more than once on each Head. You may also move amendments to the estimates in that Head. If a member does move an amendment, Parliament may debate it and then we will have a vote on the amendment. At the end of the debate on the Head, we will also vote on the Head. Please be reminded that amendments in Committee of Supply are limited to those permitted in Standing Order 100(2), this is an increase, decrease or removal of the item or subhead from the Head being debated. RESUMPTION OF DEBATE OF 2016-2017 APPROPRIATON BILL 2016 Head 36 – Ministry of Public Enterprises: MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- The floor is now open for any comments on Head 36. Honourable Gavoka. HON. V.R. GAVOKA.- Madam Chair, 36-1-1-7, there is an item there concerning the monitoring of Public Enterprises - $50,000. Can the Honourable Minister tell us what this is all about in terms of what it does, Madam Chair? MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Are we on page 255? HON. V.R. GAVOKA.- Yes. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Thank you. Honourable Minister. 7th July, 2016 2016-2017 Appropriation Bill 2016 2187 HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- Thank you, Madam Chair. Honourable Member, this is essentially to carry out a number of valuations for a lot of our State assets, because a lot of them have not been valid for a period of time. We need to know what their exact values are, so we pay for a lot of the valuations from this allocation. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Aseri Radrodro. HON. A.M. RADRODRO.- Thank you, Madam Chair. Programme 1, Activity 1, SEG 1, there is a slight increase in terms of allocation for SEG 1. Can the Honourable Minister advise this House what this increase is relating to? MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Minister. HON. A. SAYED-KHAIYUM.- Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, Honourable Radrodro, I can see that there is not much of a difference, about $100,000. This is because of the variation; the years that have been split because of that and it is about $100,000. MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Professor Biman Prasad. HON. PROF. B.C. PRASAD.- Thank you, Madam Chair. On Programme 1, Activity 1, SEG 6, in 2015 the Operating Grant was about $2 million, it is now $6 million, and SEG 10 – Biosecurity Authority of Fiji - Capital Grant ($3 million). Could the Honourable Minister explain what is that for, and why the increase in the Operating Grant? MADAM CHAIRPERSON.- Honourable Minister. HON. A. SAYED-KHIAYUM.- Thank you, Madam Chair. Biosecurity plays a very critical role, not just in terms of Border Management, but also in terms of protecting Fiji from evasive species from various diseases that creep through the food products that are being imported into Fiji, and of course, at the same time, they are the recognised certification Authority in terms of our exports to overseas countries, Australia and New Zealand, when we export our fruits and vegetables, for example, ginger, they are the ones who carry out the various protocol arrangements for Fiji. Now, a justification in terms of the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji Operating Grant, as Operating Grant does, it pays for the salaries. There are new offices being opened up for Biosecurity, even in remote places like Rakiraki and various other places, and I can tell you that in the Capital Projects. It has established nine additional business units, and also it has now assumed the OIE role, which is the OIE Representative Authority in Fiji. Biosecurity has, for example, now tried to recruit more scarce skill sets, such as entomologists, plant pathologists and also vets. They have recently hired a couple of more vets to be able to carry out their work a lot more effectively, thus, we have the increase. Now, there is also increase in recruiting more staff, for example, there are now Stations in Natovi, Nabouwalu, Savusavu, Taveuni and Kadavu to provide more services and closer to the homes or the workplaces of the various products that are coming out from these areas. We also have, for example, ships or yachts coming in to Savusavu. There is also a number of evasive species that can come through these yachts and they carry out random checks, hence again, to increase the services of Biosecurity Authority of Fiji. Do you want to know about the Grants? In respect to the grants I will tell you about the capital grant of $3 million. There is going to be a construction of a transit facility in Suva and Lautoka. 2188 2016-2017 Appropriation Bill 2016 7th July, 2016 Now, these are essentially approved to manage risks associated with imported plants and animal products, containers, you have second hand parts for example, coming from countries and sometimes they still have mud or soil on them and you can get insects that creep in through that. Recently you may have seen that we have the reporting of GAS or Giant African Snail. We do not have GAS in Fiji but it exists in other Pacific Island Countries and a number of containers actually transit through Fiji, or through Suva. It is our responsibility to report it, for example, to the Australian authorities and that is where it was reported to, to ensure that they are aware, so we develop that level of confidence with them but they also know that we are not a GAS country. Unfortunately, over the years we have been listed as a GAS country even though we have not been a GAS country simply because we have reported the matter to them. We are constructing transit facilities in Suva and Lautoka that will carry out fumigation, there will be inspection rooms, new incinerators will be put in and also to comply with sea hygiene systems. There is also a national obligation which is a non- commercial activity where we are setting up, as I highlighted, offices in Nabouwalu and Natovi. Work is in progress to establish offices in Navua and Rakiraki, and as you know, for example, for our dalo exports, some of it comes through the Navua area and also Rakiraki, so there are certification processes. Included in this, of course, is the Termite Operation. The termites that we have are in the western division and I understand there are some in Vanua Levu too now. There is the animal disease surveillance, there is also the giant American iguana eradication programme and about $300,000 has been given for that.