Litia Cava 
[Photo: FILE]
Questions were raised in Parliament over the Constitution Review Commission’s $1 million funding. MPs demanding clarity on what the allocation will pay for.
Opposition MP Jone Usamate asked why the funding was still needed when the commisison’s consultation process had already been completed.
Attorney-General Siromi Turaga said the money was for the commission’s operations, including hiring 20 lawyers from the Legal Aid Commission and supporting staff working with the secretariat.
He states the consultation phase has finished, but work on the final report is continuing.
Turaga said most of the remaining work would happen before the end of August, before the report is submitted to the President.
Opposition MP Premila Kumar also questioned a $100,000 allocation for workshops, consultations and conferences, saying it appeared to go against the government’s plan to cut spending in these areas.
Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel said the funding had not increased and had actually been reduced from $562,000 to $100,000.
The Attorney-General’s Office budget has been approved by Parliament.
