Parliament, Wednesday, 8 June 2022 – The Standing Committee on Appropriations has considered and adopted its reports on the 2022 Appropriation Bill (B7_2022) and second Adjustments Appropriation Bill (B8_2022) for the 2021/22 financial year. The Bill proposes the appropriation of money from the National Revenue Fund for the requirements of the state and to prescribe the conditions for the spending of the money.
The national budget for the 2022/23 financial year was tabled on 23 February 2022 by the Minister of Finance, together with the Bill, and then referred to the committee on 9 March 2022.
The reports’ adoption comes after the committees called for public hearings on the Bill. Submissions were received from Equal Education, the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), as well as from Mr V Kalikopu on 31 May 2022.
The committee also held briefings with various stakeholders to solicit their input on the Bill, including National Treasury, the Financial and Fiscal Commission and the Parliamentary Budget Office.
The committee noted that the Bill proposes an allocation of R1.057 trillion for the 2022/23 financial year (excluding direct charges of R902.66 billion). Furthermore, the committee welcomes that 61 per cent of the total budget is appropriated to the departments of Cooperative Governance, Higher Education and Training, Social Development, Police and Transport. This is mainly for free basic services, post-school education and training, social grants, crime prevention and investigation, and maintenance of the road transport network.
The committee also adopted the Second Adjustments Bill and noted the slow speed at which SASRIA and the government were dispensing payments and relief in the areas affected by the July 2021 unrests in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
The committee appreciates the valuable contributions from the public and various organisations when processing the Bill. The committee emphasises the need for government departments to always ensure efficient, economic and effective use of appropriated funds in line with the principles set out in Section 195 of the Constitution and other relevant legislation governing the use of public funds.
The reports will be tabled for consideration in the National Assembly
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, MR SFISO BUTHELEZI.
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