BY KHAMA LINCOLN
Gizo Based Isles Media Freelance Reporter
MINISTRY of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS) has provided Provinces with additional guidelines to help tackle impacts of COVID-19 with regards to Planning and Budgeting processes.
A recent circular wired to Provincial Secretaries and other responsible public servants by the Supervising Permanent Secretary, Stanley Pirione has stated that with more data showing gradual spread of COVID-19 in the provincial centers and into the communities, the Ministry is obliged to provide additional guidance in the preparations leading to 2022/23 budgets and work plan formulations for appropriation.
The guidelines are;
1. Officers and MPAs who are not vaccinated should no longer be allowed to enter provincial premises. This instruction should be applied with immediate effect. The PSs should make the necessary preparations by following PDOC/NDMO guidelines.
2.Provincial Secretaries must make immediate arrangements to get everyone tested. Anyone tested positive should not come into the office until subsequent test shows negative results.
3.Members of the executive should reduce executive meetings or use mobile phones to meet and agree on issues. The PSs should do the minutes for the executive.
4.The IT officers in each province should generate electronic signature of every member of the PG executive for signing executive meeting orders etc.
5.The virement process explained in my circular no. 3, is meant to support the PG disaster committees. The funds are only payable to the disaster committees through the disaster divisions of the PGs. If funds are paid to individuals, the FMO and trigger conditions would apply.
6.Convening large meetings in Provincial Centers for PPDC meetings may this year be minimized.
7.The PGs may only bring together those members within a reasonable travel distance to the provincial headquarters taking into consideration the COVID-19 rules.
8.WDC members invited to meetings to decide on the projects must have been fully vaccinated; The WDC chairs who live in distance locations do not need to come in person.
9.The PPDC shall use the three-year rolling plans to extract projects for consideration by the PPDC.
10.The PPDC chair should call the WDC chairs (and executives) to agree to the identified projects before they are forwarded to the assembly for approval. This procedure will cost less and at the same time it will assure the WDCs that they have been adequately consulted despite COVID-19.
11.The planning division should keep record of meeting attendees. The division should record the reasons why the WDC Chairs and most PPDC members could not attend. This record must be signed and be provided to the assessors.
12.Officers working on plans and budgets should be provided with enough data to work from home as much as possible. I assume that all the key officials have their laptops to work from home. If not, this is the time to buy laptops for key officers working on the budget and project designs.
13.When all plans and budgets are compiled, the premier should convene executive meeting of not more than three days to decide on the budget. Only those vaccinated should attend. Long meetings should not be entertained. We should all be conscious of the current situation for the sake of our families and the families of our colleagues.
14.The PAC should meet for five days (to ensure the FMO is not changed) but all members must be fully vaccinated and tested negative prior to the meeting.
15.The number of days for assembly budget meeting should be minimized to three days to reduce the risks of infections.
16.For assembly members who wish to attend assembly meetings in March should get fully vaccinated from now against March sessions. There should be no prolonged executive or assembly meetings given the current situation.
17.When budgets are passed, there is no need to send anyone to Honiara for budget signing as the signing would be done electronically since the budgets would have been vetted.
18.Treasurers would send the approved budget for Minister’s signature. MPGIS shall advise the Minister to append his signature on the required signature pages. The signature pages shall then be sent back to you for printing.
19.I wish to reiterate that the virement for COVID-19 response should only affect nonessential cost centers including operational cost. Since travels are restricted, most of the 3 operational costs of each division would be a saving to be used for COVID-19 response virements.
20.The WDC capital budget allocation should be disbursed as approved. Most of the projects approved by WDCs are all relevant to COVID-19 response either in short or long term. And being a minimum condition, the transfer should be made by the 31st March 2022.
21.The absence of some key officers in the Ministry due to COVID-19 is affecting the pace of recruitment process of the PCDAs. We are nonetheless doing our best to fast track the process. You would be duly updated as we progress with the process.
In the meantime, the circular stated that, “whilst we try to contain the virus, you are being reminded that the Provincial Government Act 1997 and the FMOs are not suspended.
“The provincial expenditure must follow proper procedures and processes. All payments must follow budgetary allocations. Copies of circulars relating to public expenditure are being copied to Auditor General.”
