The parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee, chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, examined the budgets of the Ministries of Justice, Environment and Youth and Sports on Tuesday. The aim was to study and approve the budgets of these ministries, as part of the review of the draft budget for fiscal year 2024, validated by the Council of Ministers on September 12.
During this session, the caretaker Ministers of Justice, Environment and Youth and Sport were heard in the presence of the relevant parliamentary committees. The committee approved the budgets of these ministries while suspending discussion of the electricity item. It asked the caretaker Minister of Energy, Walid Fayad, to work with the Ministry of Finance to revise the standard for calculating electricity charges in all public institutions and administrations according to their specific needs.
The MPs expressed astonishment at the blatant lack of coordination between the various components of the government, particularly with the Ministry of Finance. They pointed to the government’s negligence and underlined the lack of coherence in the budget, particularly concerning the allocation of only three billion Lebanese pounds for airport maintenance and one billion Lebanese pounds for the maintenance of technical and specialized equipment in the judicial and public sectors.
In addition, the representatives raised questions about the destination of donations received from international organizations, in particular the $8 million donation earmarked for the automation of the judicial system at the Beirut courthouse. They noted that, despite receipt of this donation, work had still not begun. The caretaker Minister of Justice responded by explaining that the main obstacle was the lack of electricity supply, pointing out that he is working in collaboration with the European Union to obtain electricity through solar power.
For his part, the caretaker Minister of Environment commented on certain fuel-related credits and called for financial support for the Environmental Fund. He stressed the importance of solving the problems associated with waste and landfills in various regions, as well as the issue of quarries. The Minister discussed with MPs several proposals aimed at generating revenue rather than relying on relief that will never come.
As part of the review of the budget for the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the Minister and the relevant parliamentary commission highlighted several points, including the significant deterioration in national sports facilities and the means currently available to support them.
To this end, the committee made three recommendations relating to the equipment and maintenance of courthouses, support for the environmental fund and support for national sports facilities.
At the end of the session, Kanaan pointed out that it was unacceptable for courthouses and civil and judicial courts to have maintenance budgets of less than one billion Lebanese pounds.
