Allocations for the Office of the President, the Prime Minister, and Parliament will increase in 2025. However, the Prime Minister will receive less money for official overseas travel.
Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s overseas travels have been a source of contention for the Opposition. However, the Prime Minister has described himself as the “least travelled Caricom Prime Minister.”
According to Draft Estimates of Recurrent Expenditure (DERE), one of the reports laid in Parliament after the 2025 Budget was read by Finance Minister Colm Imbert on Monday, the President’s Office allocation will rise from $19.6 million to $20.5 million to cover official overseas travel, conference hosting, and building repairs.
The Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) will receive an increase of $210.4 million, rising from $568.5 million in 2024 to $778.8 million in 2025. Of this, $28 million from the $35 million allocated for Cabinet-appointed bodies will go to the National Security Council, which the Prime Minister heads. However, the OPM’s allocation for official overseas travel will decrease from $2.9 million in 2024 to $1 million for 2025.
Last week, the Prime Minister accused the Opposition Leader of “mischief” after she claimed that in nine years, he was out of the country for 372 days. He added that he usually had the Foreign Affairs Minister represent T&T.
Meanwhile, funding for conference hosting will rise significantly, from $650,000 to $20 million.
Parliament’s allocation will increase from $137.9 million to $140.1 million, with funding for the Opposition Leader’s Office rising from $3.4 million to $3.5 million. The Finance Ministry’s contribution to the Children’s Life Fund will increase from the revised estimate of $20 million in 2024 to $22 million in 2025.
Transfers to WASA down
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Utilities will cut its transfers to WASA in 2025 by $522 million to $1.3 billion, while the Ministry of Local Government will reduce its transfers to the Cepep programme by $39.5 million. However, the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP) will receive increased funding for 2025.
The Ministry of Public Utilities’ funding for the 2024/2025 fiscal year will rise to $3.221 billion, up from $3.018 billion in 2023/2024. The DERE report shows a decrease of $522.2 million for WASA, dropping from $1.8 billion in the revised 2024 estimate to $1.3 billion for 2025. The Ministry of Local Government’s transfers to Cepep will decline from $505.6 million in 2024 to $466 million in 2025. The ministry’s overall allocation for 2025 will also decrease, falling from $1.825 billion in 2024 to $1.771 billion.
The Ministry of Works and Transport’s URP funding is projected to increase by $292,000, rising from a revised 2024 estimate of $3.4 million to $3.7 million.
Funding for the rental of drainage and vehicles went from $70 million in 2024 to $50 million in 2025. The DERE report lists increased funding for the Special Assistance Programme under the Social Development Ministry, rising to $325 million from the revised 2024 estimate of $295 million. The ministry’s funding for Urgent Temporary Assistance will also increase from $285 million in 2024 to an estimated $325 million in 2025, and disability grant funding will rise from $630 million to $640 million. However, the ministry’s pension funding of $4.5 billion will remain unchanged for both 2024 and 2025, while funding for non-profit organisations will decrease from $4.3 million to $4.2 million.