Talking Budget: Personnel budget by Ministry, employees of Central Agencies earn the most

The government’s recurrent budget, the Appropriations Bill 2021/2022 will be presented by Minister of Finance Crossley Tatui for its third and final reading at the Fono Ekepule tomorrow.

The government personnel budget estimates stand at $16.8 million dollars for the salaries of public servants. This figure amounts to more than half of the government’s total budget going towards the salaries of 472 public servants, according to the records of the Public Service Commission.

The largest personnel budget with $5.7 million is for the Central Agencies which include the salaries of the members of the Fono Ekepule (Niue Legislature) with a total of 102 people.

Central agencies include the Office of Cabinet and Parliamentary Services, Public Service Commission Secretariat, Finance and Planning (Treasury), Niue Police, Crown Law, PMCU and the Office of the Secretary to Government.

The ministry of Social Services personnel budget for the next financial year is $5.5 million for the salaries of 173 staff, eighty-eight of them work for the Education Department and sixty-four for the Health Department and the rest work for the Justice, Lands, Surveys and Community affairs Department and the department of Taoga Niue.

The ministry of Infrastructure with 82 employees will spend $3.4 million on salaries from the Departments of Transport, Civil Aviation, Utilities including Niue Power, Water, Outside Services and Civil/Quarry division.

The ministry of Natural Resources is expected to spend $1.2 million on its personnel. Eighty-nine people work in the departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF), Environment, Climate and Meteorological Services. This number include the staff working for the Ridge to Reef project which will come to an end in April next year.

The government’s Commercial and Trading entities will spend $682 thousand dollars on a total of 26 personnel from the Bulk Fuel division, Niue Tourism Office, and the Broadcasting Corporation (BCN).