The National Parliament has outlined its ongoing digital transformation and other operational needs as officials defended a $5.6 million supplementary funding request before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday.
The 2026 Supplementary Appropriation Bill puts the National Parliament’s original recurrent allocation at $120.605 million, with a supplementary request of $5.576 million, bringing the revised allocation to $126.181 million.
The detailed budget shows the supplementary request includes funding for salaries, housing allowances, various allowances and employer contributions, while the Bill’s explanatory note says the revision provides additional funding for new service contracting of senior positions under the National Parliament’s approved restructure.
Appearing before PAC, Clerk to the National Parliament Jefferson Halu outlined Parliament’s ongoing investment in information and communications technology as part of its efforts to modernise parliamentary operations.
During the hearing, Halu told committee members that new desktop computers and other ICT equipment had been procured and delivered across several parliamentary offices, including:
- The National Parliament Secretariat
- The Official Opposition Office
- The Independent Group Office
The digital upgrade is intended to strengthen the technological capacity available to Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff, supporting legislative work, research and administrative operations.
A key issue raised during the hearing was Parliament’s ICT network and its separation from the central Solomon Islands Government system.
Halu told the committee that Parliament operates its own network rather than being connected to the broader SIG ICT network.
The separate network means Parliament must maintain and secure its own ICT infrastructure and systems.
The Supplementary Appropriation Bill identifies $5,576,144 as the additional recurrent funding requested for National Parliament. If approved, the allocation would increase from $120,605,341.80 to $126,181,485.80.
The Bill’s detailed estimates show that the supplementary funding is spread across several expenditure areas, including $1.35 million for salaries, $1.24 million for housing allowances, $2.73 million for various allowances and $250,489 for NPF employer contributions.
The parliamentary digital upgrade discussed at PAC therefore forms part of the broader operational and institutional requirements being considered alongside the supplementary request.
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