Public Expenditure Committee Adjourns Hearing

PEC adjourns Health Ministry hearing over missing documents; BLC continues review of Special Economic Zones Bill.

A scheduled hearing between the Public Expenditure Committee (PEC) and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services was adjourned this morning, after the ministry failed to provide key documentation required for the session to proceed.

The PEC announced that the hearing will be rescheduled following the next sitting of Parliament, although no date has been confirmed.

The committee has already completed its review of the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development, focusing on actual expenditure for the 2024 fiscal year. The review looked closely at how public funds were used and whether spending aligned with the government’s national development goals.

The PEC is also expected to conduct detailed reviews of several other ministries in the coming weeks, including the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services, and the Ministry of Rural Development.

The committee’s current work is part of a broader effort to restore parliamentary financial oversight after what officials have described as a period of limited scrutiny.

Meanwhile, the Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) has resumed its inquiry into the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Bill 2024. The committee picked up from where it left off last week, continuing deliberations with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration, along with its SEZ Taskforce and the Legal Draftsperson.

The SEZ Bill aims to establish designated zones to attract investment, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth.