The National Parliament has outlined ongoing efforts to modernise its information and communications technology systems as officials appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday to explain a $5.6 million supplementary funding request.
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. If approved, the revised allocation would increase to $126.181 million.
According to the Bill’s detailed estimates, the additional funding is allocated across several expenditure areas, including salaries, housing allowances, various allowances and National Provident Fund employer contributions.
The Bill’s explanatory note states that the revised budget provides additional funding for the new service contracting of senior positions under the National Parliament’s approved restructure.
Clerk to the National Parliament Jefferson Halu also used the PAC hearing to outline Parliament’s ongoing investment in information and communications technology as part of efforts to modernise parliamentary operations.
Halu told committee members that new desktop computers and other ICT equipment had been procured and delivered to several parliamentary offices, including the National Parliament Secretariat, the Office of the Official Opposition and the Independent Group Office.
The equipment is intended to strengthen the technological capacity available to Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff in supporting legislative work, research and administrative operations.
A key issue discussed during the hearing was Parliament’s ICT network and its separation from the central Solomon Islands Government network.
Halu told the committee that Parliament operates and maintains its own network rather than being connected to the broader SIG ICT system.
This means Parliament is responsible for maintaining and securing its own ICT infrastructure and systems.
The Supplementary Appropriation Bill identifies $5,576,144 as the additional recurrent funding requested by the National Parliament, increasing its allocation from $120,605,341.80 to $126,181,485.80 if approved.
The detailed estimates allocate $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 PAC is continuing its scrutiny of supplementary funding requests under the 2026 Supplementary Appropriation Bill before reporting its findings to Parliament.
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