THE Supplementary Supply Bill (2019) 2020 to seek additional expenditure of about RM7 billion for services last year was approved at the policy stage by majority voice in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Twelve MPs took part in the debate on the bill after it was tabled for second reading by Deputy Finance Minister I Abdul Rahim Bakri.

Rahim, when winding up the debate, said the additional budget was for expenditure in 2019 which should have been passed the same year but was not .

“This budget is something which has to be approved; it is money already spent by the previous government and I am actually helping YB Bagan (former finance minister Lim Guan Eng) to approve this budget,” he added.

The bill will be tabled at the committee stage for debate tomorrow.

Earlier, Rahim, when tabling the bill, said the additional expenditure was sought for excess transfer from the 2019 consolidated account to the development fund totalling RM1.07 billion, and RM778.6 million was to meet unexpected expenditure in 2019.

A sum of RM5.15 billion was for direct additional allocations to ministries and departments which had been given approval to spend in excess of allocations committed in 2019.

The ministries involved in the expenditure estimates are Finance (RM3.63 billion), Health (RM1.18 billion), Housing and Local Government (RM636 million), Education (RM624 million), Defence (RM363 million), Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (RM313 million), International Trade and Industry (RM77 million), Water, Land and Natural Resources (RM58 million), Primary Industries (RM40 million), Economic Affairs (RM39 million), Works (RM16 million), Election Commission (RM15.6 million), Foreign Affairs (RM14 million) and Transport (RM50).

The house resumes sitting tomorrow. – Bernama, August 11, 2020.