Vanuatu MP Entitlement posters released

The Vanuatu Parliament has released the Members of Parliament (MP) Entitlements poster in an effort to educate communities on what to expect after electing their candidates in the upcoming national elections.

The launch has been done in collaboration with the Right To Information (RTI) Unit under the Department of Strategic Policy, Planning and Aid Coordination (DSPPAC) at the Prime Minister’s Office, and Transparency International Vanuatu (TIV).

The informative A-3 size poster features entitlements and benefits of MPs prescribed under the Official Salaries Act (OSA) and the Members of Parliament (Expenses and Allowances) (Amendment) Act No 45 of 2017. The OSA provides 32 positions for MPs in the government, in the Speaker’s Office and in the Opposition’s Office and others.

Effective from January 2018, the MPs Expenses and Allowances (Amendment) Act of 2017 provides allowances and allocations of up to VT10, 594, 600 a year for each MP under three schemes:

1. Responsibility Allowances of VT5,989,600 per annum,                      

2. Touring Allowances of VT1,605,000 per annum,

3. The MP Allocation of VT3 million per annum

The Responsibility and Touring Allowances are allotted to MPs to spend, as they see fit, in their respective constituencies.

Both are divided and injected into the personal accounts of MPs, fortnightly.

However, the MP Allocation is obtained through an application to the Speaker’s Office based on quotation or invoices for community development activities.

A total of 5,000 copies of the posters were printed and released today (Tuesday) under the sponsorship of TIV.

It is hoped the poster would assist communities understand what they are entitle to know after voting in their MPs in the new legislature.

 

Photo supplied Caption: MP Entitlement poster

 

     

Author: 
Tensly Sumbe