Parliament starts its examination of the $1.4 trillion national budget this morning and will be doing so for two days.

The Standing Finance Committee of Parliament, comprising all 63 Members of Parliament, will be combining through the Estimates of Expenditure, as they question Portfolio Government Ministers, their Permanent Secretaries and Principal Officers at Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) about budgetary allocations. 

They will also discuss the projects and programmes being proposed for funding in this year’s 2026/27 national budget.

As customary, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and its agencies are the first to come under the microscope, starting at 10:00 this morning, followed by the Office of the Prime Minister; Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development and the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change.

The other Ministries slated for examination today are the Ministry of National Security Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

Tomorrow, it will be time for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Mining; Ministry of Labour and Social Security; Ministry of Industry, Invest and Commerce and the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. 

The list for the day is completed by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information; the Ministry of Science, Energy, Telecommunications and Transport, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport and the Ministry of Tourism.