Budget passed! Debate ends early after opposition fails to produce a speaker

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Budget passed! Debate ends early after opposition fails to produce a speaker

The 2021/2022 Budget has been passed and a Standing Finance Committee has been set for Monday, 11th October.

The financial package was allowed to pass earlier than expected after the Opposition United National Congress failed to supply a speaker on day two of the debate on Saturday.

The debate started at 10 am and moved from speaker to speaker until just after 5.30 pm when the Opposition was unable to produce anyone after the MP for D’Abadie/O’Meara Lisa Morris-Julien.

When no Opposition MP signalled an intention to speak, Speaker Bridgid Annisette-George asked the Opposition MPs in the Parliament Chamber if they had any other speakers in the debate.

After no one stepped forward, Finance Minister Colm Imbert was allowed to wrap up the proceedings just before 6pm by saying, “It is obvious that the presentation by the other side has collapsed and there is a very good reason for that because there is nothing in this 2021/2022 budget that they can get their teeth into.”

He said the budget provided a blueprint for the way forward for TT. Reiterating all of the fiscal measures contained in the budget, Imbert said none of the UNC MPs who spoke in the debate had anything substantial to say about the budget and could not offer any argument against its measures.

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