The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

FINANCE Minister Michael Halkitis insisted yesterday that a $140,000 allocation is enough for the Freedom of Information Act office to operate as opposition MPs challenged the Davis administration over limited funding for key accountability and anti-corruption agencies.

Mr Halkitis told Parliament the FOIA budget covers operational expenses, but not salaries.

His comments came as opposition members pressed the government for details on allocations to agencies created to strengthen transparency, investigate complaints against public bodies and scrutinise law enforcement.

Budget allocations for the FOIA have been set at $140,000 in recent years, an amount officials have previously said falls far short of the estimated $1m needed to fully implement the law.

Asked whether the government believed the amount was adequate to achieve the office’s objective, Mr Halkitis said: “Yes, we do.”

Opposition members also questioned funding for the Office of the Ombudsman, whose budget increased by only $110 from the previous fiscal year, when it received $39,890.

The Office of the Ombudsman is intended to independently investigate complaints against government agencies, address maladministration and protect citizens’ rights.

FNM leader Michael Pintard questioned why funding for the office remains largely unchanged despite the government’s commitment to make it fully operational.

He asked what the projected cost of operationalising the office would be and why those funds had not been allocated.

He also raised concerns about the potential cost of investigations, legal counsel and travel, and asked what the office’s original budget had been.

Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis said no overall budget has been determined, but said the government plans to staff the office with existing public servants rather than new hires.

“That exercise is now being undertaken by Attorney General to identify instead of having to have new hires or otherwise increase a budget for it, but in the event more is required, then more will be provided,” he said.

Mr Davis said he would get more details from the Attorney General.

Asked when the FOIA and the Independent Commission of Investigations would be fully functional, Mr Davis gave no timeline.

“The implementation and the full operation is within the knowledge of the Office of the Attorney General who has carriage and conduct of it,” he said.

The Independent Commission of Investigations, which is intended to investigate serious complaints involving law enforcement, received $100,000, up from $30,000 in the 2025/2026 budget cycle.

Advocates have long warned that prolonged delays in anti-corruption reform amount to avoiding oversight.