STATEMENT BY PREMIER AND MINISTER OF FINANCE
HONOURABLE ANDREW A. FAHIE
DURING THE SEVENTH SITTING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE FOURTH HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
Thursday, 17^th October, 2019

Mr. Speaker, I will now speak on the payment of increments for Public Officers.

This is important because a number of officers are meeting me, asking about their increments, and I am steadily directing them to the Deputy Governor and Director of Human Resources who I have charged with ensuring that Public Officers who qualify receive their increments. I commend them for their efforts.

During my Budget Address on 2^nd April, 2019, after only close to two months in office, I was happy to announce that your new Government was able to massage the estimates to include the payment of two years of increments due to the hard working public officers.

On 19^th June 2019 Cabinet approved the payment of the 2016 and 2017 increments in lieu of performance increments with the immediate payment of the 2016 increments, inclusive of all salaries from 1^st January 2017 to date.  A commitment was also made to pay 2017 increments subsequently, but not later than the next budget estimate. 

I have been advised by the Director of Human Resources that on 24^th June 2019 the Department of Human Resources provided notice and instructions for processing of the increment for the 2016 work year by way of a Human Resources Circular.  With the collaboration of accounting officers, nominal rolls were vetted for officer eligibility, salary changes and position movements. 

In July 2019 the Department of Human Resources began the process of payment of computed salary arrears and one incremental salary adjustment for vetted officers. 

I have been advised that there are 2,163 public officers eligible* to receive the 2016 increment on 1^st July 2019.  As of 30^th September 2019, an estimated 67 percent of eligible officers have received the 2016 increment. The Department of Human Resources has provided monthly updates on the progress of increment payments and has reported they continue to work towards completion by the end November 2019.

Mr. Speaker, Your Government is diligently monitoring the revenues and with conditions permitting, we may be in the position to pay the 2017 increments as early as the middle of December 2019 and that is with the conditions permitted if the conditions remain the same of how they are, Mr. Speaker, with us taking a very heavy hand on trying to control expenditure, given the challenges, Mr. Speaker, with the incorporation of companies in financial services that was known from years before.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.