XN000022-1984-02-29 — Page 11

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 1984

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$37 BILLION TO BE SPENT ON GENERAL REVENUE ACCOUNT

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THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY, THE HON SIR JOHN BREMRIDGE, THIS AFTERNOON ESTIMATED GOVERNMENT GENERAL REVENUE ACCOUNT EXPENDITURE FOR 1984-85 AT $37.3 BILLION.

THIS TOTAL, SIR JOHN TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN PRESENTING HIS BUDGET PROPOSALS, WOULD INCLUDE A CONTINGENCY ALLOWANCE OF $2 BILLION FOR ALL ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS AND $8.7 BILLION FOR TRANSFERS TO THE CAPITAL WORKS RESERVE FUND, THE DEVELOPMENT LOAN FUND, THE STUDENT LOAN FUND AND THE MASS TRANSIT FUND.

HE EXPLAINED THAT THE NECESSARY INCLUSION OF $2 BILLION FOR ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS HAD THE EFFECT OF INCREASING THE GROWTH OF GENERAL REVENUE ACCOUNT EXPENDITURE, EXCLUDING TRANSFERS TO THE FUNDS, FROM 7.4 PER CENT TO 15.5 PER CENT.

BUT EXPENDITURE FROM THE FUNDS IN 1984-85 WAS EXPECTED TO BE SLIGHTLY LESS THAN IN 1983-84, SO THAT TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON CONSOLIDATED ACCOUNT - AT $44 BILLION - WAS EXPECTED TO GROW AT ONLY 9.5 PER CENT, HE SAID.

*ON THE VITALLY IMPORTANT RECURRENT ACCOUNT THE PROVISION SOUGHT OF $25.1 BILLION, PLUS $1.8 BILLION FOR ADDITIONAL RECURRENT COMMITMENTS, REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF $3.7 BILLION, OR 15.7 PER CENT, ON THE REVISED ESTIMATE FOR 1983-84, + HE SAID.

SIR JOHN SAID PERSONAL EMOLUMENTS AT $8.9 BILLION ACCOUNTED FOR OVER 35 PER CENT OF RECURRENT EXPENDITURE, COMPARED WITH AN AVERAGE OF 37 PER CENT OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

+THIS PROVISION MAKES NO ALLOWANCE FOR ANY SALARY ADJUSTMENT THAT MAY BE AGREED, HE ADDED.

THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY SAID THAT IF REQUIRED ANY FUNDS NEEDED WOULD HAVE TO BE FOUND FROM THE ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS VOTE. +1 MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS. THE PROVISION OF $1.8 BILLION SOUGHT FOR THIS VOTE IS FOR ALL UNFORESEEN RECURRENT COMMITMENTS NOT PROVIDED FOR IN THE DRAFT ESTIMATES. CASH LIMITS WILL BE STRICTLY OBSERVED ONCE AGAIN. THEY HAVE BEEN MOST SUCCESSFUL.+

CIVIL SERVICE

SIR JOHN SAID THE APPROVED ESTABLISHMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE POSTS IN THE DRAFT ESTIMATES WAS 147 000, INCLUDING 4 264 NEW POSTS CREATED DURING 1983-84, A MARKED REDUCTION OF 2 436 ON THE 6 700 NEW POSTS FOR WHICH PROVISION HAD BEEN ACTUALLY INCLUDED IN THE 1983-84 ESTIMATES.

THE SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS TO RESTRAIN THE GROWTH OF THE CIVIL SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT WILL CONTINUE IN 1984-85 AS THE DRAFT ESTIMATES PROVIDED FOR AN INCREASE OF ONLY 4 000 POSTS, OR 2.7 PER CENT.

A LARGE