Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Orville London, says although the budgetary allocation to Tobago was less than last year’s $2,650 million, he is happy that many of the proposals made by the Assembly were included in the 2009/2010 budget.

During yesterday’s budget presentation, Finance Minister Karen Nunez-Tesheira announced that the total budgetary outlay to the Assembly was $2,268.6 million. These resources comprise an allocation of $1,470.5 million to facilitate recurrent expenditures; $301 million for development programme expenditures; and a further $497.1 million of expenditure in Tobago to be provided for under other Heads of Recurrent and Capital Expenditure.

London told the Express: ’In a situation where the general economic situation has declined I don’t think that Tobago did particularly badly in this particularly budget.

’I think the budget is more than just about the numbers and the arithmetic I think there are also some initiatives which I find quite encouraging. Among them would of course be the initiative to encourage agriculture and the situation with fertilisers which are going to be cheaper,’ he said.

Funds have been allocated for the completion of the controversial Scarborough Hospital as well as the Shaw Park Cultural Complex, the Scarborough Library, the Financial Complex and the Buccoo Goat Race Facility.

Commenting on the Hospital and the Cultural Complex, London told the Express: ’These major projects have been bugging us and they have embarrassed us. We have to face it. But I think we have made some very firm decision in the last couple of months in the last fiscal year and they have begun to show fruits.

’I am really confident that this is the last budget where that is going to be mentioned because we have been getting some fairly positive reports from the contractor, the whole prospect was changed in relationship to the construction.’

THA Minority Leader Ashworth Jack however believes that the allocation is not enough.

’It’s really artificial in that the Tobago House of Assembly only has direct access to $1.3 billion. The other $400 million is going to be spent out of Port of Spain on behalf of Tobago. The question is what has happened in every budget is there any accountancy to say what of that $400 million have been spent on an annual basis. And that have a lot to do with the incomplete projects.’