28 Jul 2014

Vanuatu MPs to look at budget

6:43 am on 28 July 2014

An extra-ordinary meeting of the Vanuatu Parliament begins today with a supplementary budget the key issue before MPs.

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Photo: RNZ / Walter Zweifel

Substantial additional funding is required for a number of government services, including health, with the main hospital having used its annual budget allocation in just six months.

MPs are also expected to consider a parliamentary review of a controversial plan for major airport developments to be undertaken by a Singaporean company called Vanuatu Trade Development.

Sources in Vanuatu say it is likely MPs will dismiss the scheme, which involves a 350 million US dollar contract and is aimed at growing tourist numbers dramatically.

The initial part of the project was to repair the runway at Bauerfield Airport in Port Vila and this has not been done.