Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal has rejected media reports that the Finance Ministry has increased parliament's budget, making up for a shortfall in funds.
Local news reports said on Monday that the Ministry of Finance had agreed to increase parliament's budget by LE100 million in the new general budget. The alleged increase would bring the legislative body's annual budget up to LE1 billion.
According to reports,a Finance Ministry delegation attended a meeting of parliament's Planning and Budget Committee on Monday, informing them that it had agreed to the budget increase.
In denying the news, Abdel Aal stressed that the Finance Ministry should not interfere with budgetary matters because parliament is an independent institution.
Abdel Aal said that although parliament's financial situation is difficult, it still manages to pay LE5,000 as a reward to MPs.
A large part of the council 's budget goes on salaries, he said, pointing out that parliament has 3,200 employees. Parliament is careful to control expenditure in various areas, he said, offering only tea to guests.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
