Legislature loses ‘friendship’ journey funds

FAIR?
That the price range cuts affected the Legislative Yuan exhibits that they aimed to rein in authorities spending and weren’t focused on the Executive Yuan, a legislator mentioned

• By Chen Cheng-yu and Lo Kuo-chia / Staff reporters

The legislature has suspended funding for abroad visits by lawmakers’ friendship teams after journey price range cuts, prompting combined responses from the three main events.

The central authorities’s price range for this fiscal 12 months was delayed for 351 days earlier than the Legislative Yuan lastly handed it on Friday final week.

As a part of across-the-board cuts, the budgets for abroad journey and coaching at central authorities businesses and their affiliated our bodies have been reduce by 30 p.c, with exceptions for legally mandated spending, Academia Sinica and the National Audit Office. Some businesses have been topic to cuts starting from 10 p.c to 70 p.c.

In a letter despatched to lawmakers, Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Chou Wan-lai (周萬來) mentioned that after the cuts, the legislature’s abroad journey price range was inadequate to subsidize lawmakers’ visits organized by international parliamentary friendship teams, as soon as current expenditures and earmarked funds have been taken into consideration.

Under Article 15 of the laws governing parliamentary friendship teams with international legislators and different organizations, subsidies have to be coated by the legislature’s price range.

The Legislative Yuan has stopped accepting functions for funding for abroad visits by parliamentary friendship teams, efficient instantly.

“I think the legislature has only itself to blame,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus secretary-general Fan Yun (范雲) mentioned yesterday, including that the cuts ended up affecting the Legislative Yuan itself, leaving lawmakers with out subsidies and forcing them to pay out of pocket for abroad parliamentary diplomacy.

DPP Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵), who additionally chairs the Taiwan-France Parliamentary Friendship Association and different friendship teams, mentioned that there have been 114 parliamentary friendship teams as of the tip of June, 78 of that are cross-national teams targeted on parliamentary diplomacy.

At a time when Taiwan is dealing with stress from China, parliamentary exchanges with different democratic legislatures are an necessary approach for the nation to interact internationally, she added.

The subsidy for abroad visits by parliamentary friendship teams is about NT$60,000 per individual, Lin mentioned.

While that quantity might cowl journeys to some Asian nations, an economy-class ticket to Europe may price greater than NT$60,000, she mentioned, including that there are additionally lodging bills.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) mentioned the cuts apply to the Legislative Yuan, which exhibits that they have been meant to rein in authorities spending, slightly than concentrating on the Executive Yuan.

Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) caucus whip Jacky Chen (陳清龍) mentioned cuts have been made at a sure charge in earlier years, including that the 30 p.c reduce to abroad journey bills was the model the three events agreed upon throughout negotiations.

As DPP caucus whip Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) signed off on the settlement, all authorities businesses would be capable of regulate accordingly, Chen mentioned.

TPP Legislator Hung Yu-hsiang (洪毓祥) mentioned parliamentary diplomacy is important, and lawmakers ought to proceed touring abroad to hunt worldwide help and deepen ties with democratic companions.

However, the significance of parliamentary diplomacy doesn’t imply each expense needs to be given limitless leeway, he added.

Hung criticized some authorities officers for taking aimless abroad journeys and submitting poorly written reviews, solely to invoke nationwide safety confidentiality as a canopy when their conduct was uncovered.

Such misuse of journey funds was the principle cause for the cuts, he mentioned, including that the legislature’s parliamentary diplomacy price range was merely collateral injury.

Hung blamed ruling occasion officers for misusing public funds, saying that they dragged down the budgets of the legislature and authorities businesses.