The Minister of Internal Affairs, Andrew Napuat, has clarified that there is no new increase to the responsibility allowance for Members of Parliament, contrary to some public perception.

Minister Napuat explained that the adjustment being discussed in Parliament is in line with recommendations from the Government Remuneration Tribunal (GRT) in 2024, which reviewed payments for public servants and government appointees.

“I want to clear a statement that is going around. The public has the perception that there will be an increase — this is not true,” he said.

“The amendments going through Parliament are simply to reflect changes that were already made years ago but not yet included in the principal Act. These are not new increases.”

The proposed Bill for the Parliament (Members’ Expenses and Allowances) Act [CAP 109], to be debated in the First Ordinary Session of Parliament this week, seeks to formally update the annual responsibility allowance for MPs from VT5,989,600 to VT6,600,000.

Additionally, the Bill ensures that all Members of Parliament will receive their full MP allocation of VT5,000,000 annually in a single payment, rather than in smaller installments as done previously.

Minister Napuat emphasized that these changes do not introduce new entitlements, but merely align MP payments with decisions that the Government Remuneration Tribunal has already made.