THE National Assembly is to spend N14.4 billion as local and international travel and training expenses in the 2011 fiscal year.
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This is contained in the 2011 budget breakdown obtained by our correspondents on Sunday.
According to the breakdown, the Senate will spend a total of N2,497,174,306 under four subheads; Local travel & Transport: (Training); Local Travel &Transport: (Others); International Travel & Transport (Training); and International Travel &Transport (Others).
The House of Representatives on the other hand will spend N11,870,970,745 under the same four subheads.
A further breakdown shows that while N321.6 million has been earmarked for the Senate as local travel and transport (training), N945.5 million is set aside for local travel and transport (others) expenses, international travel and transport (training) N255.1 million while international travel and transport (others) will take N974.9 million in the Senate.
For the House of Representatives N1.9 billion is earmarked for local travel and transport (training), N5.2 billion for local travel and transport (others), N1.6 billion for international travel and transport (training) and N3.2 billion for international travel and transport (others).
The sum of N73.7 million is also set aside for the National Assembly to purchase souvenirs for international and important dignitaries as well as for foreign and local visiting delegates.
Senate retreat will cost N149.7 million while N3.9 billion is set aside for public hearing in the House of Representatives.
In the Senate, N2.5 billion is earmarked for public hearing.
Honorarium and sitting allowance for the Senate is N277.3million while what looks like a typographical error N500,922 is set aside for the House of Representatives for the same purpose.
N774.6 million is voted for refreshment and meals for the House of Representatives while the Senate will take N474.7 million for the same purpose.
Security vote (including operations) for the Senate is N471.4 million while the House of Representatives will take N612.3 million for the same purpose.
N1.3 billion is earmarked for the Senate as contingency vote while N5.3billion is slated for the House of Representatives for the same purpose.
Budget 2011 votes N14.4b for National Assembly travels (http://thenationonlineng.net/web3/news/22942.html)