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OPPOSITION Leader Pennelope Beckles will begin debate on the $59.2 billion 2025/2026 budget when the House of Representatives sits at the Red House, Port of Spain, on October 17 from 10 am.
Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo presented the budget in the House on October 13. His presentation was three and a half hours long.
Under the House's standing orders, the first responder to the budget is entitled to speak for the same length of time as the budget's presenter.
Tancoo's presentation was his maiden as finance minister. Similarly, Beckles' response will be her maiden as opposition leader and PNM political leader.
Beckles received her instrument of appointment for the former on May 6 and was elected to the latter on June 22.
After Beckles finishes her contribution, other MPs (including the Prime Minister) will each be entitled to speak for a maximum of 45 minutes with the option of ten minutes additional speaking time if they wish.
On October 7, Leader of Government Business Barry Padarath said debate in the House usually lasts four to five days and then "you go into the (House) Standing Finance Committee, which will examine the heads of expenditure over a five-day period."
He added, "That will take us ten days." Padarath did not rule out weekend parliamentary sittings.
"Parliament can sit on a Saturday and a Sunday if necessary." He was confident Parliament could debate and pass the budget before month end.
Given the numbers in the House, it will be up to the government to determine when to end the debate, once all 13 opposition MPs have spoken.
The UNC has 26 MPs in the House and the Tobago People's Party (TPP) has two.
Government and opposition sources, speaking on condition of anonymity on October 16, expect the House will take more than two days to complete its debate before referring the budget to its Standing Finance Committee.
A government source said usually during a budget debate, all 41 MPs wish to speak.
The source added, "So we will be prepared for all government MPs to speak inclusive of the two Tobago (TPP) MPs who have already indicated their desire to speak."
Tobago West MP Joel Sampson and Tobago East MP David Thomas sit on the upper bench on the government's side of the chamber, close to government MPs.
The TPP was not part of the UNC's "coalition of interests" which contested the April 28 general election.
There is no indication when Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will make her budget contribution. But she is not expected to be in the first lineup of government speakers.
Persad-Bissessar could speak after the last of the opposition's 13 MPs speaks.
The government also has the option to extend the debate by having senators who are government ministers contribute to it.
This has always been allowed under the standing orders of the House and Senate.
An opposition source said the PNM was prepared for a long budget debate in the House.
"We suspect it will go into next week. With October 20 being a public holiday for Divali, it is possible the House could sit on October 18 to continue the debate which begins on October 17."
Once this happens, the Senate will debate the budget. This debate is usually two to three days because under its standing orders, the Senate is forbidden to vote on money bills. The budget is a money bill.
But if the House end its debate before October 20, its Standing Finance Committee could deliberate on the budget and approve it between October 21-24 (four days). This would allow the Senate to debate the budget from October 27-29.
The Senate's standing orders forbid it from voting on money bills, such as the budget.
While the House debates the budget on October 17, the PNM will hold its traditional post-budget political meeting at the Belmont Community Centre from 7 pm on the same day.
Beckles, along with Stuart Young, Port of Spain North/St Ann's West MP; Colm Imbert, Diego Martin North/East MP; and Keith Scotland, Port of Spain South MP, are listed as the speakers at that meeting.
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