No plans to cut Cabinet size: Immanuel

Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel says Government will not shrink the size of Cabinet to cut costs, but has left the door open for a fresh round of salary cuts for ministers if the fuel crisis deepens.

Mr Immanuel made the comment during the Dialogue Fiji western division National Budget Forum, held in partnership with the Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nadi, on Saturday night.

“Instead of reducing the size we look at reducing the cost, starting with the salaries,” he said, adding Government considered cutting assistant minister posts, but found they were needed for parliamentary and legal work.

Cabinet and MPs took a mandatory 20 per cent pay cut in April, approved unanimously in Parliament amid the global fuel crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict.

Speaking during the forum’s question and answer session, Mr Immanuel said ministers had given up support staff and vehicles, now travelling only in their official car with their driver.

“If worse comes to worse, then we’ll put in more measures,” he said, when asked whether ministers were sharing the sacrifice being asked of ordinary Fijians.

He confirmed ministerial salaries had been cut by around 20 per cent, with room for a deeper cut.

“It can be 50 per cent if things worsen,” Mr Immanuel said.

He said Government had cut $200 million from operating expenditure this year, offset by one-off election, referendum and census costs.