The Permanent Delegation of the Parliament has approved a credit supplement of 1,850 million euros
The Permanent Delegation of the Parliament has approved this Friday a credit supplement of 1,850 million euros to meet the increases in spending after the budget extension of the 2023 accounts, after failing to approve this year’s budgets, which lead Pere Aragonès to advance the elections to next May 12.
The content of the decree was presented by the Minister of Economy of the Generalitat, Natàlia Mas, and went ahead with the votes in favor of PSC, ERC, Junts i Comuns, the rejection of Vox and the abstention of CUP, Cs and PP, and Vox has voted against.
As detailed by Mas, with the supplement it will be possible to face the larger expenses expected in areas such as health, education, the 2% salary increase expected for civil servants, and grants an extraordinary credit of 9.8 million for a subsidy at the Leitat technology center. Mas has assured that it is essential that the decree goes ahead “for the proper functioning of public services in Catalonia and also for all the public employees who make it up”.
Education and health
In education, the continuity of measures such as the recurrence of the necessary places for the 2023-2024 academic year, the deployment of the economic module for students with special needs and the coverage of the school canteen and scholarship applications, both in centers public and concerted.
In terms of health, the necessary funding is also foreseen to deal with “new expenditure needs arising from the aging of the population”, such as an increase in hospital medication for ambulatory dispensing or a longer duration of treatment for chronic diseases, as well as measures affecting personnel expenses.
In addition, it enables “the necessary credits to cover the forecast of a 2% salary increase for public workers and its proportional impact on the educational, health, social services and equality and feminism concerts, and the staff of the centers university students”. It will also make it possible to materialize improvements to the working conditions and salaries approved for health professionals and to attend to the increase in places for the Mossos, firefighters and officials of penitentiary centers.
Finally, it will allow the payment of supply and service contracts and spending commitments already acquired with third parties, such as tendered works that have begun execution or multi-year subsidies already awarded.
Alleviate the drought
There is an item of 145.2 million euros in investments and aid to alleviate the effects of the drought, which includes 30 million to finance possible actions to bring water to the supply system of the internal basins such as transport of this resource with boats and or the use of portable desalination plants.
The Councilor for Climate Action, David Mascort, has emphasized that the decree will make it possible to ensure the investments planned for 2024, both for emergency works and to ensure the supply of water. Mascort has stated that this is a “priority and non-postponable” decree.
The opposition has applauded that the measure serves to alleviate the effects of the drought, but they have also criticized that the aid arrives “late”. The councilor has also stressed that the decree will make it easier for the Ter-Llobregat supply body to take over the operation and maintenance of the Segarra-Garrigues Canal.
The Government approved the decree law at the end of March, for the credit supplement and financial measures to try to alleviate the effects of the drought and the climate emergency.
