FINANCE Minister Dr Omar Davies is to table the first supplementary estimates for 2006/2007 in the House of Representatives next week Tuesday.

The estimates will detail additional spending for the current financial year, including expenditure on the current beautification programme and other projects related to the hosting of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, as well as additional resources for the security forces in their fight against crime and violence.

The budget passed last April totalled $358 billion, of which $146.4 billion was for capital expenditure and $211.6 billion was for housekeeping of recurrent spending.

Minister of Information and Development Donald Buchanan, told journalists attending Monday’s weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House that the Cabinet approved the supplementary estimates.

He indicated that Dr Davies’ contribution to the debate would centre around the most recent IMF report, which the finance minister claims is the best report Jamaica has had under his stewardship.

Buchanan said that the estimates would be tabled on February 27. He said that the Standing Finance Committee (SFC) of the House, which comprises all 60 MPs, will meet at 10:00 am on March 6 to review the figures. However, he did not explain how that would coincide with the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is scheduled to resume hearings on the controversial Sandals Whitehouse Hotel project that morning.

Buchanan said that it is likely that the House will debate the estimates that afternoon. However, that will depend on whether the SFC is able to complete its deliberations on time.

The House is scheduled to be prorogued around March 24 in preparation for the ceremonial opening of the new session on March 29, which will be followed by the 2007/2008 budget debate.