The finance committee approved today (Thursday) the expenses of the Prime Minister's residence and other services provided at the official residence.
According to the approved resolution, the clothing expenses of the Prime Minister and his wife increased from approximately NIS 56 to 80 thousand. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the previous budget was set years ago, and the costs have become very expensive over the years, and therefore adjustments have been made.
It was also determined that the budgeting of the expenses of the Prime Minister's wife's participation in events, conferences and delegations, was added in the wording according to which the said is in an official or state event, conference or delegation arising from the position of the Prime Minister.
Gafni in the finance committee.
Defines "obscure subjects", photo: Photo: Dodi Vaaknin
At the request of the chairman of the committee, MK Moshe Gafni, the legal advice was consulted for the committee and members of the Prime Minister's Office and a number of amendments were introduced in the wording: As part of establishing the Prime Minister's private residence as an official residence until December 31, 2026, in view of the renovations in the official residence in Balfour, an alternative was determined that The deadline could end on the date of completion of the works in the official residence, according to the key of the earliest among them.
In the meantime, the Prime Minister's Office stated that the costs of renovating the official residence in Balfour have dropped to around NIS 50 million. The Prime Minister's Office clarified that in the official alternative residence, the state will finance ongoing care and maintenance without matters of renovation and improvement in the residence, and that all of this will be accompanied by professional consultants, who will consult opinion if they should be carried out.
Office service jobs provided to the official Prime Minister's residence:
In the finance committee it was decided that the standard of employees will increase from 2 to 4. The Prime Minister's office explained that, over the years, there has been a significant increase in the various requests to the Prime Minister's residence. For example, according to them, people come to the residence Ten thousand letters every year, a situation that brings employees that it is not their job to deal with it, and therefore an answer must be given.
Vladimir Belyak.
"Disgrace. An expression of your complete disconnection from what the public feels", photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Regarding the definition in the proposal that the state will make available to the residence staff in the amount that will be determined by the civil service commissioner, according to the needs necessary for the prime minister to fulfill his role. The prime minister's office stated that there is no difference from the existing situation, but only in its regulation.
The director general of the office, Yossi Sheli, stated that the same personnel will provide service to both dormitories, the official one and the additional dormitory, without duplication, and as needed.
At the beginning of the debate, the members of the opposition attacked the bringing up of the issue for debate.
MK Hamed Amar: "6 rockets were fired at the residents of the south tonight, they entered the shelters at 4 in the morning.
Terrorism is rampant, murder of women, crime is not slowing down, on the contrary.
The shekel continues to weaken, I have no problem with the Prime Minister's residence, and may it be the most luxurious there is, but not 2 houses.
The government's decision from 1982 did not talk about 2 individual houses.
MK Vladimir Blayak: "We are meeting in a very unusual way on Thursday, I assume that you, Honorable Chairman, are under very heavy pressure to convene the committee both last night and this morning. Missiles were fired tonight, this discussion is a disgrace to the Finance Committee and the Knesset, it is an expression For your complete disconnection from what the public feels, that's why my proposal to order is to cancel this discussion."
The chairman of the committee, MK Moshe Gafni: "I should have held the vote yesterday, since there was an argument also in the coalition, but mainly the opposition, not to vote yesterday, I asked the members, also in the opposition, to hold the debate today. It is about defining issues that were vague and will now be under definition , supervision and reporting to the committee".
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