Nod for perks to parliamentarians
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The Cabinet yesterday approved adjustments to the allowances and perks of parliamentarians as well as direct reimbursement of their healthcare expenses.
The Finance Ministry had submitted a draft royal decree on allowances and benefits to the House speaker and his deputies, Senate speaker and his deputies, the opposition leader, MPs and senators and committee members.
The ministry also proposed a draft law on the regulations for reimbursement of healthcare-related expenses of senators and MPs.
The Abhisit Vejjajiva Cabinet resolved last year to adjust the benefits and allowances of parliamentarians, which had not been changed since 1992, and related laws.
The Finance Ministry was assigned to draft the law and regulations. The changes would need royal endorsement.
The controversial issue was the reimbursement of costs for the parliamentarians’ healthcare.
The current law, issued in 2004, allocates a budget to buy Bt20,000-Bt50,000 health insurance for each parliamentarian annually. The law was accused as a waste of taxpayers’ money or allowing corruption.
The Abhisit government, after a study, proposed direct reimbursement by the Comptroller-General’s Department within specified rates.
The rates for parliamentarians are different from that of government officials, who can get reimbursed up to the amount they actually paid.
