REPUBLIC OF KIRIBATI
(No.6 of 2008)

AN ACT TO AMEND THE SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES
OF MEMBERS OF THE MANEABA NI MAUNGATABU AND SALARIES
TRIBUNAL ACT (REVISED EDITION 2002)

Commencement: 
2008

1. Short title

This Act may be cited as the Salaries and Allowances of Members of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu and Salaries Tribunal (Amendment) Act 2008.

2. Commencement 

This Act shall be deemed to have come into operation on 1" January 2007.

3. Amendment of Schedule

The Schedule of the Salaries-and Allowances of Members of the Maneaba ni  Msungatabu and Salaries Tribunal (Revised Edition 2002) {"the principal Act") is amended as follows: - 

(a) (i) by repealing "16,500" in the second column (Salary of Te Beretitenti) and substituting "17,900; and

(ii) by repealing "1,942" in the third column (Entertainment allowance of To Beretitenti) and substituting "2,233.30" and 

(b) (i) by repealing "15,700" in the second column (Salary of Te Kauoman ni Beretitenti) and substituting "16,400"; and

(ii) by repealing 541,700" in the third column (Entertainment allowance of Te Kauoman ni Beretitenti) and substituting "1,995;

(c) (i) by repeating "14,200" in the second column (Salary of a Minister) and substituting "15,600"; and

(ii) by repealing "1,600" in the third column (Entertainment allowance of a Minister) and substituting. 1,840;

(d) (i) by repealing "11900" in the second column (Salaries of an Elected Member) and substituting "12,600"; and

(ii) (A) by repealing "720" in the third column (Entertainment allowance for elected  members of the South Tarawa and Betio) and substituting "1069" and

(B) by repealing "660" in the third column (Entertainment allowances of other members) and substituting "850";

(e) The reference in the fourth column of the Schedule of sitting allowances far the Chairman of the Maneaba Members' Salaries Tribunal and Member of the Maneaba Members' Salaries Tribunal is repealed.

4. A new section 3A

A new section 3 (A) is inserted as follows: - 

"3(A). The Beretitenti acting in accordance with the advice of Cabinet, may from time to time, amend the rate of sitting allowances for the chairman and members of the Maneaba Members Salaries Tribunal, and such amendment shall be laid before the Maneaba rd Mauugatabu within forty eight hours of the day on which the next Meeting of the Maneaba ni Maungstabu commences and such amendment shall stand unless the Maneaba.ni Maungatabu by resolution rejects-it".

5. Amendment of Section 4

Section 4 of the principal Act is amended at subsection 5(b) by repealing the word "twice" and substituting the word "twice" and substituting the words "three times"

6. Amendment of Section 6

Section 6 of the principal Act is amended as follows: - 

(a) in subsection (3)(d) by repealing $30) and substituting "$40" and by repealing "$15" and substituting "$20".

(b) in subsection (3) (e) by repealing a "full stop" at the end and inserting the following: - 

"but such amount shall not exceed $150 per day"

(c) in subsection (4)(a) by repealing '%15" and substituting "$20";

(d) in subsection 4(b) by repealing "$15" and substituting "$20" 

(e) by repealing subsection (5); and 

(f) in subsection (6)(b) by repealing it and substituting the following: - 

"occupies a Government or Housing Corporation dwelling house shall be responsible for the payment of rent at the economic rate.

7. Amendment of section 8

Section 8 of the principal Act is amended in subsection (1) (a) by repealing "the full stop" at the end of the subsection and add the following: - 

"free gas for cooking"

8. Amendment of section 9

Section 9 of the principal. Act is amended as follows - .

(a) in subsection 2 (a) by repealing the figure"$150" and substituting "$240"; .

(b) in subsection 2 (d) by inserting at the end "; and " and

(c) by inserting a new subsection 2 (e) as follows: "(2)(e) 13 kg gas for cooking per month". 

9. Amendment of section 10 .

Section 10(1) of the principal Act is amended by repealing it and substituting the
following: - 

"10(1). A Minister shall be entitled to reside at a suitable dwelling house provided by the Government and shall be entitled to $900 rent subsidy per year".

10. Amendment of section 13

Section 13, of the principal Act is amended

(a) by retiling it "Communications Allowance"; and

(b) at subsection (2) by repealing everything after the word "exceed" and substituting the following: - 

"calls at a value of $350 per year which is non- accountable"

11. Amendment of section 14

Section 14 of the principal Act is amended by repealing the full stop and adding at the end the following: - 

"or to any other place including Kiribati at a cost equivalent to the cost of transport to the member's home island constituency".
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EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

This Bill amends' the Salaries and Allowances of Members of the Maneaba ni Maungambu and Salaries Tribunal (Revised Edition 2002). The amendments are adopted mostly from the recommendations of the Salaries and Allowances, of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu Tribunal set up in June 2007 in accordance with section 65(2) of the Constitution. The Tribunal finalized its report in September, 2007.

The amendments are in respect of the salaries and entertainment -allowances of Te Beretitenti, Te Kauoman,-Ministers acid Members of Parliament (MP's from Betio-and South - Tarawa are. differentiated only in the entertainment allowances). The increase in salaries is $1,400 for Te Beretfenti, $700 for Te Kauornan ni Beretitenti and Ministers, and $710 for ordinary members. The increase in entertainment allowance reflects a 15% increase for Te Bemtitenti, Te KaOmdn and Ministers but for members, an increase -of 48% for Betio and South Tarawa, and an increase of 29% for the other members.

A new section 3A is inserted.The allowances of the members of the Salaries Allowances Tribunal had found its way in the Schedule following previous amendments to the Salaries & Allowances of Members of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu and Salaries Tribunal Act (Cap 92A).The Constitution does not contemplate that it be so regulated under the Act. The new section 3A removes the allowances of the members of the said Tribunal from the Schedule and place it under the authority of the Beretitenti acting in accordance with the advice of Cabinet to be scrutinized by the Maneaba ni Maungatabu at the earliest opportunity. The idea is to give the members of the Tribunal comparable allowances at the time they carry out their functions ratter than to wait for the new set of allowances to be approved by the Maneaba ni Maungatbu after they have completed their task.

Clause 5 amends section 4(5)(10 to acknowledge the increase in the attendance of the meeting of the Maneaba ni Maungata ni Maungatabu from "twice" to "three times" a year. The other significant amendments are reflected in Clause 6. The subsistence allowances for members attending the Maneaba sitting is now increasd to $60.00 per day mad of $40 for a member and $20 for his or her spouse at an incear of $15 from the current rate. A limit is now places on those members choosing to stay at the rest houses or hotel s on Tarawa while attending the meeting of the Maneaba to be $150 per day. The meal allowance is now increased to $20.00 per day for members of Betio and South Taraw including a Minister from those constituencies. Section 6(5) is repealed as is redundant.

The Ministers have now to pay housing rent but receive a subsidy of $900 per year. A Member of a standing committee who has a house provided for him or her on Tarawa has to pay the full economic rate on rent. Section 13 is amended to increase the entitlement of a member to communication calls at $350 per year but is to be non - accountable. Section 14 is amended to entitle the body of the deceased member to be repatriated to a place other than his or her home island constituency at a cost equivalent to transporting his or her body to his home island constituency.

Titabu Tabane 
Attorney General,
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CERTIFICATE OF THE CLERK OF THE MANEABA NI
MAUNGATABU

This printed impression of the Salaries and Allowances of Members of the Maneaba ni Maungatabu and Salaries Tribunal (Amendment) Act 2008 has been carefully examined by me with the Bill which passed the Maneaba ni Maiingatabu on the 5th May2008 and is-fobnd.by one to -N 'A' true and correctly printed copy of the said Bill.

……………………...
IoataMe Timeon
Clerk of the Maneaha ni Moungatabu

CERTIFICATE OF THE SPEAKER OF THE MANEABA NI
MAUNGATABU

I certify that the above Act was on the 5th May 2008 passed by the Maneaba ni Maungatabu on a Certificate of Urgency under section 68(3)(a) of the Constitution.

…………………..
Hon. Taomati Iuta
Speaker

Published by exhibition at the Maneaba ni Maungatabu this 12th day of May 2008

………………………………………
Clerk of the Maneaba ni.Maungatabu