ABU DHABI: Total federal government spending reached Dh29.717 billion in the first nine months of 2016, according to the latest report issued by the Ministry of Finance, which revealed the developments related to the implementation of the general budget by government departments in 2016.
The total spending during the first nine months of last year accounted for 61.2 per cent of the overall approved budget for the same year, which totalled Dh48.557 billion, according to the ministry’s report.
General public services spending reached Dh10.294 billion, which represents about 35 per cent of the total spending in the first nine months of 2016, while the spending on public order and safety affairs’ sector reached Dh6.195 billion, accounting for 21 percent of total spending. Spending in the education sector reached Dh3.813 billion.
Health sector spending reached Dh2.682 billion, while spending on social security reached Dh2.197 billion. Dh678 million was spent on economic affairs, Dh377 million on housing and community facilities, Dh202 million on the environment sector, and Dh164 million was spent on entertainment, culture and religion.
The ministry said it is adopting a methodology of rationalising and controlling expenditure, and directing it to vital strategic sectors, to achieve the optimal use of government resources. It allocated expenses accordingly to the ministries’ key sectors, according to its report, said Wam.
The sectors that have direct relations with citizens, and those that provide services to citizens, had the largest general share of the general federal budget, including the 2016 general budget. Half of the budget was allocated to these sectors, including the education with a rate of 21.2 per cent, social development with 15.5 per cent, public services with 11.1 per cent and health with 7.9 per cent.
Other percentages in the general budget were allocated to other sectors such as housing, public safety, economic affairs, environmental protection, culture and religion.
– By Rajive Singh