Parliament unveils 3-year saving measures

ANKARA

The parliament has outlined saving measures to be implemented over the next three years as part of the government's newly unveiled austerity program, which includes restrictions on various expenditures ranging from vehicle use to overseas visits.

The government on May 17 announced a three-year saving plan aimed at reducing public spending. It has limited recruitment and transport spending for public servants, among other measures. The purchase or lease of any new public service vehicle will be banned for three years, except for mandatory requirements concerning the health, security and defense sectors.

At a meeting on June 5, the parliamentary presidency council presented its own saving measures. Secretary-General Talip Uzun stated that 80 percent of their budget is allocated to obligatory expenditures, primarily comprising salaries of MPs and personnel, thereby confining the scope of potential savings to the remaining 20 percent.

All service vehicles used in the administrative organization will be converted into electric vehicles, commencing with the acquisition of 19 domestically produced Togg cars to be utilized by department heads.

In the realm of healthcare expenditures, the parliamentary administration will curtail costs by mandating that deputies seek medical care at public, state and university hospitals, as opposed to occasionally incurring exorbitant bills from private hospitals.

Among the saving measures is a stringent limitation on overseas excursions for both deputies and administrative personnel. Compulsory overseas visits are to be constrained to a maximum duration of three days, and restrictions will also apply to personnel participating in overseas training.

The parliament also aims to completely abolish the use of paper, with all notifications and communications to be conducted digitally. Furthermore, the Library and Exhibition Hall project, which was planned to replace the demolished former Public Relations A and B blocks and was expected to cost 800 million Turkish Liras, has been abandoned.