Marape wants village court officials’ pay issue addressed

FINANCE Minister James Marape says administrative arrangement for the payment of salaries for councillors and villager court official has to be addressed.
Markham MP Koni Iguan had questioned why ward councillors and village court officials were not being paid.
Marape said he would talk to the department responsible.
He said the former government by way of policy instruments had started the ball rolling.
“We have budgeted for their allowances. The problem is not the lack of budget on the part of the government but the administrative arrangement in which the funds get transferred from Waigani into their accounts,” he said.
He promised to discuss with the Provincial and Local Level Government department and the department of Justice and Attorney-General “to find a neater, cleaner way of budgeting and transferring the funds to recipients serving as councillors and village court officials”.
Marape said councillors and village court officials were on the front line delivering services and would be compensated.
Iguan said councillors were mandated leaders of the third level of government.