GOVERNMENT SPLIT OVER MINISTRY MERGERS

PALMA
BALEARIC coalition government members are divided over how savings can be made in next year's regional budget.
Spokesman for the ruling Socialists, Joana Barcelo said yesterday that although the government will be concentrating on reducing public spending next year, it has not discounted the possibility of merging ministries to save costs. Meanwhile, Biel Barcelo, spokesperson for the “Bloc” group of left wing parties which also forms part of the government, has ruled out mergers.

Both politicians were speaking yesterday at a government meeting held to discuss how a reduction of 500 million euros can be made in the budget. The need has arisen because regional government income from company tax has plummeted as a result of the recession. Joana Barcelo said that “savings” and “austerity” are to be the by-words of next year's government spending programme. Biel Barcelo said that “mergers had not been discussed” at the meeting and that in any event his party had discounted them. “If anything, it would cost more to join the ministries up - information technology costs alone would be enormous,” he claimed.