The National Assembly and Senate secretariats have introduced a wide set of austerity measures to cut costs across both houses. These changes affect how staff attend work, how much fuel official vehicles use and whether departments can buy new assets. Moreover, they place strict limits on official events and spending.
Under the new rules, half of the National Assembly Secretariat’s employees will now work from home. However, the Senate Secretariat has taken a narrower approach. Its employees can work from home only on Fridays. Instead, they must attend the office in person from Monday through Thursday.
The notification also makes clear that remote work comes with a financial cost. Employees working from home will not receive any daily allowances or overtime payments for those days. Therefore, working remotely will not bring any additional pay for affected staff.
Meanwhile, both secretariats have ordered a 50 percent cut in fuel consumption for government vehicles. They have also imposed a complete ban on official events. Additionally, the secretariats have stopped the purchase of new vehicles altogether.
Non-development spending also faces a 5 percent reduction under the new plan. Officials will review expenses every month and reduce them accordingly. Instead of a one-time cut, this creates an ongoing check on spending. Furthermore, the secretariats have barred the purchase of all durable goods, with IT equipment the only exception.
Foreign travel will also take a hit. Both houses have suspended all official foreign trips for the next three months. Official dinners are also off the table unless the secretariats are hosting visiting foreign delegations. Together, these travel curbs close off two of the most visible areas of official spending.
Still, the austerity measures signal a clear push to trim costs inside Parliament’s own offices. These steps cover nearly every major area of routine expenditure, from transport to hospitality. Finally, staff across both houses will now need to adjust quickly to the new working arrangements and tighter budgets.
