(1) The Minister shall cause to be prepared and laid before the House of Assembly, before or not later than 30 days after the commencement of each financial year, Estimates of the Revenue and Expenditure of Saint Lucia for that financial year. (Substituted by Act 1 of 2022)
(2) When the estimates of expenditure, other than expenditure charged on the Consolidated Fund by the Constitution of Saint Lucia or any other enactment, have been approved by the House of Assembly, a bill known as an Appropriation Bill shall be introduced in the House of Assembly, providing for the issue from the Consolidated Fund of the sums necessary to meet that expenditure and the appropriation of those sums, under separate votes for the services required for the purposes specified in the Appropriation Bill.
(3) The House of Assembly shall approve the Appropriation Bill before or not later than 30 days after the laying of the Estimates of the Revenue and Expenditure of Saint Lucia before the House of Assembly. (Substituted by Act 1 of 2022)
(4) If an emergency is declared in accordance with section 17 of the Constitution of Saint Lucia and the Minister is unable to lay the Estimates before the House of Assembly, he or she shall seek immediate approval of the House of Assembly for an extension, with reasons for seeking the extension, by a new date, no later than 15 days before the end of the financial year.
(5) Where an extension of time is approved under subsection (4), the House of Assembly shall, no later than 30 days after the laying of the Estimates before the House of Assembly, approve the Appropriation Bill. (Substituted by Act 1 of 2022)
(6) The Minister may, by Provisional Warrant, authorize the collection of revenue and expenditure that is necessary to carry on the services of Government for 3 months from the beginning of the financial year, or the coming into force of the Appropriation Act, whichever is earlier, if the Appropriation Bill has not been approved by the House of Assembly at the commencement of the financial year. (Substituted by Act 1 of 2022)
(6A) Notwithstanding subsection (6) —
(a) expenditure must not in total exceed one-fourth of the money authorized by the Appropriation Act of the previous financial year;
(b) in the case of capital expenditure, expenditure on projects that in the previous financial year were authorized by the Appropriation Act for that financial year, continues.
(Inserted by Act 1 of 2022)
(7) On the coming into force of the appropriation law, expenditure under subsection (6) is deemed to have been paid out for corresponding services provided in the Estimates and the appropriation law.