The former presidents of the Government of the Canary Islands will receive a salary equivalent to that of the Executive advisors for advising the Economic and Social Council (CES). It would be about 71,000 euros per year in 2024. However, it will be the former heads of the regional Executive themselves who will decide whether or not to join the new advisory body, where, in addition, could exercise without any remuneration if they renounce it. In any case, the intention is that the former presidents have guaranteed future income, or rather the possibility of future income in exchange for mere advisory work. It is, ultimately, that Nobody who occupies the Presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands will find themselves in difficulties tomorrow to make ends meet. after having dedicated part of his years of work to public service.
The general budget bill of the Autonomous Community for 2024, which the Minister of Finance, Matilde Asian, delivered this Tuesday in format pendrive to the president of Parliament from the Canary Islands, Astrid Perez, includes among its final provisions the modification of the CES law to establish an “advisory body” within the Council’s organizational chart. A kind of advisory body of an advisory body, which is what the CES itself ultimately is. Be that as it may, the objective of the regional government is not so much to reinforce the structure of the Council as to provide some economic security to the former presidents, who will be the only members – those who want – of the new body. The former heads of the Executive will thus be able to help in public work in exchange for “the remuneration provided for the advisors of the Government.” in the general budget law of the Autonomous Community, unless they renounce them. In the absence of the mandatory regulatory development, the former presidents who join the CES organizational chart in this new advisory role They will be subject to the same regime of incompatibilities and conflict of interests as any other regional public position..
In this way, through the budgets and through the modification of the CES law, the statute of former presidents, to which the regional Chamber unanimously approved after an amendment passed in voice of Podemos to make it clear that the amounts received by the former heads of Government will in no case be for life, but will always be linked to the performance of a public task, in this case advice.
Investment by islands
Aside from the novelty of the advisory body expresidential, the budget bill shows the distribution of public investment between the different islands. Eight, included The Gracious With 3.2 million euros, they have greater amounts recorded than in the 2023 accounts, but behind them there is a lot of fabric to cut. Gran Canaria, with almost 273.6 millionand La Palma, with 126.7, are the two islands where investment increased the most, both with increases of 9.8%. They follow them La Gomera, with 86.4 million eurosan increase of 8.7%; Tenerife, with 292.8 million, an increase of 7.7%; and Lanzarote, with almost 105.4 and a growth of 7.6%. Finally, Fuerteventura, with 110 million eurosan increase of 6.8%, and El Hierro, with 39.3 million and an increase of 6.6%, are the two islands where the planned investment grows the least – we must insist on what is planned, since we will have to wait for the execution of the budgets to see how much is actually invested in each case – regarding the initial accounts of 2023.
However, it is by relating the amount allocated for each island to its respective population when Once again, the enormous imbalance in per capita investment between the capital islands and the peripheral islands can be seen.. The disbursement for each Gomero reaches 3,964 euros, the highest, while it falls to 314 euros for each Tenerife resident, the lowest amount. Tenerife, the most populated island by far, is thus the one that receives the least investment even though in quantitative terms it leads this particular ranking. And the per capita investment in Gran Canaria, the other capital, is not much higher, only 321 euros – taking the population in 2022 as a reference in all cases.
Regarding spending by budget chapters, What is striking is the 337 and 334.4 million euros in which the disbursement in personnel increases – an increase of 8.2% – and in current spending – a whopping 24.4% more –that is, that the autonomous Administration will allocate in 2024 for itself, for its own operation, 671.4 million more than in 2023. In this regard, Asián pointed out, of course, that Up to 86% of the increase in personnel occurs in Health and Education, especially due to the consolidation of health workers and teachers who reinforced both services during the pandemic. And in current spending, of the 334.4 million increase, up to 295 correspond to the Canarian Health Service (SCS).
