KUALA LUMPUR: Further studies must first be considered before establishing a parliamentary budget office (PBO), said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
She said that the unity government, however, is open to any proposal for the setting-up of the office.
Azalina added that any proposal will also be subjected to the current government policies.
"The proposal to establish a PBO is in line with the practices in several developed countries, where an independent fiscal institution is established under the legislation (of the country).
"Among others, it is aimed at assessing the impact of policy proposals, including budget proposals, by any members of Parliament regardless of political leaning and without favouring any side.
"(However,) further studies must first be considered, particularly the evaluation from the legal aspect and financial implications before any decision can be made," she said in a parliamentary written reply.
Azalina said this in response to Ismi Mat Taib (PN-Parit) who asked whether the government plans to establish a parliamentary budget office in line with Pakatan Harapan's (PH) manifesto in the 15th General Election (GE-15).
She also answered the question on behalf of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In GE-15, PH, among other things, pledged to establish a PBO that will provide objective services to all MPs regardless of party for issues pertaining to estimated financial implication or cost, policies and their policy recommendations.
The coalition said PBO establishment will improve the policy-making process and level the playing field by providing access to cost estimation services and other forms of analysis that are usually exclusively available to the government.