Senators have raised concerns about the budgeting process in Government's Cabinet Office.

Senator David Burch presented the Cabinet Office budget, which has seen a six percent increase from last year's $6,480,000 to $6,848,000, in about 15 minutes. During the House of Assembly debate Premier Ewart Brown utilised almost all of a two-hour session to present the head and left 30 seconds for the opposition to respond.

On Friday Opposition Senate leader Senator Michael Dunkley thanked the Minister presenting the Cabinet Office brief for giving him more than 30 seconds to speak. "Unlike in another place, we wanted to make sure we had enough time to have an opportunity to speak on this head.

"From last year's estimate of $6,480,000 it went to an actual $7,661,000 an increase of 18 percent or about $3,000 a day more. But then it goes back down to $6,848,000 for this year.

"Clearly in this case someone got it wrong or someone is not looking at what they are spending on it. Some of the Cabinet Office heads show a tremendous gain.

"The budget has been blown out. Cabinet is the heart of the government. If you are the heart then you need to lead by example."

And Sen. Dunkley questioned the nearly halving of the Professional Development and Travel head, which will decease from $491,000 last year to $245,000 this year. He chalked it up to the Premier, who he said had a penchant for travel, leaving in October.

Government Senate leader, Sen. Burch, who was absent from the chamber for most of the Cabinet Office debate, did not answer questions about the budget figures.

Instead he spoke about the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George's, the rent period for the Washington office, and that an increase in the staffing in the Central Policy Unit was due to the internship programme, Jump Start.

Government Senator Walton Brown said: "Any information that any members of this Legislature need from Government they can simply get by posing the question. When the question is submitted the answers will be given."

Mr. Dunkley piped in that there were questions still waiting to be answered.