Government Ministers will explain $23 million in Government overspending last year when the House of Assembly meets today.

A number of "supplementary estimates" have been tabled, covering areas where projects and services overran their allocated budgets. Among them are a $15 million overspend on the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital subsidy. This attracted criticism during the budget debate from Grant Gibbons of the United Bermuda Party.

The subsidy covers a portion of the cost of hospital services for the elderly, homeless and residents under 16 as well as geriatric care and dialysis. This year, it will be allocated $86 million the same amount it was allocated in 2009, despite the fact that it overran its budget last year by $15 million.

This is the fourth year running that the subsidy has cost more than budgeted for. Health Minister Walter Roban explained to the House during a debate last week that this was a result of "increased utilisation" and was "largely due to the increase in the Bermuda Hospitals Board fee charges that came into force in April 2008".

However, Dr. Gibbons said it appeared to be "wishful budgeting" on the Ministry's part by not raising the subsidy.

"I cannot understand it, last year it went over by 18 percent," he said. "And if the Health Minister came with that estimate the Finance Minister should have said it is unrealistic."

Mr. Roban will again address the topic tomorrow when he puts the reasons for the overspend to the House.

The Ministers responsible for each budget overspend must explain them, as the legislature is asked to approve all supplementary estimates. Among the other areas of overspend are $2.6 million in pensions and benefits for war veterans, $566,000 for improvements to Pender Road in Sandys done in preparation for the new cruise ship terminal and $150,000 on resurfacing the taxiways and aprons at the airport.

Among the other items on the agenda for tomorrow are budget debates on the last two ministries to be discussed Works and Engineering will be discussed from 10.30 a.m to 4 p.m., then MPs will talk about Cultural Affairs between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

After that, there will be a vote on the budget as a whole. Although the Opposition has complained throughout the debates about taxpayers being hit in their pockets, United Bermuda Party whip Cole Simons said yesterday it's expected the budget will be "rubber stamped."

In addition, MPs will debate legislation raising motor vehicle licences by five percent as well as a rise on licence duty on privately owned and livery cycles.