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Winners and losers in the Budget

Premier Paula Cox. (Photo by Akil Simmons)

The Ministry of Youth, Families and Sports walked away the biggest winner from the 2012/13 Budget, up more than 20 percent.From last year's $62 million, expenditure for this Ministry is estimated at $75.3 million for the coming fiscal year driven largely by a 45 percent increase in spending on financial assistance.Next in line is National Security: its budget rises from $94.3 million to $108.9 million, up 16 percent.Health gets a boost from $172 million to $191 million, or 11 percent, and the Ministry of the Environment, Planning and Infrastructure also rises, from $12.2 million to $15.7 million just under 11 percent.Subsequent increases are:• Public Works: from $62.6 million to $68 million, or nine percent;• Justice: from $54.2 million to $58.5 million, or eight percent;• Education: from $128.2 million to $134 million, or five percent;• Transport: from $76.2 million to $79.5 million, or four percent;• Economy, Trade and Industry: from $29.8 million to $30.5 million, or three percent;• Business Development and Tourism also saw an incremental rise, from $1.002 million to $1.005 million.Moving in the opposite direction, Finance took the biggest hit.Ms Cox's own Ministry saw the biggest year-on-year difference out of all the ministries, down more than 30 percent, from $202 million to $134 million.Government Estates and Information fell slightly, from $33.195 million to $33.193 million.Additionally, Cabinet Office's budget declined four percent overall, from $14.6 million to $15.4 million, or five percent.And non-ministry departments saw the Legislature's budget rise from $5.4 million to $5.7 million, or six percent.Parliamentary Registrar funding climbed 38 percent, from $1 million to $1.4 million, while the budget for the Ombudsman's Office dropped one percent, from $826,000 to $819,000.