An additional increase of 15 per cent in the salaries of the members of Parliament (MP) was included in the Parliament’s draft-budget 2008, National Assembly’s spokesperson Georgi Pirinski said.

The increase resulted from the work of the MPs with classified information, mediapool.bg reported. The increase was of an average of 347 leva per month per MP.

Pirinski said that he was sceptic about granting the money, as parliamentary regulations amendments would be needed and such a proposal was “hard to defend.”

Until now, the parliamentary budget did not include means for work with classified information, but the legislation envisioned such means. PMs worked mostly with classified information, Pirinski said.

Despite the 15-per cent increase, in 2008, the salaries in Parliament would raise by another 27.3 per cent because of the increase of monthly wages in the public sector, Pirinski said. Nearly 19 million leva would be spent on the increase, which would include MP and administration salaries.

The MP’s salary would amount to three average monthly wages in the sector, mediapool.bg said.

The parliamentary draft-budget 2008 includes also 1.5 million leva for new vehicles. An evaluation of the vehicle necessity would be made first, Pirinski said. Currently, Parliament had 80 vehicles. Budget 2007 envisioned 1.2 million leva for new vehicles, but they were never bought.