Purchase of plans for state VIP's is back on the agenda

The government yesterday discussed the issue of buying VIP planes for top officials, however, definite decisions are to be made during the next meeting of the Sejm. The head of the Prime Minister's Office Marek Wagner, announced that most probably two planes will be leased directly from a producer, with the option to purchase them. The tender will also encompass the purchase, or a lease, of two additional planes. This way the government has withdrawn from its initial plans to purchase six planes and a later one not to buy them at all after a tender was annulled. The government is also taking into account a purchase or lease of used airplanes. During the next year the government will lease another plane, which will be used for transporting top officials on their way to and from Brussels. According to Wagner the government has reserved zł. 42 million which were not spent in this year's budget, plus zł. 8 million which were planned in the 2004 budget bill. Wagner also said that an additional zł. 30 million will be acquired, but detailed calculations will be made before the second reading of the budget bill. (Puls Biznesu, p. 6; Rzeczpospolita, pp. A1, B3) A.K.