House budget debate to begin today, vote could take place as early as Tuesday: The House of Representatives’ general assembly will begin discussing the state’s 2017-18 budget today — and an up-or-down vote on the bill could take place as early as tomorrow, Al Borsa reports. The Budgeting Committee has reportedly agreed with the government to allocate an additional EGP 20 bn to education, but disbursement of the funds would be contingent on the Education Ministry meeting its September deadline for a sector development plan, committee member MP Yasser Omar tells the newspaper. MPs have also earmarked a few extra piasters for the ministries of supply and youth and the Central Authority for Organization and Administration (details in the Borsa story).

More on the House’s plate: In the latest of its traditional pre-holiday mad dashes to the finish, the House as a whole is also due to discuss before Thursday a draft bill to direct a percentage of ministerial slush funds into the state budget process; the 10% hardship raise for state bureaucrats not covered by the Civil Service Act; the minimum annual raise and a hardship raise for the Civil Service Act; as well as the government’s proposal to raise pensions, Al Ahram says. The House is also expected to vote on legislation regulating organ transplant procedures.

One thing the House can cross of its list is signing off on increases to the prices of 27 different government services starting FY2017-18, AMAY reports. The increases will apply to services that include vehicle registration, passport issuance, and expat residence visas, in addition to a one-time EGP 50 fee for every mobile phone line purchased and EGP 10 on every monthly mobile phone bill. The move is expected to earn the state around EGP 7 bn.