The Prime Minister, Sherif Ismael, said that the government will meet constitutional requirements for spending on health and education in the FY17/18 budget. The constitution mandates that health and education spending amount to 8% of total state expenditures. The budget is still being drafted and will be ready to present before the Ministerial Economic Group at its next meeting before it is submitted to the cabinet, Ismail added. The Deputy Finance Minister, Mohamed Maait, previously stated that total expenditures will surpass EGP1.1tn, compared to EGP975bn in FY16/17 due in large part to fulfilling the constitutional requirement on health, education and R&D spending. The EGP float also drove up the cost of imports and fuel subsidies, and increased the public debt which is dominated in dollars, Maait had said.