By Balford Henry, News EditorPARLIAMENT'S PUBLIC Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, Audley Shaw, says that the $6.5 billion write-off given to the National Water Commission (NWC) last year, by the Minister of Water and Housing, will be his priority as soon as the committee resumes sitting.
Mr. Shaw, who was hospitalised during the November 14 re-opening of Parliament, is expected to be sworn-in on Tuesday, when the House of Representatives has its first business section. The newly constituted PAC is also expected to be named then, with Mr. Shaw, the opposition spokesman on finance, as its chairman.
His statement came in the wake of a release from the NWC on Tuesday, which responded to "repeated requests and much speculation" regarding a KPMG Peat Warwick management audit of the Commission. The trade unions representing workers at the Commission also want the management to say whether the report urges rationalisation of staff.
Mr. Shaw said that he would be disappointed if the report does not specifically deal with the NWC projects which came under the $6.5 billion write-off.
But, the NWC said in its statement that the audit was commissioned as part of its, "continued drive to improve the quality of service to its customers, maximise the use of human resources and improve overall efficiency of the organisation's operations." The recommendations are expected to identify changes necessary in the organisational structure, staffing and support systems of the Commission, among other things, the release added.
NWC's communications manager, Charles Buchanan, said in the release that in keeping with the terms of reference, the consultants conducted numerous interviews and analyses and have, to-date, made three presentations relating to different aspects of the Commission's business under review to the NWC chairman and management, for analysis and feedback, so as to gauge the progress of the exercise.
He said that similar activities are expected to continue up to the end of December, when a first interim report is to be completed.
"In keeping with the NWC's commitment to transparency and to the substantive participation of major stakeholders in the decision-making process, the interim report will be presented to stakeholders, including unions, management and board of commissioners before a final report is submitted to the board of commissioners for transmission to the Honourable Minister of Water and Housing."
He said that in the light of the foregoing, the NWC would not comment on specific issues being discussed or considered at this time, but would await the outcome of the audit process.
Mr. Buchanan said that the audit had no specific reference to the projects under which the Minister, Donald Buchanan, had dealt with the $6.5 billion, a process which the Commission prefers to describe as, "an assumption of debt." He said that the projects were undertaken in order to meet government's deadlines to bring potable water to all communities by 2005 and to provide sewage services in all major towns by 2020.
He said that evidence of the projects involved could be seen in towns such as Ocho Rios, Negril and Montego Bay.
But, Mr. Shaw said that the opposition would not be satisfied with anything less than a full disclosure from the Minister as to how the money was spent, what were the circumstances in which it was spent and whether the country got value for the amount spent.
