By Omar Anderson, Gleaner WriterPORTIA SIMPSON Miller, Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sports, yesterday delivered the most emphatic statement yet that her Ministry was having severe difficulties carrying out its duties due to a shortfall in Government allocations.
Speaking against the background of a substantial cut in her Ministry's budgetary allocations of $600 million, the Minister told Parliament's Standing Finance Committee examining the 2003/04 Supplementary Estimates that her Ministry faces stiff challenges.
NEGATIVE RESULTS OF CUT
The cuts have led to the handicapping of the fire brigade and a less than acceptable garbage collection system.
"We have serious challenges and it is better for us to identify to the country that we have some challenges and the people know what to expect and what not to expect, than to come here and behave as if things are rosy when they are not," she declared to applause from Opposition Members of Parliament. "I am here as the Minister of Local Government to say it is bad, but I know the (Finance) Minister is making an effort to assist us."
She told the Standing Finance Committee that she had made a submission to Cabinet and that Dr. Omar Davies, the Finance Minister, had taken 'a personal interest' in addressing problems associated with solid waste management and the fire service.
TERRIBLE CONDITION
Her comments followed an impassioned appeal from North East Clarendon MP Pearnel Charles, who spoke of the parlous state of the fire service, garbage collection, and water supplies in rural districts.
"We invite tourists to our country and God forbid if there is a fire in a hotel or a guest house, there is no fire truck available," he said, urging Minister Davies to have at least one fire truck in each parish.
Last month, fire gutted the 17-room Tigress II Hotel in Negril, Westmoreland, resulting in $15 million in losses. The absence of a fire station in the resort town was blamed for the damage.
The revised capital Estimates of Expenditure for the Ministry of Local Government showed that a $20 million grant for the purchasing of fire service equipment has been shaved by $6 million, while the $25 million to repair fire stations has been revised down by $12 million.
The allocation for fire fighting equipment is now $5 million compared to $10 million at the beginning of the financial year.
The cuts to Local Government come against the background of a net $17 billion increase in budgetary spending, $11 billion of which relates to increased interest payments on outstanding debt.
Dr. Davies said a comprehensive assessment of the capital needs of fire services and garbage collection had been done, but that a Euro-pean country shelved plans to assist because of its own budgetary constraints.
Meanwhile, Opposition MPs yesterday vented their anger at the revised capital budget for the Cabinet Office that manages the Social and Economic Support Programme (SESP) funds to which each MP is entitled. A total of $497 million was approved at the beginning of the current fiscal year, however that amount has been cut to $460 million.
Dr. Davies drew the ire of North Central St. Andrew MP Delroy Chuck, after the Minister said each MP will receive $500,000 each from the remaining $37 million SESP funds.
But Mr. Chuck said he was upset that he had credited supplies and services for his constituency on the basis that he would receive his normal SESP allocation to pay for them.
Although the House of Representatives approved the 2003/04 revised estimates, Opposition Members yesterday voted against the cut in the SESP allocations.
