Paulwell

The Technology Ministry has ordered an audit into the operations of the Universal Access Fund in response to concerns raised in the latest report from Auditor General Adrian Strachan.

Phillip Paulwell, the minister with responsibility for technology, told The Gleaner/Power 106 News Thursday that the audit should be completed by April.

The fund was set up last year to collect a levy on incoming international calls to Jamaica,

The Auditor General, in his report tabled in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, said there was no mechanism in place for the company to verify whether the carriers were paying the correct levy due.

But Thursday, Mr. Paulwell said this was being addressed.

"I have ordered that an audit be done of the calls that have been terminated in Jamaica since the establishment of the Universal Access Fund to ensure that they are properly being tracked by the Universal Access Fund Company," he said.

In addition, Mr. Paulwell said the ministry was currently preparing a manual that would guide each carrier.

The Auditor General also raised concerns that the levy received from the fund was not being paid into the Consolidated Fund as required under Section 114 of the Constitution and Section 7 of the Financial Administration and Audit (FAA) Act.

Mr. Strachan said the company was advised to bring funds derived from this levy in full compliance with the requirements of the Constitution and the FAA Act.

Legislative change

He added that the ministry subsequently advised that legislative change would be sought to exempt the levy from being paid into the Consolidated Fund.

On Thursday, Mr. Paulwell said both the Ministry of Technology and the Ministry of Finance have agreed to regularise that "... Very shortly Cabinet is going to deal with it," he added.

During Tuesday's sitting of the House, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding scoffed at plans by the Commerce Ministry to make legislative changes that would exempt the levy from being paid into the Consolidated Fund.

In the meantime, Opposition Spokesman on Telecommunications, Clive Mullings, is calling for the resignation of the board of the fund.

Mr. Mullings has also described as disgraceful, the revelation that there was no proof that the law firm which the fund paid more than $23 million in legal fees had in fact done its work:

"This is loose, this cannot go on," he insisted.

According to the Auditor General, during the period June 2005 to July 2006, $1.4 billion was received in levy from 36 carriers.