Parliamentarians on both sides of the Chamber are continuing to disregard the rules of the Integrity Commission and file their returns late.

In its latest report, tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday, the Integrity Commission named 19 parliamentarians who were reported to the leaders of Parliament last year for failing to follow the rules.

The 19 include eight members of the Jamaica Labour Party and 11 members of the People's National Party (PNP).

Gov't ministers on list

Five current government ministers and two former ministers are included in the 19. Several parliamentarians failed to meet the deadline for the statutory declarations last year, with the vast majority submitting their statements in the first quarter of this year.

However, Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller appear to have followed the rules and their names are not present on any of the lists released by the Integrity Commission.

Three former parliamentarians, the PNP's Wendell Stewart, Verna Parchment and Burchell Whiteman, were reported to the director of public prosecutions (DPP) last year for failing to file outstanding declarations.

In the case of Stewart, his declaration was outstanding from December 31, 2002.

Absence of information

But the commission noted that at the time the 2007 report was prepared, it was not aware what action, if any, had been taken by the DPP.

The commission expressed concern about the absence of information regarding the matters submitted to the DPP, "in light of the continuing breach of the act by parliamentarians".

Under the Integrity Act, every parliamentarian is required to furnish the commission with a statutory declaration of assets, liabilities and income as at the date of their election or appointment and thereafter the 31st of December for each year they remain in the Parliament and at the end of 12 months from the day they leave Parliament.

Parliamentarians reported to leaders last year

Dr Kenneth Baugh

Dr St. Aubyn Bartlett

Dr Horace Chang

Audley Shaw

Mike Henry

Karl Samuda

Joseph Hibbert

Dr Karl Blythe

Errol Ennis

Dr Neil McGill

Sharon Hay-Webster

Horace Dalley

O.T. Williams

Charles Learmond

Dr Patrick Harris

Ernest Smith

Norman Horne

Keste Miller

Granville Shaw