Costly breaches of travel rules

[Lazie]

published: Sunday | January 28, 2007 <DIV class=KonaBody xVlvo="true">

Tyrone Reid, Enterprise Reporter



Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller - File photo

Public Officials at <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">Jamaica</SPAN> House have breached, with regularity, the rules regarding per diem (daily allowances) and <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">air </SPAN><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">travel</SPAN> while on official visits abroad.

Sunday Gleaner investigations into <SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">Prime </SPAN><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: orange! important; FONT-FAMILY: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; POSITION: relative">Minister</SPAN> Portia Simpson Miller's 10 official overseas trips between April and October 2006 showed that the breaches have cost the country thousands of US dollars.

Pat Sinclair-McCalla, Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), did not return numerous calls placed to her office over a two-week period in an attempt to get clarification on the overspending.

Rates

A document furnished by the Ministry of Finance and Planning states explicitly that the approved per diem rates are maximum and inclusive of <A class=kLink oncontextmenu="return false;" id=KonaLink3 &#111;nmouseover=adlinkMouseOver(event,this,3); style="POSITION: static; TEXT-DECORATION: underline! important" &#111;nclick=adlinkMouseClick(event,this,3); &#111;nmouseout=adlinkMouseOut(event,this,3); href="http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070128/lead/lead3.html#" target=_new><SPAN class=kLink style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400; COLOR: ora

[Lazie]

RE: Costly breaches of travel rules

Suh whey di money deh?



An application for the release of foreign exchange for official visits abroad indicated that Verna Parchment, former Jamaica Labour Party Member of Parliament, who crossed the floor in May 2006, received similar disbursements. However, Mr. Robinson said that while Ms. Parchment was invited to accompany the Prime Minister, she did not make it.

Government money

When contacted, Ms. Parchment told The Sunday Gleaner that she did not get an invitation let alone receive money for the trip. "I don't get anything. Nobody consulted with me saying that they were taking me on any trip," she said. "And, I don't need government money to travel."

Under the rules laid down by the Finance and Planning Ministry "where the full amount of an advance was not utilised or is not properly accounted for, the public official must refund within seven days of return to Jamaica".

However, it was not ascertained if the money received for Ms. Parchment was returned.