Cabinet to meet Permanent Secretaries monthly

Jul 02, 2017 News

…for implementation of cost-cutting measures

Cabinet will be meeting every month with the Permanent Secretaries of the various government ministries to ensure that the cost-cutting measures outlined by the administration, are implemented.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, told media operatives on Friday during the post-cabinet press briefings, that Cabinet would have met with the Permanent Secretaries last Thursday and an assessment was made.
“We were able to make an assessment of where we are in relation – not only to austerity measures – but respect to our engagement on spending on public sector projects.
So that the engagement that we had (on Thursday) and the continued engagement which we will have on a monthly basis with Permanent Secretaries, we’re now able to keep a check on these things that are happening,” Harmon said.
Earlier this year, the government introduced a number of austerity measures including recycling envelopes, conserving on electricity by turning off lights and air condition units.
These measures were introduced to ensure that monies allocated to government agencies, “can last longer” and would avoid Ministers going to the National Assembly for supplementary funds.
However, recent reports by this newspaper had highlighted a number of instances whereby it would appear that taxpayers’ dollars were being used unconscionably, one being the construction of a guard hut for the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education to the value of a little over half a million dollars. The cost to construct the hut could have built six similar structures.
Harmon said, yesterday, that President David Granger, during that conference re-emphasised the importance of austerity.
Harmon said that the President reminded the officials that resources are not limitless and therefore, “We have to be very careful in our spending so that we can ensure that we get the best value for our money.”
Cabinet’s engagement with the officials would come days after the President spoke on this television show, “The Public Interest” that the procurement of goods must be done with a certain vision.
Granger said that he would like to see less waste. He said that when Government agencies have to expend money they should embrace a ‘green strategy’ – for example, rain water can be trapped and used, there is proper solid waste management and solar power or green energy sources are utilised.
On the show, the President provided a personal example where he opted to save money at State House. The President said that he is the patron for six organisations and the First Lady is the patron for an additional four.
He said that from time to time these organisations would ask the patron to fund entertainment activities and the rental of tents and chairs is very expensive.
As a result, Granger said a benab was built in State House’s compound so that money can be saved from having to rent tents.
After the Minister, the PS is the most powerful person in the ministries. He or she is the accounting officer who controls the purse strings.
In the past, several Permanent Secretaries were fired or transferred for wrongdoing.
With billions of dollars at stake in each ministry, it was not unusual in the past for auditors to red-flag transactions because of overpayments and other deliberate manipulations.

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