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By
Gail Alexander
Local Government Minister Hazel Manning yesterday apologised
to the Parliament for “inadvertently” giving certain
information to the Lower House on June 18.
“It
was not my intention to mislead the House and I apologise
for any misunderstanding,” Manning added, explaining
the situation.
Recently, UNC MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar had called for the
House Speaker to send Manning before the Privileges Committee
for stating on June 18 that the Penal Debe Corporation had
received 2008 water-trucking funding of $4 million.
Persad-Bissessar said she had information from chairman
of the Penal Debe Regional Corporation, Dr Allen Sammy,
that the corporation did not at any time of fiscal year
2008 to date receive any such funds.
House Speaker Barendra Sinanan, who said he considered the
matter, added that contempt of Parliament arose when a member
deliberately gave wrong information, rather than mistakenly.
He also noted that ministers usually deliver statements
prepared by offices of ministries.
Sinanan said he was not convinced Manning had deliberately
intended to mislead the House. He found no case to send
Manning before the Privileges Committee.
Manning subsequently explained that she had “inadvertently”
said “$4 million.” She added that, in reviewing
the records, she found that she had been misinformed.
The $4 million which Manning had mentioned actually referred
to funding for the corporation between 2004 and 2008, she
said
The 2008 allocation to the corporation was $1 million, she
noted.
However, there was a virement of $2 million.
After Manning spoke, UNC’s Persad-Bissessar also lodged
another call for another minister to be brought before the
Privileges Committee.
Persad-Bissessar claimed Labour Minister Rennie Dumas may
have misled the House and committed a breach of Parliament
on June 27, in the food prices debate.
She claimed Dumas said the PNM had removed VAT from flour,
rice and milk in 1992. But Persad-Bissessar said records
show the VAT was removed in 1989 by the NAR.
Sinanan took note of the matter, reiterating that it would
not be a breach if it was a genuine mistake.
gas
subsidy stays
Government does not intend at this time to remove the subsidy
on gasoline and other fuels in T&T, Finance Minister
Karen Nunez-Tesheira said yesterday.
“However,
due to the rapidly escalating price of oil which has some
bearing on it, this matter is being kept under constant
review,” Tesheira added in Parliament yesterday.
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