THE Parliamentary Committee of Supply, on Tuesday night, approved the $778M allocation for the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.But not before honing in on the fact that there were no monies allocated for road works to assist the mining community.

Subject Minister Robert Persaud said such undertakings are done through a consultative approach with sector stakeholders by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), which is within the legal ambit of its functioning.
Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament (MP) Moses Nagamootoo and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Shadow Finance Minister Carl Greenidge requested explanations on why the GGMC money is not funnelled to the Consolidated Fund and approved by the National Assembly before it is spent and what were the criteria for the determination of the jobs.
The miffed minister exclaimed that the Government is seemingly ‘damned if we do and damned if we don’t’.
He reiterated that the agency’s focus on road projects and its spending on them is provided for in the GGMC Act.
Persaud stated that access to mining areas, through undertakings to address road works, is support by GGMC, working with a number of entities and the determination of priority roads, given urgency and necessity, are made based on representation from stakeholders, including regional officials.
“There is that collaboration,” he emphasised.
The minister added that the GGMC’s involvement in road works has been years old and the completed infrastructural developments are not restricted to use for those in the sector but also for the public.
Persaud said there is no unilateral form of behaviour that is “extra-constitutional” and any such assertions are misrepresentations.
He pointed out that there is a committee that monitors the works, which go through the public tender process.
On what is the basis for determining how much the GGMC spends on roads, the minister said the spending is based on its resources and yearly budget.
APNU MP Joseph Harmon asked for a list of the roads done in 2013 and those proposed for 2014 and the minister committed to providing it.
Spotlighted for scrutiny, too, was the $112M subvention to the Guyana Land and Surveys Commission (GLSC).
BANK BALANCE
AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan questioned why $119M was being spent from the ministry’s $778M when its bank balance, at the end of 2013, was $112M.
Persaud answered that a look at the proposed expenditures of the Commission for 2014 would show a total of $492M, which is insufficient even when the bank balance and the subvention were put together.
He noted, too, that as it relates to the projected revenues, this is an estimated figure and, as such, a reduction of the subsidy could affect the work of the Commission.
The minister pointed out that the Commission is not “keeping” the bank balance but the completion of the many ongoing projects is a mandate it supports.
He added, too, that within the year, other activities can come up.
Ramjattan also questioned the factoring in of “miscellaneous receipts” as a contributor to covering the expenses of the Commission.
Persaud answered that the Commission’s budget is focused on ensuring adequate sums are allocated to satisfy the needs of the Guyanese people in proper land management.
Among the other areas questioned were the spending on the ministry’s staff, travel, vehicles, security, training and sponsorship to the University of Guyana (UG).
The minister replied that the ministry does roll out training programmes and the beneficiaries of these vary as well as the stakeholders who can be involved.
He said: “Last year, we launched Guyana Mining School, funded by GGMC and close to 125 miners, particularly small scale miners, benefitted.”
FIELD SPONSORSHIPS
Persaud added that the GGMC and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), as well as related agencies, field sponsorships to both UG and the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) for specialised skills programmes but this is not done by the ministry.
“This is a responsibility of the Public Service Ministry,” he stated.
The minister reported that several new employees are presently attached to the ministry, graduates returning from Cuba and a legal adviser who was on a Government scholarship, as well as a technical officer on monitoring and enforcement.
He disclosed that the $9.9M travelling expenditure is to increase enforcing of compliance.
About increased security costs, Persaud alluded to a $3M increase to $12M, explaining that the ministry’s move to new premises warranted more expenditure in this area, as the ministry had benefitted from the security arrangements at Office of the President when it was housed there.
Following those answers, the Speaker called for the vote on the allocations to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the sums allocated to administration, natural resource management and environmental management current and capital costs.
Written By Vanessa Narine