The Opposition yesterday renewed a call for Parliament to enact legislation to punish persons who breach government contract award procedures.

The call came the same day The Gleaner revealed that Contractor General Greg Christie had cited breaches in Government procurement procedures for contracts worth billions of dollars in his latest report to Parliament.

However, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) stated that its concerns were in the wake of a statement by Solicitor General Michael Hylton, to Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, which echoed the call for such legislation.

The JLP claimed the Government had steadfastly refused to act on the Bill to amend the Contractor General's Act, which Opposition Leader Bruce Golding brought to Parliament in July 2005.

The Opposition said the legislation would, among other things, give legal force to the established procurement procedures and make it a criminal offence to wilfully violate these procedures.

"It would also provide that contracts improperly awarded would be null and void and unenforceable," the JLP said in the statement. "These measures would create the most powerful deterrent against the wanton abuse and corruption that now characterises the award of many government contracts."

In his report, the Contractor General said: "It is the respectful but considered opinion of the OCG that the Cabinet must act decisively to ensure that fairness, integrity and public confidence in the procurement process is maintained."