Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security will commence distribution of cheques this week to pensioners and beneficiaries of the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH).

The cheques are to be distributed in accordance with a special one-off allowance of $2,000 to persons on the PATH programme and $5,000 each to the country's 80,000 pensioners as promised by the Government in the wake of Hurricane Dean last week.

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, in an address to the nation on Wednesday, said the allocation was expected to assist these persons in the aftermath of the Category Four storm.

Alvin McIntosh, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, told The Gleaner that the ministry would be distributing the cheques this week.

"We are in the process of preparing the cheques now to be delivered by Tuesday (tomorrow)," he said. "We are working over the weekend to have these cheques prepared."

Damage assessment

McIntosh said the cheques would be delivered to post offices for persons to collect. He added that the cheques would be distributed on a phased basis and that persons would be contacted and told where to pick them up.

In the meantime, the ministry is continuing this week with its islandwide assessment of persons affected by Hurricane Dean. On Friday, McIntosh said that, to date, 10,000 households were assessed by the ministry.

He was unable to say how much of this figure was severe or minor damage. Nor could he give details of the level of assistance to be provided.

"We are doing investigations and, at the end of the exercise, we will make a determination as to the level of benefit that would be given," he said. "Of course, budget consideration will be a major factor."

The parishes that have been assessed so far include St. Thomas, Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth.

On Friday, scores of persons converged on the ministry's office in downtown Kingston to be registered for relief and aid. But McIntosh said the ministry would be relying on its door-to-door assessments, which are being carried out by its 600 officers in the field.

The team includes personnel from the ministry, the Jamaica Defence Force, the Social Development Commission, the Jamaica Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Adventist Disaster Relief Agency and the Poor Relief Department.

dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com