THE NATIONAL Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) received a strong reprimand at yesterday's sitting of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in Gordon House.

Chief executive officer of NEPA, Dr Leary Myers, was in the hot seat fielding questions from PAC members. The PAC wanted to know why the agency allowed storage costs for three of its vehicles, which were sent to a garage in Kingston for repairs, to accumulate to $700,000 over a three-year period.

The Auditor General's Department said the vehicles were at the garage from 2003 to 2006.

Settlement

The garage had charged NEPA little more than $1 million for storage but, after negotiations with the agency, a settlement of $700,000 was reached.

Myers told the PAC that the Attorney General's Department had advised NEPA to pay the storage costs.

PAC members demanded answers as to why NEPA allowed the vehicles to remain in storage at the company for such a long time, resulting in a significant cost to the agency.

In his defence, Myers explained that the transaction occurred before he started working with the agency but acknowledged that he was in charge when the settlement was made in October 2006.

PAC Chairman Dr Omar Davies demanded a full report next week on funds expended by the agency for storage costs.