EVANS
LEGISLATION TO impose sanctions on public officials who breach
government's policy guidelines in the procurement of goods and service is yet
to be introduced in Parliament. There were indications, earlier this year, that
Cabinet would authorise the drafting of legislation - an amendment to the Public
Bodies (Management and Accountability) Act - to address the issue.
PACKED LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
However, with a packed legislative agenda, it is not known whether this proposed legislation will be tabled in Parliament any time soon.
Meantime, work on the development of a Jamaican public sector code of ethics and values has started and is set for completion at the end of this financial year. This code will establish the ethics and values framework within which public servants are expected to operate.
In a related matter, 88 public sector entities have appointed ethics officers who have been given the task to alert public servants to potentially unethical conduct or acts of corruption.
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture have not yet appointed ethics officers.
Senior Policy and Project Officer in the Cabinet Office, Ryan Evans told The Gleaner recently that by the end of September all public sector bodies are expected to have these officers in place.
Thirty-five ethics officers have already been trained under a programme developed jointly by the Cabinet Office in collaboration with the Management Institute for National Development (MIND).
