Buchanan

Buchanan accounts The following are excerpts from Information Minister, Donald Buchanan's response to last week's Sunday Gleaner articles - 'PM's $10m trips' and 'Costly breaches of travel rules'.

Let me begin by saying that as minister with portfolio responsibility for the Information subject, I observe always with a sense of encouragement, articles generated by our journalists, which relate and ventilate issues of national import and interest.

More so perhaps, those enabled by the use of the Access to Information (ATI) Act which was promulgated by this Government with the express intention of reinforcing and deepening our democracy, through the grant of a general right of access to official documents. Indeed, the act recites as part of its objective, giving further effect to the fundamental principles of government accountability, transparency and public participation in national decision making.

That the act would be a ready tool for journalists, academics and other disciplines which rely on obtaining facts in satisfaction of the inherent need for knowledge, accuracy, excellence and survival has always been apparent, contemplated, desired and encouraged by policy makers and administrators of the regime. That the reading, viewing, and listening Jamaican citizenry would be the ultimate beneficiaries and participants is also the intention. That the legacy of a knowledge-based society and economy is desired and desirable is the Government's continued commitment.

I now turn to my attempt to briefly capture, clarify and put in context some of the matters raised in the articles of Sunday last:

PM's travel and total cost

The selection of hotels for the Prime Minister is approached, among other things, with due consideration for the most economic cost and taking into account the following critical factors:

Ensuring special requirements relative to infrastructure and security are met.

Facilities befiting the office of the Prime Minister are in place, i.e. a suitable suite for high-level, confidential meetings with heads of state and officials. Departures from the usual modus operandi are occasioned from time to time by reason of:

Unavailability of preferred accommodation;

Choice of conference hotel;

Security specifications of the host country;

Fluctuations in hotel rates and other extenuating circumstances.

The Prime Minister wishes for it to be known that she has personally expressed preferences for hotels where the cost was potentially lower. However, decisions are made on the considered advice of the host country and their agencies, as well as the recommendations of the Jamaican missions, whose knowledge of the local environment must be valued.

The numbers comprising the Prime Minister's Delegation

The record will show that the Prime Minister travels with the minimum of delegates to any of the meetings to which she has been invited.

The details of the core delegation are as follows:

Most Honourable Prime Minister; Permanent Secretary; special assistant to the Prime Minister; press secretary; security officers.

Depending on the nature of the meeting, the Prime Minister may have, in addition, other technical officers accompanying her. It is perhaps important to note that of the 10 trips for the period under review, the largest delegation comprised a total of six persons.

Members of the delegation travelling with PM

Roles and responsibilities of delegation

Each member of the delegation has a specific role and responsibility consistent with their substantive position:

Permanent Secretary provides technical advice and support to the Prime Minister during official visit; implements policies through follow- up with commitments, decisions and outcomes; facilitates intervention among the stakeholders within the Government's administration; interfaces with technical officers from other jurisdictions; liaises with Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and respective missions, locally and overseas; signs agreements on behalf of the Govern-ment in the absence of the portfolio minister. For example, the US$100 million line of credit from Brazil).

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister develops the itinerary for the Prime Minister and her delegation; manages the delegation's land and air travel arrangements; arranges high-level meetings and oversees hospitality details; coordinates all logistics and hospitality on the trip; liaises with hosts, other delegations and Jamaica's missions in the host country; performs sensitive administrative and secretariat functions.

Press Secretary performs media relations on location in host country and in Jamaica; arranges press conferences and other media interactions of the Prime Minister; manages photography and recording of the visit; issues press releases and other information as required; monitors and responds to media releases in host country; adjusts final delivery of copies of the Prime Minister's addresses; arranges for the translation of the delivery copies of the Prime Minister's speeches; distributes copies of the Prime Minister's speeches.

The Prime Minister''s two-night and three-day visit to New York in October and her receiving US$4,200 which included US$1,500 for contingency

It is standard that the Prime Minister is allowed a contingency of up to US$1,500 which would allow for unforeseen circumstances. While it is accounted for under the provisions of the Prime Minister, it is used to meet any incidentals connected to the business of Government.

This money has to be fully accounted for and receipts provided and where any amount is not utilised, it is returned to the Finance Department of the Office of the Prime Minister along with the receipts. An accountability mechanism is in place to report on contingencies received for travel overseas.

On each occasion, upon return from overseas visits, a report on the monies spent from the contingency is submitted to the Finance Department and unspent funds are returned.

Hotel and per diem rates

The rates over the years have been inadequate, and there is provision for per diem in excess of the listed rates. All contingencies are accounted for and relevant returns are made to the ministry's Finance Department.

As a consequence of the recognised inadequacy of the currently listed rates, proposals utilising the United Nations World Cost of living (COL) indices are currently being considered by the Ministry of Finance and Planning and it is anticipated that revised rates and related procedures will be issued shortly.

With respect to allegations of the members of the delegation, namely; Patricia Sinclair McCalla, Perma-nent Secretary, Deborah Hickling, special assistant to the Prime Minister; and Lincoln Robinson, press secretary, "receiving more than twice the stipulated sum", it is important to note, that any variance in per diem rates allocated to the delegation was consequent on the hotel rates prevailing at the specific time during the year.

Reported conflicting information relative to the composition of the Jamaican Delegation to New York and Washington D.C

It is stated for the record, that Ms. Verna Parchment did not accompany the Prime Minister on an official visit to New York in August 2006, nor were funds disbursed to Miss Parchment.

The opportunity is taken to correct an error made on our part in relation to the persons indicated to The Gleaner as having travelled to Washington D.C as part of the Prime Minister's delegation. Upon review it was found that the official delegation comprised Mrs. Patricia Sinclair McCalla, Dr. Rosalea Hamilton and Mrs. Debra Hamilton.

Brief Summary of select trips taken by the PM - 2006

Washington, D.C.,June 11-13

At the invitation of President Moreno of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Prime Minister was the featured speaker at the bank's seminar on 'Building Opportunities for the Majority:

Redefining the possibilities and improving opportunities for those who live and work at the base of the economic pyramid'. The Prime Minister brought to the fore, questions surrounding the role and relevance of the IDB as a development institution. The Prime Minister also addressed approximately 500 Jamaicans at a reception held in her honour.

St. Kitts & Nevis - July 3-6

The Prime Minister attended the 27th Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, during which she updated Heads on the progress of external trade negotiations and issues arising out of the 19th Meeting of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on External Trade Negotiations that was held on July 3, 2006, and pointed to the need to strengthen the technical capacity of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery.

Brazil - July 11-13

The Prime Minister visited Brazil to address the II Conference of Intellectuals of Africa and the Diaspora. The Prime Minister also held a bilateral meeting with the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. It was agreed that cooperation, especially in the rehabilitation of the Jamaican sugar cane industry would continue, this, bearing in mind the commitment of the Government Of Jamaica to its' modernisation, diversification and substantial privatisation.

To this end, the Prime Minister negotiated a Line of Credit in the amount of US$100 million in the first instance, through Brazil's National Bank of Economic and Social Development (BNDES). The money will be used to finance the importation of machinery and agricultural equipment, mainly for harvesting sugar cane, as well as for the production of sugar, alcohol and ethanol. This agreement was executed through an exchange of letters signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and the superintendent of the foreign trade section of the BNDES.

The Prime Minister gained assurances from the President of Brazil with respect to support for the rehabilitation of Jamaica's sugar cane industry under an emergency agricultural project, which includes the introduction of high-yield varieties of sugar cane to the island.

Assurances were also given in relation to the exchange of researchers; the intensification of cooperation in the areas of tropical agriculture and fruit processing under the existing Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Tropical Agriculture and the Protocol of Intent on Technical Cooperation in Fruit Processing; further cooperation in ethanol production and the production of fuel grade ethanol; assistance in the production of biodiesel, as well as in the production of castor bean oil for use as biofuel; technical cooperation between Petrojam and Petrobras in refinery operation and the introduction of ethanol in gasolene for the Jamaican market; cooperation in offshore petroleum exploration in Jamaican waters; provision by Brazil of HIV/AIDS rapid test kits and access to anti-retroviral drugs at competitive prices; provision of equipment for law enforcement activities in Jamaica; cooperation in the area of culture through the exchange of performances by musical groups.

Cuba - 11th to 16th September

The Prime Minister visited Havana to attend the XIV Summit of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). In her address to the Summit, Prime Minister Simpson Miller challenged her fellow leaders to place people at the centre of their political strategies. With poverty eradication central to social and economic development objectives, the importance of NAM's commitment to the implementation of the outcomes of the major Conferences and Summits in the field of development, including the Millennium Development Goals was underscored. On the initiative of Jamaica and supported by other ACS states, the Summit supported the efforts of Caribbean States to support an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea, in particular, the efforts made to have the Caribbean Sea declared a special area in the context of sustainable development.

The Prime Minister held bilateral meetings on the margins of the Summit with the following:

The President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki; the President of Namibia, Hifikepunye Puhamba; the Prime Minister of Tanzania, Edward Ngoyai Lowassa; the vice-president of Cuba, Raul Castro and the vice-president of Colombia, Francisco Santos.

Discussions ranged from those aimed at strengthening relations with Jamaica and cooperation in the area of trade, education, health and sport, to potential air linkages which would see Jamaica as a regional hub.

In closing, I wish again to posit that the overseas trips of the Prime Minister and the size of the accompanying delegations have been consciously kept to a minimum, as has the expenditure. It is also hoped, that it is now apparent that the gains to the country are significant and irrefutable.