Dionne Rose, Staff Reporter

Some beneficiaries under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) are failing to receive the designated assistance from the state because of the fear of violence in their communities.

Colette Roberts Risden, project director at PATH, told The Gleaner on Thursday that approximately 2,000 cheques valued at $3.5 million are returned to the office each payment cycle because beneficiaries from these communities fail to collect the funds at the post offices.

Mrs. Roberts Risden said the cheques are mainly returned from beneficiaries living in sections of Spanish Town, St. Catherine, and Jones Town in Kingston.

"We have a problem with beneficiaries collecting their cheques in Spanish Town and it is because of the gang violence or turf violence that is going on," she said. "Persons just literally cannot come out and collect their cheques," she added.

Auditor General, Adrian Strachan, raised concern about the large number of uncollected cheques by persons on the programme in his report, which was tabled in the House of Representatives, last month.

"The large number of uncollected cheques and the inadequate procedure to account for them were causes for concern as they could facilitate irregularities," said Mr. Strachan.

According to Mrs. Roberts Risden, the 2,000 uncollected cheques represent two per cent of the total number of cheques sent out.

Really not high

"If you were to look at it in terms of percentage wise, based on the volume, it is really not high - its just two per cent," she said.

She said, however, that the Ministry of Labour, which administers PATH, has a system in place to protect these uncollected cheques. She said after three weeks, the post offices return these cheques to the ministry's parish offices.

The project director said because of the problem faced by the beneficiaries, the ministry piloted a new payment system last year October where beneficiaries by way of a Key card can access their funds from any ATM.

"We are still in the pilot mode and we are about to expand this shortly," she disclosed.

She said there have been no problems with the pilot and that the ministry would be expanding this payment system to Kingston, St. Andrew and Spanish Town by next month.

dionne.rose@gleanerjm.com