Although the KSAC passed a resolution more than 18 months ago to target massage parlours for licensing, the matter is still unresolved, the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament heard last Tuesday.

The revelation was made by Town Clerk Errol Greene during a debate on whether the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation was being forceful enough in collecting user fees from the capital’s places of amusement.

Dr Morris Guy (PNP, Central St Mary), said that he had been reliably informed that massage parlours were places of amusement and he wanted to know if the KSAC, or any of the authorities, registered them so that taxes could be collected.

Greene replied: “Massage parlours, sir, if they are open to the public for amusement, then certainly they would require a licence.”

Dr Guy asked whether any of them had been targeted by the KSAC to ascertain whether they offer amusement and, consequently, to get revenue from them.

Public Accounts Committee Chairman Audley Shaw interjected: “Are you saying that the massage parlours should be licensed?”

Guy: “Yes, chairman.”

Greene: “A resolution was passed by the KSAC about 18 months ago to look into the possibility of licensing massage parlours. Generally speaking, they would come under the broad heading of public health, in which case, I believe, the Ministry of Health would have a role to play. Where revenues would come in for the local authorities would be in terms of business licences, trade licences and that is something that we are looking at.”

Dr Neil McGill (PNP, West St Mary) questioned the lack of urgency in looking at the issue. He said he did not believe that because the massage parlours didn’t have things like slot machines that they should not need amusement licences.

“We should pay more attention to them,” McGill said. “KSAC should tighten up on them more.”

The debate was spawned from Dr Guy’s query, based on the Auditor-General’s 2001/2002 annual report which stated that adequate control did not exist for the collection of fees from places of amusement.

The Auditor-General had said that detailed records were not available for verification of revenue due, and there was no evidence of proper procedures to enforce collection.

But the town clerk said that a file, maintained on each applicant by the KSAC, provided information on amounts paid, date of payment and the date the licence was issued.

“There are no allowances for partial payments, hence no information on outstanding payments would be provided,” Greene explained. Places of amusement that require a licence operated mostly at nights, he said, adding that the list of licensed places of amusement was available for scrutiny.

Greene said that the places of amusement regulations came into effect in 1999, and the KSAC was busy preparing a data base of these places and their licences.

He said that there was a category, defined as a special licence, which was granted for the holding of shows and dances.

“We would not necessarily know about those until they are advertised in newspapers,” said Greene. “What we have done is that we have met with the police high command to seek their assistance, in that persons who apply for permission to keep dances/shows would have the requisite licence before the police grants permission. That has been working very well. We have a monitoring process by checking the newspapers, especially the weekend papers, and where we see that licences have not been issued we go after the promoters.”

He added that places like Emancipation Park are properly licensed, but the council has asked the operators to ensure that persons who want to use the park get a licence from the KSAC. The same has been done for the National Stadium and Mas Camp Village.

Shaw asked whether it was good enough to depend on newspapers. Greene responded that the KSAC had also sought to educate the public about the need for licences.