GOVERNMENT’S decision to spend some $50 million on upgrades for Jamaica House and Vale Royal has been criticised by the Opposition whose members say Gordon House has more urgent needs.

Jamaica House is the official seat of the Cabinet and houses the Office of the Prime Minister, while Vale Royal is the prime minister’s official residence. Gordon House, named for National Hero George William Gordon, is the seat of Parliament.

As outlined in the budget, government plans to spend $28 million upgrading the corporate office of the Prime Minister at Jamaica House, on Hope Road, by providing: a new telephone system; video conferencing equipment; photocopiers; and “small equipment and appliances.”

In addition, $21.6 million is to be spent on improvements to both Jamaica House and Vale Royal including: renovation of the gates at the Devon Road and Hope Road entrances to Jamaica House; roofing and other building repairs at Vale Royal; expansion of the car park; and repairs to the roadway as well as the administrative and executive buildings at Jamaica House.

The allocation was challenged during last Tuesday’s meeting of the Standing Finance, with Member of Parliament Karl Samuda (JLP-North Central St Andrew) insisting there were no visible deficiencies at Jamaica House, compared to Gordon House.

Minister of Finance and Planning Dr Omar Davies (PNP-South St Andrew), who was appearing before the committee at the time, felt that the issues should be kept separate.

“I do not believe that the remedial actions being taken in other areas should be seen as at the sacrifice of addressing the problems in Parliament,” Davies commented.

“But, there is no visible deficiency that one would immediately identify on visiting the office of the Prime Minister in comparison,” Samuda insisted.

At this point, the Speaker, Michael Peart, intervened urging Samuda to state where in the estimates he was dealing. Leader of Opposition Business, Derrick Smith, countered that Samuda did not need to be specific.

The Speaker said that while the member could make general comments, they had to relate to a specific line item in the budget.

At this point, the Leader of the Opposition Bruce Golding (JLP-West Kingston) intervened.

“Can we just narrow it down to something very specific. The minister must know, under the Standing Orders, that each of us has the privilege of rising in our place and seeking to catch the eye of the Speaker. It is considerably difficult for us to rise in our place the way in which the Parliament is configured,” Golding explained.

“Somebody developed the idea, some years ago, to leave considerable space at the back (of the chamber). That was not how Parliament used to be configured. The back rows went straight back to the panelling, and there was enough space that we could stand and speak, ” he added. “Nowadays, when we stand to speak, the chair has to be moved, and I found myself in the invidious position, on one occasion where, when I was finished speaking, not realising that the chair had been moved, I attempted to sit down,” Golding went on.

“What we are asking is that the chamber needs to be reconfigured. The provision in the budget does not allow for that,” he concluded.

Junior finance minister Fitz Jackson (PNP-South St Catherine), who was sitting in for House Leader Dr Peter Phillips, reminded the members that there were discussions in the House Committee on these problems and the committee had set out how to deal with them.

But, Golding insisted that he be practical.

“Dealing with the inadequacies without a provision in here to deal with it is an exercise in academics,” the opposition leader said. “What we are asking is that some additional provision be made to at least cover the cost.”

Jackson countered that the Standing Finance Committee had already dealt with the subject of Parliament and was now dealing with the OPM.

This angered Golding, who responded: “Fitz, if you take that approach, we are going to take it through every head (of the estimates) here and we spend the whole of next week here as well. I have a whole heap of issues here that I can raise.”

The Speaker recalled that when the finance committee was dealing with the item, Houses of Parliament, it was agreed that Phillips would convene a meeting to deal with the matters.

Golding insisted that before they close the exercise, the minister of finance should ensure that when the House Committee meets, “they are not preparing something for 2007/08, but is something the committee can proceed on once they have signed off because the funding will be there.”

The issue seemed to have rested there, until Davies’ microphone started to malfunction and Samuda took that opportunity to raise it again.

“Mr Chairman, displayed before our very eyes, we are witnessing the level of breakdown of the systems in Parliament. We have complained bitterly about that, but yet the minister is bringing to this committee a level of increase that is absolutely unnecessary in terms of its treatment of priorities when we consider the terrible state of the parliamentary facilities,” said Samuda.

“We can’t even provide a microphone for the minister of finance in parliament, but we are talking about renovating gates at Jamaica House and repairing the building of a Prime Minister’s residence that has never been occupied by the prime minister.”

He suggested that the Jamaica House expenditures be withheld until after the upgrading of the parliamentary facilities.

But, Davies pointed out that just that morning there was an accident at the Hope Road entrance to Jamaica House.

“There are real problems to be addressed,” Davies said. “I thought the agreed approach was that the committee headed by the Leader of the House would examine what are the priority areas for improvement in Parliament.”

But Samuda insisted: “That’s why I am asking him to forego these projects, which he has the power to do, because if he doesn’t provide the money nothing gets done.”

Davies gave a commitment that as soon as the House Committee assesses the priority needs of Parliament, they would be included in the supplementary estimates.

“These are not major sums we are talking about,” he said.

balfordh@jamaicaobserver.com