SPEAKER of the House of Representatives Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert on Tuesday deferred answers to questions raised in Parliament by the Opposition relating to the purchase of new fire trucks for the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) by a further 14 days.

The delay was granted at the request of the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Desmond McKenzie. The questions, regarding the importation of the vehicles and fire-fighting equipment for the JFB, were raised by Member of Parliament (MP) for St Andrew South Eastern Julian Robinson.

The issues raised by Robinson included: whether the Government had entered into a contract to acquire new trucks and pumpers; the sum total cost and cost per unit; the contract’s methodology; the rationale for the type of contract used; the involvement of the JFB board; whether JFB personnel had travelled overseas to conduct a personal assessment of the vehicles; and the difference in the cost per unit in comparison to competing entities.

The questions were tabled at the October 13 meeting of the House of Representatives at the Jamaica Conference Centre. McKenzie, under whose portfolio the JFB falls, told the House speaker that he would need a further two weeks to provide the answers.

The vehicles are among 30 fire trucks that the Government had announced would be provided for the fiscal year 2020/21 at a cost of $1.9 billion, and which are included in the current estimates of expenditure.

— Balford Henry