State enterprises accessing public funds cannot be allowed to operate as “rogue entities” and must be made to account for their financial operations.
Labeling the lack of compliance as inexcusable and indefensible, chairman of the Joint Select Committee on State Enterprises, David Small, is warning companies refusing to submit reports and audited statements to their respective line ministries by the first week of April, that they “will face the resultant consequences whatever they may be.”
Delivering the warning during yesterday’s afternoon session at the Parliament building, Small communicated the committee’s disbelief and shock over the blatant disregard demonstrated by a number of ministries who failed to respond to the committee’s request for statements on companies under their purview by February 29.
Addressing the permanent secretaries, chief executive officers and directors present yesterday, Small said:
“In assuming responsibility as permanent secretary, chief executive officer or director, there must be acceptance that taxpayers funds are being issued and as such, accountability must be a top priority on your schedule.”
Among the ministries mandated to appear before the committee yesterday were Works and Transport; Finance; Energy and Energy Affairs; Agriculture, Land and Fisheries; Rural Development and Local Government; Tourism; Community Development, Culture and the Arts; and Housing and Urban Development.
Small said the committee was intent on setting a new bar and any entity which fell short would suffer the consequences.
Expressing concern after several officials indicated that they had not received any correspondence from the committee requesting the relevant information and the stipulated deadline of February 29, Small also heard that some “slippage” had occurred in the ministries of Rural Development and Local Government and Tourism as those officials scrambled to put together the reports that had been requested.
Other ministries reported the challenges they encountered as they sought to adhere to the committee’s request.
These included changes at the executive level, relocation of offices, personnel retiring and a general failure by some of the entities to respond in a timely manner to the respective line ministry’s request for information.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Simone Thorne Mora Quinones, reported to the committee that the East Port-of-Spain Development Company Ltd had already submitted its reports for the years 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 to the Ministry of Planning and the Economy.
Regarding the Urban Development Corporation of T&T, the committee heard that there were “gaps” in the reports submitted which detailed the company’s operations during the period 2011 to 2013.
Quinones said Udecott had submitted reports for the period 2009 to 2011, to the Ministry of Planning and the Economy.
However, she added “there was no evidence” to confirm if reports had been submitted for the period 2011 to 2013.
Reports for the period 2013 to 2014 are currently being reviewed and she has promised that those would be tendered soon.