Howard Walker, Staff Reporter
THE GOVERNMENT has slashed the number of advisers employed to its agencies, laying down new regulations and definitions for consultants, in an effort to reduce the $326 million a year salary package paid to consultants.
To date, at least 20 posts have been made redundant in the ministries, as a result of these new changes.
"There are new descriptions on who should be regarded as consultants, special advisers, special political, executive assistants or special assistants," said Dr. Carlton Davis, Cabinet Secretary responsible for producing a consultants' report to be presented to Parliament. "People are being called all sorts of things."
Dr. Davis who was preparing his report didn't want to divulge too much information on what are the new regulations and categories.
Consultants are persons/entities providing advice or technical expertise in an area of specialisation. They are required to produce or complete a project or an assignment.
The last Cabinet report had the number of Government consultants at 144, of which 76 were employed within the civil service and 68 from other statutory corporations and Government companies.
Of the 76 contracted to the ministries, the figure is now well under 60, he said.
REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY
"I can tell you that the number of people employed in the ministries has been reduced significantly from the number laid down in Parliament," Dr. Davis told The Sunday Gleaner.
"My last look at it was under 60 consultants for the civil service. We are still trying to get the details for the other agencies," he added.
According to Dr. Davis, the exact number could not be ascertained as he is currently preparing the report for Parliament and he was not able to gather all the information from the other statutory corporations.
Dr. Davis said that the Government has regularised those persons who are clearly permanent members of the establishment but who were called consultants and repeatedly hired.
"We have done a number of things and a report to Parliament is coming in another month's time," he said.
Audley Shaw, Opposition Spokesman on Finance, who was responsible for highlighting the salaries of the consultants last year, said in December that there is a danger that the Government will ignore the issue and hope that it will go away.
In March 2003, Dr. Omar Davies, Finance and Planning Minister, stated that 64 consultants were raking in $95 million a year. But a later report by Dr. Davis revealed that Government consultants were receiving $326 million per year. More than three times the figure revealed by Dr. Omar Davies.
Then on Wednesday July 30, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson announced that he was suspending immediately, the hiring of Government consultants, advisers and special advisers. He made the announcement in the House of Representatives where he also tabled a report from the Cabinet Secretary, on the Government's hiring of consultants.
He said 'the freeze' would remain in force for three months after which a determination would be made on how best to proceed. The freeze, Mr. Patterson said, "will remain to permit sufficient time for a clear definition of the role and functions of these categories of persons to be developed, approved by the Cabinet and then made public".
Last year's Cabinet report reveal that some of the top consultants were raking in more than $4 million a year in remuneration packages.
