Edmond Campbell, Senior News Coordinator

Chairman of the Port Authority of Jamaica, Noel Hylton, may be asked to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament to address issues relating to the controversial Sandals Whitehouse project.

This, however, is contingent on a collective agreement by members of the committee when they meet to examine the Contractor General's Report which set out massive cost overruns on the project.

Audley Shaw, chairman of the PAC, told The Gleaner yesterday that the Hylton Report on the project, commissioned by former Prime Minister PJ Patterson in 2005, may also form part of the committee's deliberations, if members concur with the proposal.

According to Mr. Shaw, the Port Authority of Jamaica chairman had not denied the existence of a report. Mr. Shaw questioned that if the report was not submitted to the Prime Minister, "Does it make it null and void"?

Contradiction

In a letter to president and CEO of the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), dated July 18, Mr. Hylton advised that he had not submitted a report to Mr. Patterson, contradicting remarks made by Opposition Spokesman on Trade, Karl Samuda, during his presentation to the Sectoral Debate in June. Mr. Samuda quoted extensively from a document supposedly prepared by Hylton.

But this latest development drew the ire of Mr. Samuda, who questioned Mr. Hylton's pronouncement.

"I have never in my 26 years as a Member of Parliament ... heard of a Prime Minister appointing a committee to submit a report on its findings on a particular issue and the chairman of that committee unilaterally decides that because the results did not concur with what were the expectations, he unilaterally decides not to submit the report," said Mr. Samuda.

Information Minister Colin Campbell indicated on Monday that Parliament would deal with allegations made by the Opposition Spokesman, in relation to the Noel Hylton report on the Sandals Whitehouse project.

Mr. Samuda said he welcomed any attempt by Parliament to bring a motion against him in relation to the Hylton Report.

He also called on Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to debate a motion he brought to the House on the Sandals Whitehouse project, when Parliament convenes on September 5.