The Mines and Geology Department which now falls under the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and which is housed on part of the Hope Gardens landscape, has been in need of a proper desk audit for many years.

I think that it is now incumbent on the Ministry of Agriculture to engage the management services of the Office of the Prime Minister to carry out a desk audit of the Mines & Geology Department.

As a former management analyst and a former employee of that department, I have always felt that the succession planning is flawed and illogical in respect of the position of the commissioner of mines. The department has two streams, one being mines and the other being geological survey. The geological unit is comprised of certified geologists while the Mines Unit is staffed with inspectors of mines who are recruited with just about any kind of degree. When the commissioner retires or is transferred, it is always the most senior inspector who moves into the position of Commissioner of Mines.

With due respect to the present incumbent of the position and his cadre of efficient hard-working inspectors, it is illogical for a mining inspector with limited geological and environmental knowledge, to approve prospecting or mining licences/leases.

In future, qualification required for the post of Commissioner of Mines should be modified to read that the incumbent should have certified training in geology and environmental control. The commissioner cannot wait for someone to point out exactly the area which should be reserved for posterity. The present controversy could have been alleviated had the commissioner been proficient in geology and environmental control.

-E. Williams, elvena@cwjamaica.com