Hanover MPs want verification of ROOFS disbursement funds

WESTERN BUREAU:

Hanover’s two members of parliament (MPs) Heatha Miller-Bennett and Andrea Purkiss, want to see the relevant documentation to verify a claim by Local Government Minister Pearnel Charles Jr that more than J$330 million has been distributed in the parish under the Government’s Restoration of Owner or Occupant Family Shelter (ROOFS) programme.

Charles made the claim during a visit to the western parish last Wednesday but, after his visit, both Miller-Bennett and Purkiss declared ignorance to any such undertaking and are asking to be shown a listing of the beneficiaries in order to verify.

“Persons are bombarding us with phone calls, questioning how so much money was distributed without them being informed,” Miller-Bennett told The Gleaner in an interview after Charles’ visit.

“We are asking for a list of the beneficiaries, so that the claimed volume of distribution can be verified.”

The ROOFS programme was introduced by the Government to assist people whose houses were damaged or demolished during the passage of Hurricane Melissa last October. Through the programme, different levels of grant assistance are being offered to hurricane victims. The sum on offer ranges from $50,000 to $500,000, based on the scope of the damage.

During Charles’ visit, more than J$330 million was handed out to some 1,200 householders. The beneficiaries were said to be persons whose homes were properly assessed by the authorities and whose claims were deemed to be authentic.

“I am thinking that it was about 200 persons that were invited to the town hall by the Ministry of Labour, and 10 each from both of us MPs. And not all the persons who were called received a QR code or message which would indicate that they have been selected for a grant,” said Purkiss.

PUSHING FOR ACCOUNTABILITY

According to Miller-Bennett, the concern is that both MPs must account to the several persons who are still homeless and are yet to receive any form of benefit under the programme, which is why they are pushing for accountability.

“Only two of the 10 persons I invited received a QR code or a message to say that they got a grant, more than three quarters of the persons who were invited there did not receive a QR code or message that they will receive a grant, so how is it that it is being said that over $300 million has been distributed,” asked Miller-Bennett.

“It is misleading to say that the minister (Charles) distributed over $300 million, as it gives Hanoverians the expectation that monies were distributed, and persons, who have not yet been assessed and those who have not yet been called, are asking what is happening.”

Purkiss pointed out that the calls to her phone about the money distribution under the ROOFS programme are numerous, some just before her interview with The Gleaner.

“There are calls and messages, people are making the queries on all platforms,” she said. “We are asking them (the Ministry of Labour) to account for this sum, and to provide us with a list of beneficiaries that would have received this $300 million. That’s what we want, and we want to go on record asking for that.

Miller-Bennett further emphasised that, while she recognised the ROOFS programme as a very good initiative, the relationship between the Ministry of Labour and the two MPs is deficient and needs proper coordination.

“We do not know who they are giving benefits, and so we cannot say who has received a benefit from who has not. We cannot verify what they are saying,” she stated.

While both MPs are seeking clarity about the ROOFS programme distribution in the parish, they both told The Gleaner that they are undertaking programmes of their own.

According to Miller-Bennett, approximately 35 persons have been assisted under her ‘Fix My Roof’ initiative in her Hanover Western constituency, while Purkiss stated that, through her government allocations, she has assisted some 40 persons to improve their living conditions post Hurricane Melissa.

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