Erica Virtue, Senior Gleaner Writer

Repairs to Jamaica’s legislature, George William Gordon House, which were estimated last month to cost $10 million, have now jumped by $14.6 million, based on allocations included in the First Supplementary Estimates tabled in the House of Representatives last Tuesday.

The $24.6-million figure is included in an additional $35 million granted to Parliament’s budget, but which has also seen significant reductions.

The finance ministry has granted the additional sums, according to sources, because contractors doing repairs to the roof of Parliament will have to remove and replace asbestos pipes, which were discovered during the late August preliminary work.

Information reaching The Gleaner is that the additional sums will be geared specifically at correcting structural problems which were encountered.

The contractors undertaking the repairs have indicated that the problems must be addressed for satisfactory completion of the work. According to The Gleaner‘s source, between $4 million and $6 million will be required to correct the situation involving the asbestos.

As a result, the Government has allocated $1.12 million in additional sums for the rental of the Jamaica Conference Centre for parliamentary business, which is currently being held at the downtown Kingston facility.

Return from break

The repair job, which began last month, has forced sittings of the House and several parliamentary committees to be shifted to the conference centre. The first sitting was held on Tuesday when the members of Parliament returned from their summer break.

Meanwhile, the travel expenses and subsistence for staffers at Parliament have been reduced to $149,000, senators to $224,000, and members of parliament to $1.26 million. It is not clear if the sums include overseas travel as well. If the latter is included, with six months to go before the end of the financial year, it is unlikely that anyone will be flying first class anywhere.

However, additional sums have been granted to the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, the Office of the Political Ombudsman, and the Integrity Commission for the compensation of employees.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com