The delayed payments of the facilitators and participants of the Hinterland Employment Youth Service (HEYS) fuelled intense scrutiny of the allocation of funds for the programme by the opposition in parliament last week.
The HEYS programme, which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs is to receive $991 million out of the $1.43 billion allocated for development programmes in 2017.
But before the sum could have been approved, Minister in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Valerie Garrido-Lowe, in the absence of the Minister of Indigenous Peoples Affairs Sydney Allicock, was made to respond to questions posed by PPP/C parliamentarians regarding the payment of stipends to participants and facilitators among other matters.
The issue of the delayed payments was first highlighted by former minister Pauline Sukhai who sought clarity on the current status of payments.
“My understanding…, is that many villages are yet to paid significant… monies owed to them since the launching of the project in October 2015,” Sukhai said, before requesting that a list of those villages, participants and facilitators that have been paid thus far be provided.
Garrido-Lowe said the ministry was cognizant of the many “hiccups” the programme has experienced since its launch, and both youth and facilitators have been paid the monies that have accumulated up to September.
With regard to the outstanding sum, the junior minister offered the assurance that the payment of participants and facilitators will be completed this month as the process is ongoing in Regions 8 and 9.
She further promised to provide the requested list of completed payments within 72 hours.
Former permanent secretary of the subject ministry Nigel Dharmlall asked Garrido-Lowe to comment on the rationale behind the part payment of the $30,000 which the participants are entitled to as opposed to paying them in full every month.
Garrido-Lowe responded, “We are training youths to be young entrepreneurs and saving is very important and so we are putting aside the $10,000 for the participants.” She added that the payment of the additional monies will be done in May, 2017 upon the completion of the programme.
At this, Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira asked the House to consider how the payments will be made in 2017, when the funds had been allocated under the 2016 budget.
“If we are budgeted on a 12-month calendar and you are retaining monies that $10k cannot roll over into 2017. So how you can say they will be paid in May?” Teixeira pondered as she sought a response from Garrido-Lowe on whether a special account exists for the remaining monies.
The minister responded that the “savings” are being processed and will be paid to the participants along with their accumulated stipend by the end of 2016.
Meanwhile, former ministerial advisor Yvonne Pearson took the opportunity to highlight what she said has been a delay in the delivery of equipment for the HEYS programme.
Garrido-Lowe reiterated that the programme has not been without its share of “hiccups,” that the ministry will iron out. Nonetheless, she noted that a majority of villages pushed forward with the programme.
“The majority of villages did not wait on the tools. Some have started farming already; some have started catering and are already getting orders. They also make furniture and sell them themselves… The youths are succeeding and they do not feel lost anymore,” the minister said.
Sukhai intervened to ask why the coordinators employed have not been able to smoothly execute the project for the benefit of the youth.
“We have discussed that and we know the problems and we will fix them,” Garrido-Lowe answered.
Unsatisfied with her response, Sukhai pressed the minister to disclose some of the constraints faced by coordinators. However, Garrido-Lowe said, “We have discussed them thoroughly at the ministry and will have them fixed.”
Also called into question was the recruitment process of the HEYS Coordinator Murray Greenidge and his payment as coordinator.
The Junior Minister admitted that no public advertisement was done for the position of Programme Coordinator but that invitations for applications were made which garnered few responses. She said Greenidge was selected based on his competencies and receives a monthly salary of $230,000.
Launched in October 2015, HEYS has been rolled out in a total of 112 villages across the hinterland and has reached 1,833 youths with the help of 373 facilitators.
With the $991 million approved for HEYS in the 2017 budget, the ministry is expected to expand the programme to an additional 100 villages.
