The National Assembly’s Committee of Supply yesterday approved the $131 million allocated in the 2019 national budget for the Ministry of the Presidency’s Defence and National Security Programme and included in this sum is funding for the improvement of the National Intelligence Centre (NIC) and the procurement of data backup equipment.
In responding to questions posed by former home affairs minister Clement Rohee, State minister Joseph Harmon informed committee members that $12.5 million will be used to improve the capacity of the NIC to enable it to store information and provide better coverage for the national intelligence and security system.
“We are purchasing equipment to create an offline backup system for the storage of critical data for closed circuit television [CCTV] sites,” he said.
Harmon disclosed that there are several of these sites around the country and the information is stored at the command centre. “The problem we have is that the storage capacity of the system is not enough to allow them to go back… It only provides you with a certain number of hours of storage and to provide you with the length of storage that the system requires you will have to get some additional equipment… so that is what we are really talking about, expanding the sites and creating a backup system,” he said.
He added that if something is to happen at NIC, such as a fire, for example, the information will still be accessible.
He declined to disclose the company which will supply the equipment for security reasons.
Harmon also said more equipment that can facilitate air reconnaissance throughout the length and breadth of Guyana will also be purchased and the CCTV sites will be expanded.
Meanwhile, Harmon faced intense questioning during the consideration of $2.5 billion allocated for current and capital expenditure for the Ministry of the Presidency’s Policy Development and Administration Programme.
Responding to a question from opposition frontbencher Gail Teixeira under line item 6284, headlined ‘Other,’ for which $170 million was allocated for 2019, Harmon said that this allocation covers the publication of the Official Gazette and payments for advertisements as well as the installation of signs and other services.
Teixeira pointed out that the allocation was almost identical to the revised figure for 2018 and asked Harmon to explain. “The problem is when these figures are exactly the same and you haven’t finished the year, that forces new problems and new questions,” she pointed out.
Harmon, in his response, noted that the figure for 2019 is “our best estimate at this point in time.”
Teixeira also pointed out that she had taken note of the absence of the Civil Defence Commission. Harmon explained that it is catered for in the allocations for the Guyana Defence Force. He also informed that the Commissioner of Information is not catered for under this programme and that the allocation for the office as well as the Integrity Commission will be dealt with by the Prime Minister.
With regards to the $455 million allocation for subsidies and contributions to local organisations, which is more than $100 million higher than the allocation for this year, Harmon explained that this increase is as a result of operational costs for the Gaming Authority, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission in Bartica and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology.
Opposition member Juan Edghill later queried the Gaming Authority’s $19 million increase and asked that the House be informed of the activities that will be undertaken in 2019 that will be different to those in 2019 as well as whether there in an increase in staff. Harmon, in response, said the intention is to ensure compliance. He added that new legislation regarding the regulation of the sector is currently engaging the attention of the Attorney General. The increase, he further said, does in fact cater for additional staff and he assured that more information on this will be submitted to the House.
In responding to questions from opposition frontbencher Anil Nandlall, Harmon pointed out the allocation for maintenance of buildings caters for the work currently being done on the presidential complex and also covers works for Castellani House swimming pool and the Stephen Campbell House, which houses the Department of Citizenship of the ministry. He later acknowledged that the fence is not catered for in the sum allocated as the fence is a capital project.
Later, following more questions, Harmon disclosed that $30 million has been allocated for electrical upgrades at the Lands and Surveys Commission head office. He informed the House that no upgrade has been done in over 40 years.
