Gov't members accused of skipping PAAC meetings

By Halshane Burke 

  

Government members of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) of Parliament have been criticised for ignoring communications to attend meetings.

 

Opposition Member Fitz Jackson told Wednesday's sitting of the committee that government members have not been cooperative with requests to meet.

 

Only two members - Mr. Jackson and Lisa Hanna - both from the opposition benches, along with Chairman Mikael Phillips turned up for Wednesday's sitting.

 

Mr. Jackson has called for the members to be reported for their continued absence. 

 

"The committee should convey to the Leader of Government Business, copied to the Leader of Opposition Business, and to the Speaker, that the attitude and the failure to act by the membership, particularly on the government side, is unacceptable, and it's just plain deplorable and it's a dereliction of duty on the part of the members to do the committee's work. I don't believe that we should just cause that to go by," he contended. 

 

In the meantime, chairman Mickael Phillips said he will not allow the work of the committee to be derailed. 

 

"The Standing Orders say that there a quorum is three. So I've decided that once we have a quorum, we are not going to allow other members to prevent us from doing the work of the committee," he declared.