Vale Royal, the designated official residence of the Prime Minister, is in a deteriorating state.
Vale Royal
Information Minister Robert Morgan
Opposition Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna
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Information Minister Robert Morgan, Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson, Opposition Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna and Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke
By Nakinskie Robinson
The parliamentary opposition has taken the government to task concerning its plans to rehabilitate Vale Royal.
In a recent video on social media, Vale Royal, the designated official residence of the Prime Minister, could be seen in a deteriorating state.
Opposition Spokesman on Finance Julian Robinson, who was directing questions to Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke during the meeting of the Standing Finance Committee on Tuesday morning, asked about the expenditure allocated to support maintenance costs for Vale Royal.
A figure, which was not disclosed, is allocated to cover costs for repairs to Jamaica House, Vale Royal and the Executive Office, which houses the Office of the Prime Minister.
But in response, Information Minister Robert Morgan said a different plan is being drafted to refurbish the building at Vale Royal.
"Jamaica National Heritage Trust is currently in the process of crafting a rehabilitation plan for Vale Royal that would not be in this allocation here.... The monies that would come from this for Vale Royal is to deal with security, is to deal with the overall management of the property. But the building is a very old building that has not been maintained properly over time and this is going to require significant financial infusion to fix," Mr. Morgan said.
Mr. Robinson questioned when this rehabilitation plan would be made public.
"Well, I'll have to contact the Jamaica National Heritage Trust to see what their timeline is. We'll definitely report back to Parliament and table directly. There has been some work that has been done to reduce the speed of deterioration," said the Information Minister.
Minister Morgan said maintenance work has been ongoing and the internal assets of the building including paintings are in good condition.
But Opposition Member of Parliament Lisa Hanna also argued that the $10 million allocated to the Jamaica National Heritage Trust for administrative duties is not enough to cover the cost of maintenance.
She questioned whether a special grant would be allocated.
"We are going to have to prioritise it among a long list of priorities, some of which are very pressing and large, but we can't allow this to fall apart. And we will make sure resources are provided to get it done," Finance Minister Dr. Nigel Clarke responded.
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