PAAC Chairman Dr. Wykeham McNeill
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PAAC Chairman Dr. Wykeham McNeill; Financial Secretary Darlene Morrison; and Members of Parliament Mikael Phillips, Heroy Clarke and Franklin Witter
The chairman of Parliament's Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) is dissatisfied with the online application process for benefits under the CARE programme, saying the government could have removed the requirement for some groups to apply to receive a benefit.
Dr. Wykeham McNeill said the government should already have a list of persons in certain sectors and could have targeted those persons directly.
He said workers such as barbers, taxi drivers, craft market vendors and tour bus operators are all licensed and their names listed, therefore the government could have reached out to the various organisations for their information and processed them in a systematic manner.
However, Financial Secretary Darlene Morrison said the government does not expect everyone in each of the categories targeted to apply for financial help but is simply trying to assist those who have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
In the meantime, Member of Parliament for Manchester North West Mikael Phillips raised concern that some business people seeking to register so they can access benefits under the CARE programme have been unable to do so at the designated government agencies.
Mr. Phillips said these persons also cannot apply for the compassionate grant as applications for that facility are now closed.
But Member of Parliament for St. James Central Heroy Clarke argued that these persons should have already been registered.
"Don't wait until there is a situation for you to be in the proper grouping, start now.... That funding that all of us trying to sign up for in the different group, where you think it come from? It nuh drop outta sky. It come from the same tax that we should be paying," he insisted.
However, Member of Parliament for St. Elizabeth South East Franklin Witter pointed out that some registered business people would not be able to apply for benefits because their registration is not with the Companies Office of Jamaica
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