GOVERNMENT IS GOING TO PARLIAMENT today for funds to jump-start the legislative process of restarting work on the controversial St John Polyclinic almost 19 years to the day it was halted by a previous Democratic Labour Party (DLP)?Administration.
A supplementary resolution for almost $29 million is expected to occupy most of the debate when the House of Assembly meets at 10 a.m.
Some of the money, $12.1 million, is slated for the Warrens Traffic Safety Improvement Project, which provides for highway construction and road and traffic improvement in the Warrens, St Michael area.
However, within the largest portion of the resolution, $15.5 million for the Ministry of Health, is an allocation of $1.2 million to cover the arrears owed to consultants, as well as to start the construction work on the polyclinic, which was one of the major issues in the just fought January 20 St John by-election won by the DLP’s candidate Mara Thompson, widow of the late Prime Minister and St John?MP?David Thompson.
Minister of Health Donville Inniss had told an early by-election meeting that work on the facility, initiated by the DLP in 1990 but suspended on?February 25, 1992, would be restarted on March 15 this year.
Inniss reported that Government had received ten tenders for the project to complete the work ranging between $15.9 million and $22 million.
He did not disclose who had won the tender.
The Opposition Barbados Labour Party (BLP), which held office from 1994 to 2008, but only ordered structural appraisals in 2007, dismissed the DLP’s promise to restart work on the facility as essentially an electioneering gimmick since there had been no allocation in the 2009-2010 Estimates.
Inniss told the January 9 Sherbourne meeting that 15 companies had collected tenders documents and ten had submitted, which were then considered and recommendations made to the ministry “a few months ago”.
“Since then,” he added, “we have sought permission from the Ministry of Finance in a supplementary to get funds to pay off professional services that are outstanding, as well as to commence work on the St John Polyclinic this financial year.”
