Heated debate on funds allocated to BAEH

Voices were raised and tempers flared briefly during the Estimates debate on Wednesday when Opposition Leader Ralph Thorne sought to get Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs Kirk Humphrey to account for the use of the allocation of state funds to a local agency for the homeless.

Thorne repeatedly asked the government minister to respond to his question on the uses to which the $500 000 from last year’s Budget to the Barbados Alliance to End Homelessness was put, suggesting that some may have gone to providing Christmas hampers to certain homes in St Michael neighbourhoods.

Even when asked by Chairman of Committees Peter Phillips about the relevance to the discussion under the head and being urged to move to his next question, Thorne persisted in questioning the minister and suggesting that the funds may have gone to fund political aspirations.

The opposition leader insisted that the public had the right to know how their tax dollars were being used.

“The public is entitled to know how much that entity is being paid this year,” Thorne said to the Lower Chamber while officials sat in the Well fielding questions on the ministry’s programmes.

While Minister Humphrey confirmed that another $500 000 is allocated to the alliance this year, he stoutly denied there was anything to hide or to be ashamed about and said his ministry’s visits to the organisation have never proven anything to be “off”. He accused Thorne of engaging in “conjecture” and “cheap theatrics for entertainment” with his line of questions. “The facts will speak for themselves,” Humphrey insisted. 

The Opposition leader reminded the debate that the $500 000 last year was described as an “experiment” and insisted that the hamper distribution was not to be dismissed as “conjecture”.

Chairman Phillips soon moved on to St Michael West Central Member of Parliament Ian Gooding-Edghill, as Thorne protested not being allowed to complete his three allocated questions. (SP)