PP slammed for ‘corrupt’ food card system

MINISTER of Social Development and Family Services Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn has taken Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar to task for saying Government could not have found 18,000 people to be in illegal receipt of food cards and removed them from the system.

“The Leader of the Opposition indicated that 18,000 could not have been cheaters and she looked at us as if to say, ‘You all cannot be right. You have to be crazy,’” she said on Friday during her contribution to the 2019 budget debate in the House of Representatives.

“But during their (People’s Partnership’s) tenure every month, every MP was given 50 food cards to give to constituents. When you total that for five years, it comes up to 87,000 food cards.

“If they would have given out 87,000 food cards, it is very believeable that 18,000 food cards were, in fact, given out to persons who were not eligible.”

She reiterated Government has saved an estimated $150 million by removing unqualified people from the system

“This Government has taken action to ensure that only persons who need that support are getting it and will continue to get it,” she said.

The Lopinot/Bon Air West MP said the issue continues to be a “thorn in the side” of the Opposition members.

“But Madam Speaker (Bridgid Annisette-George), neither myself or this Government will take that to heart. I personally, prefer to be disparaged for doing right than to be lauded or recognised for doing what is wrong.

The minister claimed the Partnership’s biometric card system was “fraught with corruption and wastage.”

She added: “No data base was maintained so it was almost impossible to determine what were the numbers and how many persons were being in fact serviced.

“That was not by accident Madam Speaker. That was by choice. But having taken all the action, we would have taken, Madam Speaker, we are now assured that the 24,300 persons who are being paid the food support are, in fact, persons that are eligible for some support.”

Crichlow-Cockburn said Government was very concerned with moving their clients from a state of dependence to one of self-reliance.