MPs are the ‘most honest’

The Integrity Commission is calling once again for an update of the laws governing its operations, to facilitate strengthening of the investigative powers of the body.

The Commission in its 2018 annual report laid in Parliament last week said of 40 complaints it received, some 23 matters had been investigated to conclusion.

The report stated, “The investigative capabilities of the commission were adversely impacted by the inadequacy of its statutory powers. This resulted in its inability to obtain vital information for some investigations, and had negative repercussions for the effectiveness of their investigative functions. The commission therefore made recommendations for the general overhaul of the Act, and these recommendations are now before Cabinet.”

The report revealed that elected are most compliant among public officials who are required to declare their assets and earnings under the Integrity in Public Life Act. A chart shows that 69 per cent of elected MPs were compliant, far ahead of the average figure of 44 per cent for all public officials.

Their parliamentary colleagues in the Senate had a compliance rate of just 45 per cent, virtually the same as the average of all public officials.

The second most compliant group was permanent secretaries (PSs) at 53 per cent. The least compliant were members of boards of statutory authorities at 40 per cent.

The compliance rates in order were: MPs (69 per cent), PSs (53 per cent), chief technical officers (50 per cent), members of municipalities (ie councillors/aldermen, 48 per cent), senators (45 per cent), members of the Tobago House of Assembly (44 per cent), directors of state enterprises (43 per cent) and directors of statutory authorities (40 per cent.)

The report said 1,262 persons in public life were required to file declarations for 2017, but a year later by December 31, 2018, only 553 people had done so. “This represented an overall compliance rate of 44per cent for 2017,” the report said.

Of the declarations filed, the commission examined 415, of which 400 declarants were required to furnish further details. Some 320 officials complied. Overall, some 289 certificates of compliance were issued for 2017.

“The commission applied to the High Court in accordance with section 11(7) of the Act for orders directing 29 persons in public life who failed to file their declarations. The orders were made.”

The report said, “The commission published the names of 871 officials who had failed to file declarations of income, assets and liabilities, and statements of registrable interests.