PM: $16.7m in salary relief grants paid out

THE PRIME Minister has reported that more than 12,000 people have received the salary relief grant, at a cost of more than $16.7 million.

He was responding to a prime minister's question in the House on Friday from Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh. He asked about the total number of applicants who have received their salary relief grant, self-employed assistance and rental grant assistance as at May 14.

Dr Rowley reported that the Finance Ministry advised that as at that date 12,162 people had received salary relief grants amounting to $16,770,000.

Indarsingh then asked about the self-employed assistance and rental grant assistance included in the question. Rowley replied that if he filed the question with the appropriate ministry the answer would be provided; in a later question Social Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis reported 220 out of 946 applications for rental grant assistance had been processed.

Indarsingh then asked why Government had not followed through with Finance Minister Colm Imbert's commitment on April 27 (in Parliament) to deliver 10,000 new grants per week.

Rowley replied: "The handing out of public money to the public requires a certain amount of care and attention. And that is by its very nature a slow process if one is to ensure that these grants go to the deserving and the deserving only. It is turning out to be a slower process than we anticipated to ensure that those monies only go to the people for whom the qualification applies."

Imbert had previously reported that as of March 24, some 30,300 applications for the grant had been received.