Robinson-Regis: $284m spent on covid19 relief

Social Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis. -
Social Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis. -

SOCIAL Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis disclosed on Wednesday that Government has spent $284 million on social relief measures to help people affected economically by the covid19 pandemic.

She also revealed that 3,000 people may have been "double-dipping" in an attempt to access relief they were not entitled to.

Robinson-Regis said the ministry is investigating this.

At the virtual health news conference, Robinson-Regis said Government "held steadfast to its promise to leave no one behind, ensuring that for the most part, families were protected and well cared for during this challenging period in our country's history.

"As of today, the ministry has expended close to $284 million on a number of initiatives which have impacted the lives of more than 156,289 individuals and families."

This represented, she said, "over 450,000 persons, or approximately one-third of the national population, over the last four months."

She said government had helped people who were already on the ministry's databases and receiving some form of government assistance and "those who as a result of the covid19 pandemic, found themselves unable to adequately provide for themselves and their families."

Robinson-Regis said as of Wednesday, the ministry continues to support more than 170,000 individuals and families "whose major and in some cases, only form of sustenance, came in the form of senior citizens' pensions, public assistance grants, disability grants, food support and other support services."

Expenditure between Government and faith-based organisations to provide covid19 relief "has been agreed in the amount of $13 million."

Robinson-Regis lamented than some people were being less than honest in terms of the relief they needed.

"To this end, we have found that there may have been, over 3,000 persons who may have attempted to receive both the salary relief grant (which is through the Finance Ministry, through the NIB) and the income support grant (designed by her ministry)."

Robinson-Regis said, "We are in the process of making sure that this has not happened and we will report further, after a complete investigations have been done."

She also said some people do not complete their forms properly before submitting them. She also said the ministry found that when people go on social media to complain about not receiving their grants of these cases, "The fault lies squarely on their shoulders."

Robinson-Regis cited complaints on social media by a person named Sheldon Abderdeen about not receiving his grant and threatening to protest, but said the ministry has been trying to contact him since June. She urged him to contact the ministry to have his concerns addressed.

Government is working with stakeholders to do a comprehensive assessment on the effects of covid19 on TT.

"The next phase is planning for how we deal with these issues in the future."

She also said Government has been speaking with UN ECLAC (the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) and the Inter-American Development Bank, "who have indicated the need for research."

Robinson-Regis said those institutions have indicated "there will be a definite move in that direction as we collate the information."

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