TOURISM Minister Edmund Bartlett tops the list of 26 Members of Parliament (MP) who missed House sessions in the pre-Christmas term.
Bartlett has been absent five times from a possible 10 sittings. Dr. Ken Baugh, with four absences, and Dr. Peter Phillips, with three, round out the top three absentees from business in the House of Representatives, between October 2 and December 18, 2007, the Parliament's attendance register shows.
Bartlett, who is the Minister of Tourism, was kept busy on and around the start of the 2007-2008 winter tourist season. Apologies were tendered for his absence on all five occasions. An apology was tendered for Dr. Baugh once, but the House has never been informed of the reasons for Dr. Phillips' no-shows.
Meanwhile, Deputy House Speaker Marisa Dalrymple-Philibert, Andrew Gallimore, Dr. Morais Guy and Ronald Thwaites have the best attendance records. They have never been late or absent from a sitting.
First-time MPs Noel Arscott (South West Clarendon), Lisa Hanna (South East St. Ann), Robert Montague (West St. Mary), Gregory Mair (North East St. Catherine) and Tarn Peralto (South East St. Mary), just barely missed the perfect attendance rating - all being late just once.
Near-perfect record
Returning members Karl Samuda (North Central St. Andrew), Everald Warmington (South West St. Catherine), Sharon Hay-Webster (South Central St. Catherine), Joseph Hibbert (East Rural St. Andrew) and Speaker Delroy Chuck (North East St. Andrew) also soiled their record by being late on just one occasion.
South West St. Ann Member of Parliament Ernest Smith heads the list of latecomers. He has been late nine times in 10 sittings. Dr. St. Aubyn Bartlett, who has missed one session of Parliament, has only been early only once. Similarly, Robert Pickersgill, the MP for North West St. Catherine was late eight times.
Opposition Leader, Portia Simpson Miller, Horace Chang and James Robertson have been late seven times.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding has not been exemplary with his punctuality, having been late for Parliament six times.
