Charles

The Government has withdrawn payment of $20 million in hurricane benefits, which were to be distributed to persons who did not suffer loss during the passage of Hurricane Dean last year.

Labour and Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles told his parliamentary colleagues during Wednesday's sitting of the Standing Finance Committee, that the Government "pulled back" part of the just under $1 billion allocated to assist families whose houses were either destroyed or damaged.

Charles told the committee that the ministry had discovered that, in some instances, several family members from a single household were scheduled to collect benefits for damage to one house.

Drastic cut

He said that, in Old Harbour Bay, the ministry received a list with the names of more than 3,200 persons who claimed their houses were destroyed by the hurricane.

"When I gave the list to Mr Warmington (Everald Warmington, MP for the area), he said 'nothing guh like this' and he went there, did a survey and returned with over 1,000 homes cut off," he said.

However, Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller said many families whose houses were damaged in a number of parishes were not assessed and needed assistance.

Dr Peter Phillips, leader of opposition business in the House, said with two months before the official start of the hurricane season, a mechanism had to be put in place to distribute hurricane-related assistance to those who are affected.

"We need to find a system that is able to weed out those who don't deserve from those who deserve, and ensure that those who have suffered damage get relief," Phillips said.