Young: Rowley reminds us of costs

On the heels of questions of spending by Sport Minister Daryl Smith and Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe on a Tobago trip and a telephone bill respectively, reporters asked if yesterday’s Cabinet meeting saw the PM warn ministers about overspending.

Young replied that there was no specific conversation yesterday, but that the PM generally reminds them.

Young said a report on Smith’s trip had been sent yesterday to the PM, but that this matter was not discussed in Cabinet. The PM must now peruse and decide upon such matters, the minister said. He disputed media reports that a Ministry of Sport employee who went on the Tobago trip had since been transferred to the OPM.

Young said ministers generally had worked hard to shave hundreds of millions of dollars off of their ministries’ expenditure.

Asked if ministers have spending guidelines, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said guidelines on the use of public funds are contained in circulars held by permanent secretaries. Otherwise Imbert said he had not learnt of any local bid of $1 million to host the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).