INTEGRITY FALLOUT — CHAIRMAN RESIGNS

Stating that Government ministers were not “breaksing” from declaring their income, assets and liabilities, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said that the reservations about declarations forms under the Integrity in Public Life lay at the level of Board members and judges.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet news conference, Manning said yesterday that “at least one Board Chairman” had spoken to him on the issue of the declaration forms (which were tabled in Parliament) and had resigned from his position. He declined to name the Chairman. But Manning stressed that government felt that these were some of the issues which needed to be resolved by the Joint Select Committee. The forms, after a two- year delay, have been sent to the JSC for deliberation.

Saying that the argument was that the net was cast too wide, Manning stated: “If you say that Board Chairmen and members of Boards should declare their assets then you are going to find those who would say ‘I am prepared to serve but I am not prepared to declare my assets. I am a private citizen.’” And this was one of the issues which triggered that course of action (to send the forms to a Joint Select Committee). He added that it was all “well and good” to enunicate a policy, but when “you come to implement it and you saw such obstacles, you had to address them.” Manning stressed that whenever the forms are approved by the Parliament ministers of government would be required to declare their assets for all the previous years.