The Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) Regional Administration has written to the Attorney General Chambers, in an effort to determine the way forward over a number of persons who are living rent free in government quarters – some of whom are not entitled to such benefits.
This revelation was made during Monday’s sitting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), when an examination of the Auditor General’s 2019 findings in Region Three was done. According to Regional Executive Officer (REO) Devanand Ramdatt, a total of 43 persons were not paying their rent.
“On the 5th July, I engaged the attention of the Attorney General, seeking legal guidance on this matter. All the relevant documentation we have, regarding the occupation of these quarters, were provided to the Ministry of Legal Affairs,” Ramdatt explained.
He explained that there are 94 government quarters in Region Three and of this number, 45 are currently occupied. There are provisions for eligible public servants to receive rent-free accommodation, on the taxpayers’ expense.
According to Ramdatt, however, a number of the staff who were cited in the 2019 report, were not even eligible for government quarters to be provided for them.
“Some of these persons were overseers, police officers certainly not attached to the RDC’s payroll. I’ve also seen, there was a former education officer who should have vacated. We have a labourer. A sluice attendant… in my opinion, those quarters would be for persons who live outside of the region. Who are assigned to perform duties in our region,” Ramdatt said.
Meanwhile, PAC member Dharamkumar Seeraj enquired whether the guidance sought from the AG chambers was for two matters – how to collect the rent from those who were eligible for the government quarters and how to evict those who were not. Ramdatt replied in the affirmative.
The Auditor General’s report had explained that as per instructions on circulars, Public Servants are required to pay rent of 10 per cent and 12 per cent of their salary for unfurnished and furnished government quarters, respectively.
The only exception is when they have a pre-approved entitlement to rent-free government quarters, as a condition of their service. The Auditor General had found that the Regional Administration failed to provide the relevant records to determine whether the occupants of 43 of the 59 occupied buildings were entitled to rent free quarters… or the reason for them not paying their rent.
It is not the first time that the issue of persons living rent free in government quarters they were not entitled to, has been raised at the level of the PAC. One of the most egregious cases date back to 2018, when the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) had to be called in to assist in the eviction of those not paying rent.
This was after the Auditor General found in 2016 that out of 300 buildings owned by the Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) Administration, 132 were occupied. However, only 26 of these occupants were actually paying rent.
According to Civil Service Law, 2004 Public Service Rules, “Government quarters provided to public servants as a condition of service, e.g. in the case of hospital staff where presence on a hospital compound may be required on a continuous basis, shall be free of rent.”
It goes on to state that: “In lieu of quarters, a house allowance may, with the approval of the Permanent Secretary, Public Service Ministry, be granted to a public servant who is entitled to free quarters but for whom quarters are not available.”
