Abrahams: Senior public officials, including PM, get US $175 per diem

Minister of Information, Wilfred Abrahams, says senior public servants, including Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley, get a per diem of US $175 while on official duty for Barbados.

Abrahams said Mottley was also entitled to an additional US $150 per diem for entertainment, according to the allowances set by the Ministry of the Public Service on March 20th, 2001, and there has been no change since then.

He was refuting claims by Opposition Leader, Ralph Thorne, made in a public address last Sunday night at Hastings Rocks, Christ Church, that Mottley and other senior officials were receiving US $1 000 in daily allowance while travelling.

“A Government that will spend $188 million on travel, first-class hotels, sipping champagne, getting US$1 000 in per diem. So, my tribulations are not great, the tribulations of the people of this country are the tribulations which we must be concerned about,” Thorne told the audience, both in attendance and online.

Abrahams said he was disappointed those figures were published and even uttered by Thorne, “as this information is available easily and readily and he should have informed himself as the exact same rates are in fact applicable to him as well”.

The Minister said there were different categories for those conducting Government business.

“Category one which includes the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Members of the Cabinet, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Leader of the Opposition, Former Prime Ministers, National Heroes and Special Envoys receive a per diem allowance of US$175.00 broken down as follows: Meal Allowance US$90, Subsistence Allowance US$60, Travel Allowance US$25. The Prime Minster also gets an additional entertainment allowance of US$150. This money is expected to cover travel, taxi fare, meals and all other incidentals,” Abrahams said in a statement to the media.

“Please note that the total sum received by Ministers is therefore US$175 and by the Prime Minister US$325 which is nowhere near the US $1000 which has been put out to the public and is being circulated as a fact.” (PR/SAT)

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