Senior Reporter
bavita.gopaulchan
@guardian.co.tt
The Ministry of Social Development and Family Services is trying to determine who gave an instruction to discontinue funeral grants.
This after Minister Donna Cox said she had received several complaints from bereaved families who were trying to access the grant. Yesterday, she labelled it an act of mischief.
“They have been calling and saying that when they go in to apply for the grant, they were told by staff members that it was stopped,” Cox said.
The minister clarified that the grants have not been stopped and urged anyone who experienced this setback to report it to her ministry or the police.
“I do not know where it came from or who authorised it. The Permanent Secretary did not authorise it and I did not authorise for the funeral grant to be stopped, so that must be some sort of mischief,” Cox exclaimed.
She could not say whether it was a deliberate attempt by a staff member to make the ministry look bad or whether it was an attempt to defraud people.
There is an active investigation at the ministry into a series of corrupt and fraudulent activities, including falsification of data, stolen food cards, individuals living abroad and receiving grants, cheques of deceased people still being encashed and counterfeit cheques being cashed at supermarkets. Over 100 cases of possible fraud have been passed on to police to probe.
Last year, four ministry employees were charged with fraud while two were charged this year. Cox said she hopes more employees will be brought to justice soon.
However, she admitted that cracking down on such activities, while improving the ministry’s efficiency, has been no easy task.
“I know their staff members who are doing their best in some areas, but those who are not. And therefore, that is where we are targeting particular areas, to ensure that our plans align to serve are to the best of our ability,” she said.
While Cox said she is “not really shocked” by this latest incident, she admitted to being very concerned.
“I feel very hurt that persons without authority would have issued that type of instruction to staff to stop issuing our grants. We are looking at the policy for the grant to make it easier for persons to access it,” the minister revealed.
She reminded staff members to remember their mandate to help the poor and vulnerable.
“All I ask the staff to do is their best and to look out for the people who are poor and vulnerable and help them. I want them to think that it could be their own family members coming in for that grant so serve them to the best of their ability,” Cox urged.