Department under fire

 By SHIRLYN BELDEN

THE Public Accounts Committee yesterday directed the Finance Department to provide detailed reports of two government programmes lacking proper accounting. 

They are the housing programme for the six districts in East Sepik and the district treasury rollout programme (DTRP), managed by the Finance Department.

They had appeared to the committee as inconsistent. 

Representing the department at the inquiry yesterday was deputy secretary Sam Penias.  

He was told that the programme appeared to be in a mess because the department had not provided any reports and statements on it since it took over responsibility to manage it a few years ago from the provincial treasury.

Committee chairman and Bogia MP John Hickey told Penias to provide the committee with detailed reports and statements from day one. The reports must include statements on travel by department staff to provinces, expenditures and future plans of the programme. 

The department was supposed to administer 22 pre-fabricated houses for accommodation in the six districts of East Sepik.

To date, only nine houses had been provided for Yangoru and Angoram districts. 

“The DTRP is a mess. When it removed the responsibility from the provincial governments it took hold of all DTRP processes,” Hickey said.

“This is not utilising the provincial treasuries. Too many travels and the PAC wants to see full details or reports of the DTRP from day one to the present. 

“We want reports of expenditures; who was involved and how much was spent; infrastructure cost and every detail.”