Parliament, Spectrum Management Authority face scrutiny from auditor general
Published:Monday | May 19, 2025 | 12:08 AMEdmond Campbell/Senior Parliamentary Reporter
The Houses of Parliament and the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA) are currently under intense scrutiny as the Auditor General’s Department conducts two special audits of the legislative branch of government and the public body which is an agency of the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, respectively.
In accordance with Section 25 of the Financial Administration and Audit (FAA) Act, the Pamela Monroe Ellis-led Auditor General’s Department (AuGD) conducted a preliminary assessment of the Houses of Parliament in January 2025 to gain an understanding of its operations and to make an informed evaluation of whether an audit was warranted.
The auditor general has subsequently approved a special audit to ascertain whether there has been compliance with the provisions of the FAA Act or any other law relating to the administration of public money and government property.
At the same time, the auditor general has also placed the spotlight on the long-awaited construction of a new parliament building.
The construction of a new parliament building was expected to commence in early 2022, however, as of May 2024, the project was still in the procurement phase.
In his contribution to the 2021-2022 Budget Debate, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced that the construction of a new parliament building would begin early in the 2022-2023 financial year.
At the time of the announcement, the prime minister had also reported that the designs and drawings of the new parliament building were complete. In addition, he told the country that building approvals had been granted by the requisite government agencies.
In relation to the SMA, the AuGD also carried out a preliminary assessment of the entity in January this year, to among other things, make an evaluation of whether an audit should be done.
The auditor general has since approved a special audit of the SMA to determine whether the agency has been in compliance with the provisions of the FAA Act or any other enactment relating to the administration of public funds and government property.
The SMA is the national regulator for the radio frequency spectrum under the Act. The authority is responsible for monitoring and inspecting Jamaica’s radio spectrum network, which is essential for various communication and technology applications.
The statutory obligations and the operational principles of the authority are in accordance with and fulfil Jamaica’s international commitments to the World Trade Organization’s telecommunication agreement, and the Government of Jamaica’s policy objectives regarding the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector.
Audits of both the Houses of Parliament and SMA are scheduled for publication in the third quarter of the financial year.