Minister of Housing and Lands Michael Lashley heading into the House of Assembly.

THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT for St George North, Gline Clarke, who was also a former Minister of Housing, has no moral authority to criticise the new administration on housing policies.

Minister of Housing Michael Lashley made the call last night in his reply to the Financial Statement and Budgetary Proposals by referring to the judgement set down in the High Court on the same day against the National Housing Corporation (NHC) for $58 million to be paid to Barrack Construction Company, with an additional $3 million in interest per year.

"It was not this administration that placed the NHC in that debt," Lashley commented.

"And the member for St George North had the audacity to say that Work Hall, Marchfield and French Village were their projects but the land remained idle.

"You had three ministers of housing when Barbadians were hunting up and down this country for house spots and houses the land remained idle . . . but we took the land and in the space of six months these lands are now ready to be built on to satisfy the demands. So they have no moral authority to speak about housing," he charged.

The minister further pointed out that the Barbados Labour Party administration had a programme launched on September 4, 2004 called the Primary Homes Programme, "and the record showed that from 2004 to 2008 only 60 houses were built so that in a four-year period only 15 houses were built per year".

"But six months, this [Democratic Labour Party] administration is getting ready to construct 185 houses starting in August," he added. Lashley also spoke to the issue of integrity and transparency specifically about indiscretions at the NHC under the previous administration.

"On January 14, 2008, the day before elections, the Board of the NHC awarded a contract to a company to the tune of $92 000 to put up plywood around Country Park Towers.

"I had to step in and allow the NHC workers to put up the plywood at a cost of $30 000, saving the tax payers $60 000 . . . that was highway robbery. How could the BLP-administration turn a blind eye to this matter and that is not all," he said. (TM)