THE BIG INSURER CLICO has taken over one contract at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) from the Insurance Corporation of Barbados (ICB) and is eyeing another.

Leader of the Opposition Mia Mottley made this claim in the House of Assembly yesterday, as she delivered the reply to the national Budget.

"The Attorney General, perhaps, should advise why it is that CBC has changed its insurance from the Insurance Corporation of Barbados to CLICO and whether it went to tender . . . ," she said.

She also asked the Attorney-General to say whether the health insurance contract "which remains with Sagicor, is still subject to being changed to CLICO".

She told the House that Sagicor had given a better proposal than CLICO.

According to Mottley, the chairman of CBC, who is the president of CLICO Holdings, "has asked for the opportunity to be able to let CLICO look at the figures again".

She said that was not the only insurance that had changed, but did not elaborate.

Mottley also said that CBC had refused to sell the BLP air time to present its case, "having sold us time a few weeks before" on an unclear basis.

She added, ". . . Suffice it to say that it is better to be a rum shop, or it is better to be a shoe shop or it is better, Sir, to be a hairdressing salon because you can at least buy time on CBC (rather) than being a political party celebrating its 70th anniversary."

She told parliamentarians that the party had "given instructions to the attorneys-at-law to do the relevant research to deal with CBC and that". (TY)