St. John’s Antigua: Public Works Minister, Trevor Walker, on Thursday, struck aside the criticism of a caller who was critical of the number of luxury vehicles owned by the Government and the frequency of their use, on the Observer Radio’s Voice of the People Programme, according to an Observer report.
In response, Minister Walker said it was completely reasonable for government to have a fleet of what he called “high-end” vehicles sitting for extended periods at the Transport Board and added that they are not a waste and are necessary to transport visiting dignitaries. He said it is needed to accommodate officials from overseas who attend meetings such as regional heads of government conferences.
Walker did not comment on whether the overall fleet was too large. He also said he didn’t know how many vehicles the government owned.
The Minister explained that, “The government must be in a position to provide the necessary transportation to each prime minister, their security officer or liaison officer…At all times, in my own mind, you need to have a cadre of certain types of vehicles available for certain functions.”
A new Government Vehicle Use and Management Policy were expected to be implemented last month, setting out a “comprehensive set of rules and procedures to optimise the management and use of government vehicles, the Observer said.
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