Shahine Robinson, minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister, told Parliament Tuesday that the CDF might have been subjected to misuse by at least one MP.

According to Robinson, who has ministerial responsibility for the CDF, some MPs put forward misleading information on projects and attempt to have undue influence over the implementing agencies.

"In one instance, a project slated to benefit small farmers ended up resembling a self-serving venture," Robinson told the House of Representative Tuesday.

Eliminating recurrences

She added that the Office of the Prime Minister's Project Manage-ment Unit has stepped up its vigilance to eliminate any such recurrence and warned that abuse of the CDF would not be tolerated.

The Gleaner understands that the project in question is a $6-million economic enabling project spearheaded by an opposition MP from western Jamaica.

The CDF was implemented by the Jamaica Labour Party government after it took office in 2007. Under the programme, all MPs get $40 million to spend on projects in their constituencies.

Two hundred and forty-one projects were approved for implementation last fiscal year at a cost of $2.03 billion.