Finance Minister Audley Shaw has been relying heavily on the services of consultants and advisers when compared to his predecessor, Dr Omar Davies.

According to documents tabled in Parliament yesterday, concerning the salaries being paid to consultants, Shaw's ministry is carrying heavy payment baggage for the engagement of their services.

Just over $34 million is being paid to contract 10 persons in the finance ministry, with Dr Wayne Henry, a chief technical adviser, and Terrence Edwards earning the majority.

Henry is being paid $5.79 million yearly for "providing technical support, particularly in relation to multilateral and external agency".

Edwards, who was contracted under the previous administration, is being paid $4.5 million for tax consultancy services.

Dr Omar Davies employed six persons to assist him in the Ministry of Finance, paying out $15.6 million to consultants.

The picture is much different when consultants and their salaries in the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) are compared.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has four consultants working out of his office. Christopher Zacca, who is his special adviser, is being paid $5 million of the $12.4 million being paid for consultancy services within the OPM.

Change in salary scales

Portia Simpson Miller had nine consultants in the OPM when she was at Jamaica House. Jamaica paid $22.7 million to employ them.

Meanwhile, Golding has said that the $10-million differential in the salaries being paid by his administration, compared with those paid under the last People's National Party (PNP) government, is a result of a change in salary scales.

Answers presented in response to questions asked by East Central St Catherine Member of Parliament Natalie Neita-Headley indicate that the Golding administration is paying out $137 million to consultants in ministries.

The last PNP administration was paying $127 million for consultancy.

"The additional amount is due primarily to an adjustment in the approved scale of emoluments to consultants and advisers, consequent to adjustment to public sector salaries," Golding said.

A total of 48 people were employed to the ministries under the Golding administration up to this month. There were 52 people employed as advisers and consultants when the PNP left power in 2007.

Advisers' services come with $137m payment baggage