$500,000 maximum house allowance only for ministers from out of town

are not entitled to be provided with residence but are each paid a house allowance.

The house allowance for the Speaker, Prime Minister, Attorney General, Ministers, and Leader of the Opposition is set at $25,000, while the Parliamentary Secretaries’ allowance is set at $15,000.

According to the handbook, the housing allowance is exempt from income tax and is payable monthly by the Parliament Office with and at the same time as salary.

Stabroek News understands that prior to 2015, any rent over the $25,000 allowance was paid by the Office of the President, which also paid for domestic services used by ministers. Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture paid for gardening services and the ministry to which the minister was assigned paid their telephone bill. Jordan had explained that this is no longer the case. “All allowances are to be paid by Parliament. It is Parliament which pays ministers and therefore no government ministry should be covering the living expenses of a minister,” Jordan explained.

The issue of ministerial house allowance was raised after Broomes’ former tenancy arrangement was revealed.

Peter Ramsaroop, from whom Broomes was renting a house, sued the minister, the Parliament and the Attorney General over her alleged failure to pay three months’ rent. In a correspondence, Ramsaroop confirmed that the rental sum was $500,000 a month. He has since withdrawn the case.