FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert has said new scanners for the Port of Spain port remain on target for delivery in 2024.
He spoke at a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives on Friday.
Responding to a question from the Opposition UNC about funding in the budget for the scanners, Imbert said, "It is difficult to deal with questions like this which make no sense."
He reminded MPs, "It has been reported in this place and outside of this place, that a contract has been awarded for the procurement of four scanners."
Imbert said he repeated this in his budget presentation on October 2.
"I also said the items are not shelf items and they have to be manufactured.
"It was hoped in 2023 that the procurement would be completed but again, because of the new procurement regulations, it took a little longer than anticipated."
He added, "This is well known to everybody."
He repeated a contract has been awarded and the scanners are being manufactured and will be installed in 2024.
His comments came before the committee approved allocations of $7,845,414,830 and $3,000,000 for the Finance Ministry and pensions and gratuities respectively.
Imbert also said some of the former figure will be used to ensure 24-hour security at the Treasury building in Port of Spain.
He said the Treasury deals with cash and has to process large volumes of cash that are received at district revenue offices and transported to the Central Bank.
"You wouldn't want taxpayers' cash to disappear."
On a $3.7 million allocation to Alutrint, Imbert said Government hopes to get new revenue from the company's manufacture of aluminium products.He added this exercise would not involve constructing an aluminium smelter in TT.
Alutrint was a joint venture company formed in 2005 between Government and the Sural Group of Venezuela to establish a domestic aluminium industry.
Plans to construct a smelter as part of that project caused concerns about a potential environmental hazard. The project was shelved after the UNC-led People's Partnership coalition won the May 24, 2010 general election.
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