FINANCE Minister Colm Imbert said on Friday that 16,254 people had been approved for his ministry's salary relief grant for the pandemic so far for 2021.

In a statement, he challenged claims of poor access to pandemic relief levelled in statements carried in Newsday on Thursday in a report on what Coalition of Service Industries (TTCSI) president Mark Edghill told the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Social Services and Public Administration on Wednesday.

Contacted on Friday, Edghill largely qualified his previous remarks.

Imbert's statement said, "The story reports that Mr Edgehill told the JSC that a number of people were denied salary relief grants (SRGs) because their last working day was April 29, and the qualifying date was May 1.

"However, in August 2021, four months ago, the Minister of Finance adjusted the eligibility date for SRGs to April 29. So, it is a falsehood to state that people have been denied grants because the eligibility date was May 1."

Imbert also denied Edghill's statement that less than ten per cent of applicants in 2021 have received them.

"As of December 9, (some) 24,296 applications for the salary relief grant have been received for 2021. Of these, 16,254 applications have been deemed to be in order thus far and processed,

and of that total, 14,445 grants have already been paid, at a cost of $44.2 million.

"This represents 67 per cent of the applications received for SRGs in 2021, not 10 per cent.

"The minister wishes to remind industry spokespersons that the relief grant came with compliance criteria that all applicants were required to satisfy in order to qualify and that the assistance and co-operation of employers is critical to ensure that all those eligible for the SRGs receive them."

Edghill clarified to Newsday on Friday that only ten per cent of those wanting to access the grant had been eligible to do in terms of their being deemed compliant, that is, having been registered with the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and similar.

On the new eligibility date of April 29, he said his checks with at least one claimant had left him satisfied that the ministry had kept claims on file and duly considered them under this new qualifying date.

Imbert, he said, "took steps to correct that problem."

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