Premier Won't Reveal Advisor Salary
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley says he will not immediately disclose the salary for a Special Advisor who is expected to become his chief of staff, saying he must first review government policy and privacy rules. Questions were also raised about the pay for climate change envoy Dr Kedrick Pickering and whether the chief of staff post was advertised.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has indicated he is not prepared to publicly disclose the salary of a Special Advisor he intends to appoint as chief of staff, telling reporters he must first consult the relevant government policy and consider privacy protections. The issue came up during a press conference when reporters asked whether the chief of staff role had been advertised and what compensation would be paid.
The Premier said he was "not really in the business of" advertising what people make and that the policy the Government passed may set out how and where salary information is shared. Dr Wheatley also replied to follow-up questions about the salary of the government's recently announced climate change envoy, Dr Kedrick Pickering, saying he would need to review the policy framework before releasing details.
He pointed out that constitutional privacy rights and human resources restrictions could limit what he is at liberty to disclose, even when the remuneration is paid from public funds. "If I'm privy to information from someone's human resources, am I at liberty to share it with the world?
Persons do have constitutional rights to a certain level of privacy," the Premier said, adding that he would remind himself of the policy and "abide by whatever the policy says." The Premier confirmed that an individual currently serving in an advisory capacity is expected to transition into the chief of staff role.
He said the Office of the Premier has previously been allowed to appoint up to three special advisors under government policy, and that the new chief of staff arrangement is connected to policies approved by Cabinet. Dr Wheatley later named former House of Assembly Speaker Julian Willock as expected to serve as a special advisor, but said a formal contract had not been finalised at the time of the press conference.
For BVI residents, the exchange underscores the ongoing tension between transparency about public spending and individual privacy protections. Many citizens expect clarity about how public funds are used for senior appointments, while officials cite legal and policy constraints on releasing personal employment details.
Dr Wheatley said he would review the policy and return to the public with any disclosures required under the rules. He did not give a timetable for when full details would be made available.
Primary source: BVI News