TCI post Cabinet statement
Governor Peter Beckingham chaired the TCI Cabinet meeting at the Hilly Ewing Building, Providenciales, on Wednesday, 4 June 2014.
The Turks and Caicos Cabinet
All Ministers were present. At this meeting Cabinet:
-
Advised the Governor to approve the Payroll Tax Bill 2014. The Bill will now advance to the House of Assembly;
-
Noted the strong financial performance of the Turks and Caicos Islands for the period January 2014 to March 2014 as submitted in the Fourth Quarter Financial Report from the Accountant General. Cabinet approved the publication of the report as required by Section 46 of the Public Financial Management Ordinance;
-
Agreed to open a consultation on increasing the height limit of buildings in Providenciales to 14 storeys (150 foot.) The consultation will be co-ordinated by the Ministry of Home Affairs and will be open to all interested stakeholders;
-
Approved the issuance of licenses to the Tourist Board for a Crown land parcels near the Cruise Centre in Grand Turk to be used as a centralized tour operator and taxi dispatch desk and It also a cultural beach market to support and centralize beach vendors serving Cruise Centre passengers;
-
Agreed to award sitting allowances to the members of the National Honours and Awards Committee in line with the arrangements currently in place for other statutory boards, subject to an amendment to the Ordinance;
-
Agreed to open discussions with the TCI Airport Authority to ensure that the Providenciales Airport Master Plan adequately provides for the predicted continued increase in air passenger numbers, and to determine what further developments may be required to meet future demands;
-
Agreed to allow the Education Committee to begin their work of reviewing scholarship applications for 2014 pending approval of the Budget. Cabinet will review their recommendations in due course, and noted the importance of communicating decisions to applicants in good time to allow them to make them arrangements for starting their education courses;
-
Agreed to the appointment of a High Level Inter-Ministerial Committee to support the implementation of the CARICOM Youth Development Action Plan, which aims to guide national and regional integrated planning and action regarding youth. The Committee will include the Minister and the PS of Education, Youth, Sports and Library Services, the PS Finance, the Director of the Department of Social Development, the PS Ministry of Health, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, the PS with responsibility for Department of Planning, the Director of Youth Affairs, youth representatives and other adhoc stakeholders as appropriate;
-
Noted a paper from the Deputy Premier informing Cabinet of the formation of a Secondary School Sports Association. The Association enables schools to play a more active role in the planning, organisation and development of the rules and regulations of all inter-high school sporting competitions, which will allow them to better support the growth and maximise the potential of student athletes. In addition, further sports will be added to the 2014/2015 academic roster, including Inter High Rugby, Football and Cricket;
-
Agreed the appointment of the following persons to the Health Practitioners Ordinance for a period of two (2) years effective 1 May 2014: Minister for Health and Human Services - Chairman; Director of Health Services - Ex-Officio Member; Mrs. Tremaine-Swann Harvey - Member; Ms Charlene Higgs – Member;
-
Heard an update from the Director of DEMA, Kathleen Wood, on the current state of affairs concerning the damage caused to coral reef off the coast of Providenciales by the MY White Cloud. Ms Wood advised a contractor had been appointed to carry out repairs to the site, which will be paid for by the yacht’s insurers, and work would begin in mid-June. Cabinet was also informed negotiations were underway with all parties regarding a final financial settlement;
-
Agreed to increase the taxi quotas as follows: in Providenciales from 150 to 175 (and from 40-60 private transfer reserve) and in Grand Turk from 45 to 55 (and from 15-25 private transfer reserve.)
Ministers will provide further information on these matters in due course.