TURKS AND CAICOS POST CABINET MEETING STATEMENT
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 9th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday 18th March 2015 at the Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales.
TCI Cabinet Meeting
All Ministers were present.
At this meeting Cabinet:
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Received a presentation from Police Commissioner James Smith setting out his observations of policing in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the first four weeks of his appointment. The Commissioner will bring forward his vision and strategy for the development and modernisation of the force in due course;
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Welcomed the developers and project team for the Desarrollos Hotelco development. Cabinet received an update on the project and the status of the development agreement and noted that significant progress has been made. The Desarrollos project includes the development of a branded hotel on Providenciales;
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Advised HE. the Governor to approve repeal of the Culture and Arts Commission Ordinance. A Bill to repeal the Ordinance will proceed to the House of Assembly in April 2015;
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Noted the recommendations of the Procurement Board for the award of the following contract; the supply of a refuse truck for the Environmental Health Department on Grand Turk;
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Noted the progress being made by the Ministry of Health and Human Services to establish a new Contract Management Unit (CMU) to strengthen the management of the Inter-Health Canada (IHC) Hospital Contract and other Ministry of Health and Human Services contracts. Cabinet welcomed the significant progress being made by the CMU in the early stages of its development;
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Received a report from the consultants who conducted a clinical audit of the TCI Hospitals setting out their findings and recommendations. The audit report will be published by the Ministry of Health and Human Services in due course;
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Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the National Laboratory Policy. The policy provides a framework for the development of safe, cost-effective, efficient and sustainable national laboratory services in the Turks and Caicos Islands;
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Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the Electricity Amendment Bill 2015 (Electrician Licensing). The Bill establishes a regime for the licensing of electricians across the Turks and Caico Islands. The Bill will proceed to the House of Assembly in due course;
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Noted the draft report of the consultants engaged to develop a National Tourism Policy and Strategic Plan for the Turks and Caicos Islands and agreed the Ministry of Tourisms proposal to disseminate the draft report to the public to facilitate feedback. The final report will be presented to Cabinet in April 2015;
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Advised His Excellency the Governor to appoint the following members to the Immigration Board in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Ordinance 1992 for the period 1st April 2015 to 31st March 2016; Sheba Wilson (Chair), Deserika Glinton (Secretary) Devon Williams, Dorothy Malcolm, Arthur Lightbourne and Demeko Dean;
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Approved the adoption of volumes 1 & 2 of the Ceremonial Protocol Document and instructed the Attorney General’s Chambers to begin the drafting of the Ordinance that will guide the use of the Turks and Caicos Flags, Symbols, Coat of Arms and National Song;
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Received the results of a preliminary audit of the National Trust and agreed to make available resources to undertake a comprehensive audit of the Trusts accounts for the past 4-5 years. In addition Cabinet agreed that the Ministry work in collaboration with the National Trust Council to revise the National Trust Ordinance and establish a strategic plan to restructure the organisation and implement robust financial management procedures;
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Approved a number of projects on the island of Grand Turk to be funded from the Carnival Infrastructure Improvement Account jointly funded by the Turks and Caicos Government and the carnival Corporation as follows; design, engineering consultancy and cost estimates for the Lighthouse Road; preparation of a master plan that will provide guidance to future development(s), enhance the overall aesthetics and facilitate the development of the Historic District of the island; design, engineering consultancy for road and pedestrian walkways along Duke Street and Front Street.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.