Turks and Caicos Islands post Cabinet meeting statement
His Excellency the Governor, Peter Beckingham, chaired the 19th meeting of the Cabinet on Wednesday, 22 June 2016, at the Hon. Hilly Ewing Building on Providenciales
All Ministers were present except the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication.
At this meeting Cabinet:
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Received a presentation by the Ministry of Health on the “TCI Care Programme”, launched on 22 June, setting out TCIG’s health and safety initiatives for tourists and residents;
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Approved a supplementary appropriation to reorganise spending under the Development Fund and authorised the Ministry of Finance to commence a loan negotiation with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to fund the following projects under the potential CDB loan:
– Technical Assistance Study: Critical assessment of existing solid waste management (SWM) provisions; update of existing SWM strategy and development of designs for the proposed sanitary landfills in TCI;
– Technical Assistance Study: Sea defences analysis and design for Grand Turk Islands; and
– Transport Masterplan;
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Called for a legislative amendment to be drafted to allow for an increase in retirement allowances for former legislators who retired before 2003 to a minimum pension of $1,500 per month and a maximum of $2,500 per month with effect from 1 April 2016;
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Received the proposed Grand Turk Masterplan submitted by Atkins Global Consultants and approved a prioritised list of projects for immediate implementation;
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Approved a rental lease agreement for the Ministry of Health at the Town Center Mall, Providenciales, for a period of three years;
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Approved a rental lease agreement for office space for the Deputy Governor and National Audit Office at Raleigh House, Providenciales, for a period of three years;
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Approved the renewal of a rental lease for the Domestic Fire Services at Central Storage, Providenciales, for a period of three years;
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Approved a proposal to enter into a three year rental lease agreement between TCIG and Pond Breeze Plaza, Grand Turk, for the relocation of Radio Turks and Caicos (RTC) to the Pond Breeze Plaza premises;
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Advised His Excellency the Governor to forward the draft National Parks (Amendment) Bill 2016 to the House of Assembly for approval;
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Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the draft Limitation Bill 2016 for forwarding to the next meeting of the House of Assembly for approval;
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Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve the draft Bribery Bill 2016 for forwarding to the next meeting of the House of Assembly for approval;
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Advised His Excellency the Governor to approve certain amendments to the Crown Land Ordinance for forwarding to the Attorney General’s Chambers to draft amendments to the Ordinance and to make the necessary changes through subsidiary legislation;
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Approved the appointment of Mr Andy Robinson to the post of Director of the Ports Authority for a period of three years.
Further information on these matters will be provided by Ministers in due course.