Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698075474078.pdf (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY ORDER PAPER No.6______________________________________________________________________12 THURSDAY 26TH MARCH, 2020 __________________________________________________________________ PRAYERS ELECTION OF SPEAKER SUSPENSION OF SITTING RESUMPTION OF SITTING OATH/ AFFIRMATION OF ALLEGIANCE DECLARATION OF QUALIFICATION ELECTION OF DEPUTY SPEAKER OATH/ AFFIRMATION OF ALLEGIANCE DECLARATION OF QUALIFICATION OBITUARIES CONGRATULATORY REMARKS CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES OF THE SITTINGS HELD ON 22ND JANUARY, 3RD, 4TH, 5TH & 6TH FEBRUARY, 2020 ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE SPEAKER STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS REPORTS FROM SELECT COMMITTEES PETITIONS PAPERS 1.
House of Assembly Paper 2of 2020 Annual Report Re: Trafficking in Persons In St. Vincent and the Grenadines- 2019 (Honourable Ralph Gonsalves/Prime Minister) 1 No.6______________________________________________________________________13 QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWERS 1.
Dr The Honourable Godwin Friday, (Leader of the Opposition) to ask the Honourable Minister of Finance and Economic Planning: It was recently announced that all operations of Clico International Life Limited (CIL) will be terminated and the Kingstown branch will be closed.

Will the Honourable Minister please provide an update on efforts to recover money for CLICO policy holders’ who have been affected by the company’s collapse.

2.
2.

Dr The Honourable Godwin Friday, (Leader of the Opposition) to ask the Honourable Minister of Finance and Economic Planning: Is the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ currently pursuing efforts to sell its shareholding in the Bank of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

If so, how is this being done and what progress has been made so far.

3.
3.

Dr The Honourable Godwin Friday, Member of Parliament for Northern Grenadines to ask the Honourable Minister of Education, National Reconciliation, Ecclesiastical Affairs and Information: Learning Resources Centres have been built in most constituencies in the country.

However, despite my calls over the years in this Honourable House and the great need for one in Bequia, none has been built.
Will the Honourable Minister please indicate if there is any plan finally to build a Learning Resource Centres for the people in Bequia.

4.
4.

The Honourable Major St. Clair Leacock, (Member for Central Kingstown), to ask the Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Legal Affairs, Grenadines Affairs and Energy: In as much as a question on Vincentian Citizenship provides the Prime Minister with another opportunity to bastardise the Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP), validated by no lesser institutions but our own Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Will the Honourable Prime Minister: (a) State how many foreigners (Investors) have been made citizens of SVG since between January 1st 2016 and December 31st 2019.

(b) Please give a breakdown by gender, qualifying criteria and country of birth; and (c) Which sector or sectors have benefitted most from these decisions.

5.
The Honourable Major St. Clair Leacock, (Member for Central Kingstown), to ask the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Commerce: Against the background of the International and Regional Spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the required risk management to contain or mitigate the spread of the virus Could the Honourable Prime Minister please provide the approximate estimates of Vincentians residing in the following Jurisdictions: (a) USA and by geography the Eastern Seaboard of (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Long Island, Boston) Other; (b) United Kingdom, (London, High Wycombe) Other; 2 No.6______________________________________________________________________14 (c) Canada (Toronto, Montreal, Quebec) Other (d) Trinidad and Tobago; Barbados; BVI; Antigua & Barbuda; St. Kitts & Nevis; (Other Caribbean) (e) Europe 6.
The Honourable Major St. Clair Leacock, (Member for Central Kingstown), to ask the Honourable Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment: Recently a constituent of Central Kingstown (Hollywood) took their mother to the MCMH for emergency assistance.

They arrived at 9:00pm and left at 6:00am the next day without seeing a doctor.

On that said occasion a resident of Green Hill who had visited at 10:00am on that morning left at midnight without attendance.
(a) Does incidents and treatment of this nature reinforce the case for a Polyclinic for the deserving people of Central Kingstown to have a dedicated clinic; (b) What are the procedures to have the elderly of Central Kingstown receive the service of the good program of Health Care Visits; and (c) Are you still receptive of VAREP (Vincentian Association for Retired and Elderly Persons) to bring relief to those senior citizens on whose shoulders we stand and cannot now afford medical fees at the MCMH and should be properly exempted or given discounts on a range of goods and services in this country.
7.
The Honourable Kay Bacchus Baptiste, (Opposition Senator) to ask the Honourable the Honourable Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Legal Affairs, Grenadines Affairs and Energy: The very recent murders of Mickeisha Gumbs a mother from your constituency and of Arianna Taylor-Isreal inter alia have alarmed the general public and some talk show hosts and persons calling into these programs have been expressing their deep concerns in a manner that raises national security issues (beat the man to death; just lose him in jail, no trial etc) (a) How does your Ministry plan to address this issue ensuring that the rule of law is maintained; and (b) What are your plans to stop the escalating spate of violence and sexual abuse against women in St Vincent.
8.

The Honourable Kay Bacchus Baptiste, (Opposition Senator) to ask the Honourable Minister of Transport, Works, Urban Development and Local Government: Despite his answer to my question last parliament concerning the dangerous condition of the Belair road by Lyttle’s residence.
Will the Honorable Minister please explain: (a) Why work was closed for the Christmas holidays; (b) Why it’s March and the project has not resumed; (c) What about the other road project from KFC Arnos Vale past Vinlec Power Station been left incomplete and in a hazardous condition for months; and (d) Is there a problem with funding.

3 No.6______________________________________________________________________15 9.
The Honourable Israel R. Bruce, (Opposition Senator), to ask of the Honourable Minister of Finance and Economic Planning: The Director of Audit in the 2013 Audit Report noted at page 45 under the rubric Government Officers stated as follows “The statement reported the balances for travel advances issued to Officers, Ministers and for training as $110,418.14, $43,153.82 and $73,945.05, respectively.

These amounts remained outstanding for extended periods.
The dormancy on some accounts suggests that not all expenses have been reported on officers’ return from overseas travel, contrary to the Government’s policy which stipulates that advances should be cleared within one (1) month of return.

As a result, expenses would be understated and the advance accounts remained with uncleared balances.
(a) Can the Honourable Minister please state what contributed to such state of affairs in relation to advance warrants; (b) What measures have been implemented since so as to address such situation and to prevent the reoccurrence of such state of affairs; and (c) Can the minister hereby report any positive results from any such measures by way of current balances on the advance warrant account.

10.
10.

The Honourable Israel R. Bruce, (Opposition Senator) to ask the Honourable Minister of National Mobilization, Social Development, Family, Gender Affairs, Persons with Disabilities and Youth: In the 2020 Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure the Government stated that a draft Social Development Strategy with key programme strategies and institutional arrangements were developed in August 2019 and will be finalized in November 2019.

(a) Can the Hon.
(a) Can the Hon.

Minister please state whether or not this strategy has been fully finalized; (b) If yes, what are the major planks for this new developmental strategy; and (c) If no, how soon can we expect to see the roll out of this new strategy?

11.
11.

The Honourable Israel R. Bruce, (Opposition Senator), to ask the Honourable Minister of Transport, Works, Urban Development and Local Government: During the month of January 2020 some efforts were made, following several calls, to fix the roads in Chapmans Village in South Central Windward.

In a number of areas, patches of the road were cut opened and left open to the elements of the weather.
(a) Will the Honourable Minister please tell this Honourable House why was such an approach taken towards fixing the roads in Chapmans; (b) Why so many of these patches which were cut opened and not fixed to date; and (c) How soon does the Ministry intend to recommence and complete the fixing of these roads so that the people of Chapmans can enjoy their roads.

ORDERS OF THE DAY (Government Orders are marked thus*) 1.

* Consumer Protection Bill, 2020.


(Honourable Louis Straker/Minister of Foreign Affairs) 2*.

Anthony Theobalds Pension (Declaration) Bill 2020 (Honourable Prime Minister/Minister of Public Sector) 1st Reading 1st Reading ADJOURNMENT 4