Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 29, 2016 (SKNIS): The formal meetings of the Cabinet took place on Tuesday 16th, Monday 22nd and Friday 26th of August, 2016. The meetings were chaired by Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.
1. Cabinet approved the building of a sea wall on August 16, 2016, to protect properties in the Frigate Bay area against erosion and sea damage. Coastal erosion is a natural process that is generally only of concern when threatening human habitation or development.
2. Cabinet approved the REACH (Recognizing Everyone’s Ability to Climb Higher) programme for students attending the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) and AVEC (Advanced Vocational Education Centre) on August 22, 2016. The programme has been restructured. Students applying to the REACH programme will be awarded on a needs basis based on criteria established by the Department of Social Services. The application form should be sent to the Department of Community Development. The programme will cover the costs of registration, books and exam fees, in addition to a stipend of EC$250.00 per month to cover lunch and ground transportation. The annual incentive allowance of EC $1000.00 will be continued for students who excel in the disciplines of English, French, Spanish, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Pure Mathematics and Applied Mathematics. These students must receive a Grade One or Two in these areas. Additionally, those students who receive grants will have to provide four (4) hours of voluntary service per month, which will be supervised by the Department of Youth Empowerment.
3. The Attorney General, Honourable Senator Vincent Byron, informed Cabinet on August 22, 2016, of the appointment of Tobagonian born Trevor M. Ward Q.C. as the resident high court judge in St. Kitts, after he was approved by the Judicial and Legal Services Commission of the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States under the Chair of the Honourable Janice Mesadis Pereira DBE. Queen’s Counsel Ward has previously served as Director of Public Prosecutions in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in the Cayman Islands from November 2011-December 2014. He has also served as Senior Crown Counsel in the Cayman Islands Legal Department from November 2007-October 2011. Additionally, he has served as Senior State Counsel in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Trinidad and Tobago from 2003-2005. Q.C. Ward succeeds Trinidadian Her Ladyship Justice Marlene Ida Carter, who resigned as High Court Judge effective August 15, 2016, from the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Justice Carter was sworn in to the post as St. Kitts’ resident judge on June 30, 2014. Also, The Honourable Attorney General advised Cabinet that the search for a new Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is nearing the end and that the process has been carried out in accordance with 81 (1) of the 1983 St. Christopher and Nevis Constitution.
4. A group of six (6) CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) experts from the Republic of China on Taiwan met with the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police High Command, private sector stakeholders including the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC), and the staff of the ICT (Information Communication Technology) Centre on August 26, 2016, to ascertain the needs of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis with respect to CCTV. The group of experts informed Cabinet of the findings. A few months ago, Prime Minister Harris encouraged the Chamber of Industry and Commerce to implore the business community to take security measures in purchasing security equipment, while he pledged the Government’s support in providing concessions to those businesses that do so. He also encouraged private citizens to purchase security equipment with concessions from Government.
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