Monday, November 2 – Premier and Minister of Finance Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Road Town Wholesale (RTW) Trading Limited to help will improve the Government’s capacity to respond to a national emergency.
Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Social Development Honourable Dancia Penn, OBE, QC signed as the Premier’s witness to the agreement, which was signed and witnessed respectively by Mr. Simon Potter and Mr. Jeremy Maduro of RTW.
The signing, in the Premier’s Conference Room, followed previous signings with the proprietors of leading supermarkets on Tortola and Virgin Gorda.
In his remarks the Premier said he hopes it would not become necessary for the Government to use the arrangements agreed to under the MOU. In addition he expressed his Government’s satisfaction that Road Town Wholesale has agreed to participate in the initiative, which was initially signed by Mr. Dion Vanterpool of One Mart Superstore, Mr. Michael Vanterpool of Bucks Food Market on Virgin Gorda, and Mr. Elton Leonard of Bobby’s Marketplace earlier this year.
“We are very grateful that Road Town Wholesale has become involved with something like this, because we would want to make sure supplies are available in the case of need,” the Premier said.
The Deputy Premier said the Government is taking steps to be ready if it has to respond to an emergency. “By signing this MOU with Road Town Wholesale today we have completed the final step in the signing of several Memoranda of Understanding with the Cooperating Partners,” she noted.
Honourable Penn further stressed it is a requirement for the Government to ensure that an adequate supply of basic food items and other essential provisions is available to people in the Territory immediately following a natural or manmade emergency.
Financial Controller with RTW Mr. Simon Potter described the signing as “a very important step” and reassured the Premier and Deputy Premier of his company’s commitment.
Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the British Virgin Islands and the Cooperating Partners followed a recent decision by Cabinet which authorised the Government, through the Premier’s Office, to enter into an agreement with local supermarkets to provide first preference on stocks of food for distribution to people of the Territory during and after major emergencies or disasters.
Its purpose is to establish an understanding between the Government, acting through the Department of Disaster Management, and the Cooperating Partners with regards to the holding and supply of certain food items that include a wide range of non-perishable goods.
The MOU is intended to, among other things, promote a spirit of cooperation and understanding between Government and the private sector in the execution of the Territory’s disaster management programme. It also aims to strengthen the sharing of expertise and skills between Government and the Cooperating Partners in the delivery of mutually agreed services.
British Virgin Islands News