Roadtown, Tortola - Question 1Mr. Speaker, would the Honourable Minister of Education and Culture please inform this Honourable House of any existing plans for the further development of the main Public Library in Road Town? 

Answer 1

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has asked about the “existing plans” for the further development of the main Public Library in Road Town.  Mr. Speaker, this question can have two interpretations.  One would be structural and the other would deal with services, and so Mr. Speaker, I will address them both. 

Mr. Speaker, the Public Library in Road Town is on the priority list of the Government of the Virgin Islands for improvement, however, Mr. Speaker, the financial downturn resulting in lower revenue as well as the pressing needs to upgrade the public schools of the Territory, only permits the Library at this time to be on the top ten (10) of the priority list rather that the top five (5).

Mr. Speaker, be that as it may, the Ministry of Education and Culture has agreed for the library to extend its facilities to the third floor of the Malone building where they now reside in an effort to improve on the space requirements. Mr. Speaker, the units to be relocated are the Administration Unit, the Book Mobile unit and the Processing Unit.  The relocation of these units will also assist the department in redistributing the weight hence balancing the weight constraints that exist on the one floor that the library occupies.  Mr. Speaker, provisions are also being made by the landlord for the installation of an elevator which will allow the physically challenged to access the library.

Mr. Speaker, in terms of service, the relocation of three units to the third floor will not only provide more space but it will allow the staff to be more customer friendly. Staff will no longer have to share desk space.  In addition Mr. Speaker, the Ministry is developing a website for the entire ministry and the website which the library now has will be enhanced and linked to the Ministry’s website.  In addition, there are also plans for the automation of the cataloguing of library holdings. All of the afore-mentioned will significantly improve the services offered to the public as the entire picture of how the library fits into the entire ministry will be clearer.

In other words Mr. Speaker, once the foregoing plans are put in place, the services to both the client and the staff will be improved as well as the enhancement of the working environment.

Question 2

Mr. Speaker, would the Honourable Minister of Education and Culture please inform this Honourable House of the current rehabilitation programmes at Her Majesty’s Prison?

Answer:

Mr. Speaker, the responsibilities and duties of Her Majesty’s Prison are shared responsibilities between His Excellency, The Governor and the Minister /Ministry of Education and Culture.  The boundaries for which each entity is responsible has been a grey area for many years to present.  All attempts by me as Minister to clarify the afore-mentioned has proven to be futile thus far.  The only clear remit about Her Majesty’s Prison is that the Governor is responsible for National Security, a definition that remains unclear and undefined. 

Nevertheless, Mister Speaker, since 2007 when the current administration took office, the urgency to improve the conditions at Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut continues to be a high priority.  In order to improve the process of rehabilitation, the Government of the Virgin Islands is aware that certain processes and changes would have had to take place in order to address the needs of Her Majesty’s Prison, which seemingly were abandoned and overlooked in the past.  From all accounts, it is apparent that those who were in charge over the years had seriously abdicated their duties and responsibilities with respect to Her Majesty’s Prison.  Mister Speaker, the subject of prisons is not a very glamorous one, and persons usually try to deal with the subject from a distance, or not at all. Nevertheless, attention must be paid to the facility and its occupants, whether inmates, officers or other support staff.  Despite the blurred lines of authority and responsibility when it comes to certain matters related to Her Majesty’s Prison, the Government of the Virgin Islands has endeavoured to do its best in improving the situation and status of Her Majesty’s Prison.

Mister Speaker, in order to improve and upgrade Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut, and more specifically the rehabilitation process, a phased approach has been engaged.  The first phase involved the improvement of the environment in which the inmates live.  The first step in this phase involved the contracting of the services of a consultant, Mr. Ian Turner, who hails from the United Kingdom.  He has a very impressive record of successfully working in prisons in several countries, including the United Kingdom for over thirty seven (37) years.  His remit is to work along with the Superintendent of Prisons and his team to ensure that quality standards within Her Majesty’s Prison are set and maintained to the highest level and on a consistent basis.

Mister Speaker, to this end, for the first time ever, assessments were commissioned for Her Majesty’s Prison from the following:

Fire and Rescue Services Department – a fire safety conditions assessment
 Environmental Health Department – an inspection of all facilities
 Human Resources Department - health and safety in the workplace and human resources audit
Health Service Authority – a medical services assessment
 
To date, a report on fire safety conditions at Her Majesty’s Prison was submitted by the Fire and Rescue Services Department.  Mister Speaker, this report was an “eye opener”, to say the least.  It highlighted many glaring and dangerous shortcomings that have gone unaddressed over many years, such as fire hoses that were not connected to any water source, the absence of fire fighting equipment and adequately positioned and marked exits in many areas of the facility.  Mister Speaker, I wish to quote the Fire Chief in the conclusion of his report in which he summed up the potentially disastrous state of Her Majesty’s Prison, when he wrote: “…H.M. Prison at Balsam Ghut is no exception for it is a straw house ready to be set ablaze.”   A copy of the said report is hereby submitted to this Honourable House for its perusal.  After submission of this report to the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry moved with haste and exercised due diligence in contracting the needed qualified services to address these concerns forthwith.   The contracted services include the provision of infrastructural upgrade, equipment and technical advice on the way forward with regards to fire safety at Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut, among others.

Mister Speaker, further to this, for the last few years the generator on site has been identified as being incapable of supplementing the power supply during interrupted service from BVIEC. As a result, the Ministry of education and Culture embarked on the procurement of a new generator that would satisfy the generating capacity required to supply the electrical needs of Her Majesty’s Prison.  Multiple quotations were sought and after careful consideration that exercised due diligence, the agreement to supply the generator was finalized.  The generator in question should arrive in the Territory by the middle of February, 2009.  Mister Speaker, I must however point out that during the electrical inspection carried out by an electrician, the electrician found out that the connection for the current generator has faulty wiring in one of the phases.  According to his expert knowledge, this could have caused an electrical fire of devastating proportions.  As a result, immediately upon discovery, the afore-mentioned was addressed as matter of urgency.  Mister Speaker, it is fair to say that thanks to this Government acting proactively in relation to matters of Her Majesty’s Prison that was totally ignored by the past administration, among others, has avoided Her Majesty’s Prison from being destroyed by fire due to neglect.  Mister Speaker, one can only imagine what the effects of such a catastrophe would have created in this Territory.   

Mister Speaker, in terms of education, the Ministry and Department of Education, due to the mandate given in the Education Act 2004, are feverishly organizing an education programme for inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison. During the latter part of 2008, a trailer was ordered to provide classrooms that can begin to accommodate these classes.  In addition, efforts are ongoing with H. Lavity Stoutt Community College to facilitate inmates who are desirous of pursuing studies at the tertiary level, leading up to the award of degrees. Mister Speaker, the finalizing of the education programmes mentioned is ongoing and will come to fruition in the near future. 

Mister Speaker, the problem of sewerage at Her Majesty’s Prison has plagued Her Majesty’s Prison for many years and it is with great pride and joy that I proclaim that Her Majesty’s Prison is free at last from the plaguing sewerage problem.  Mister Speaker, a waste water treatment plant has finally been commissioned.  This will most definitely save the Government thousands of dollars that were previously spent on water purchases.  In addition, this treatment plant will provide much needed sewerage capacity for the entire compound. 

Mister Speaker, after a long period of inactivity, a new Prison Visiting Committee was constituted in 2008.  This committee under the leadership of its able chairman, Mr. Myron Walwyn is working vigorously to assist in organizing a series of rehabilitative measures for the inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison.  Among some of these initiatives are the following areas:

work release for inmates
job placement for inmates who are about to leave prison within a six (6) months period.
provision of gym equipment for the inmates 

Mister Speaker, the Ministry of Education has not only done the afore-mentioned, it has also purchased vital equipment needed for everyday use and to provide inmates with much needed resources to assist them in certain activities.  The Ministry of Education in 2008 purchased a stove so that the female inmates can finally continue their culinary programme which they were not in a position to continue, since being transferred to Balsam Ghut, due to the absence of the needed equipment and material at the Balsam Ghut compound.  In addition, other appliances such as a refrigerator, a washer and a dryer were also purchased.  Mister Speaker, the Ministry also bought two (2) sewing machines so that the female inmates can have sewing lessons and gain a meaningful skill and lifelong skill, which they can use once released.  Thus far, I understand that the inmates are quite pleased with the new acquisitions and are in fact planning to have some of their products on display as soon as they get a considerable amount of sewing done.

Mister Speaker, wherever individuals are, they often require counseling and advice from a trained professional.   Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut is no exception.  To this end, Mister Speaker, the Ministry of Education and Culture, during the course of late 2008,  has contracted the services of a counselor who currently works with both inmates and prison officers in helping them to deal with their personal and professional issues.  Her Majesty’s Prison has been requesting the need for a counselor for many years and this Government has seen it fit to work in the best interest of both inmates and officers, among others.  All reports from the counselor indicate that this initiative is well received and as such is paying dividends.

Mister Speaker, a lot of work has been done in the past year to improve conditions at Her Majesty’s Prison in order to create a safe, healthy and rehabilitative environment.  Mister Speaker, at this juncture, I must stress that Her Majesty’s Prison is not at the point where we can completely say that it has achieved all of what we have hoped for, in the rehabilitative process, neither can we become complacent as a result of the accomplishments thus far.  However, Mister Speaker, the Ministry of Education and Culture intends to constantly seek to attain higher heights when it comes to Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut, in terms of not accepting the sin but vigorously attempting to rehabilitate the sinner.  

Mister Speaker, for quite a long time, there has been a need to address the aspect of parole legislation.  This proposed section of the laws of the Virgin Islands that will deal with parole legislation has been in draft and discussion for over fifteen (15) years.  However, Mister Speaker, this Government is finally making significant headway towards ensuring that the afore-mentioned legislation is passed by this Honourable House.

As proof, Mister Speaker, today in this very Honourable House, we will witness the First Reading of the bill entitled “Parole Board Act 2009”.   Mister Speaker, this Bill, when discussed, will allow this Honourable House to be able to get a better understanding of its merits and also help to determine its value and place within the scheme of things in terms of the rehabilitative processes for inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut. 

Mister Speaker, training of staff is a vital factor in any organization.  At Her Majesty’s Prison, the goal is to effectively and efficiently offer maximum training for all staff members, barring none.  It is with this in mind that the Public Services Commission has recommended more training for the Acting Superintendent of Prisons.  This is in an effort to enable him to enhance his knowledge and experience and further assist him in achieving a high degree of personal and professional development and success to learn about prison reform in a modern era.  Mister Speaker, it is hoped that this expertise and experience gained during his training will enhance the human resource capacity and ultimately the functioning of Her Majesty’s Prison.  Mister Speaker, we must invest in our people and this initiative is an attempt to do such.

Mister Speaker, today, I stand here in this Honourable House and declare my firm and relentless commitment to making a huge difference in the lives of the inmates and staff at Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut, who are in fact part of the lives of all of us in this Territory.   Mister Speaker, I have realized that whether by blood, friendship or acquaintance, each person in this Territory has some connection with Her Majesty’s Prison.   Therefore, Mister Speaker, it is with this in mind that I see that the work that the Ministry of Education and Culture is doing with prison reform at Balsam Ghut is essential in allowing our fallen brothers and sisters to get a second chance at anew beginning.   This philosophy, Mister Speaker is the basis of the catalyst that will continue to propel the actions of the Ministry of Education and Culture in matters related to Her Majesty’s Prison at Balsam Ghut.

Mister Speaker, there is a lot of work to be done at Her Majesty’s Prison, but although we are not where we should be, thank God we are not where we were or could have been had this Government not been proactive in initializing prison reform.

Question 3

Mr. Speaker, would the Honourable Minister of Education and Culture please inform this Honourable House of the reasons for increasing the height of the wall around the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds, and the monetary costs incurred for this work?

Answer 3

Mr. Speaker, the walls around the A.O. Shirley Recreation Grounds were in a deplorable state over the years.  Mr. Speaker, once the track was completed to an international standard and we began to attract international meets, it became necessary for the image of the Virgin Islands to be preserved as well as have the walls reflect the standard to which the track had taken the Territory.  Therefore Mr. Speaker, in 2008, as Minister for recreation, I consulted with my colleagues and we decided to beautify the wall around the grounds.  Mr. Speaker, this meant that the walls had to be plastered and the next step would be the painting of murals on the walls.

Mr. Speaker, in the whole process, we recognized that the wall in many sections was too low. This would allow security to be breached and some persons would not have to pay to enter the grounds and watch the sports activities.  As a consequence Mr. Speaker, it became necessary to extend the walls upwards to give more height and prevent intrusions as described above.

Mr. Speaker, it is the intention of the Ministry to invite the BVI Artisan Association to suggest designs for the walls.  We do know however, that we will put pictures and the names of our athletes on the outside portion of the extension for high visibility, while on the inside, sponsored advertisements will decorate the wall.  These sponsorships will generate revenue.  In additions the artist will be contributing other concepts for the full utilization of the walls.

Mr. Speaker, you will appreciate that a cost will be attached to this as well.  In terms of the cost for the extension work Mr. Speaker forty seven thousand, three hundred and sixty eight dollars and fifty cents ($47,368.50) was incurred.  This amount was divided between seven individuals.  

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I believe that once the project is completed it will be a delight for members of this Honourable House and the public to sit and watch the games in a more aesthetically pleasing atmosphere than existed before, as well as have a full picture of persons, among others, who have helped to build the rich history and legacy of sports in this Territory.

In addition, Mister Speaker, this initiative will also be a positive addition for our tourists to view and document, thereby enhancing the tourist product of this Territory.