The Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs seemed to have been laden with challenges in 2011, according to its annual report laid in the House of Assembly on October 9, 2012 by Premier Dr the Honourable D. Orlando Smith. Photo: VINO

In the 2011 report the Director, Lizette O. George, didn’t seem to mince any words as she sought to explain her frustrations with the department.

One of the scathing remarks was about the unproductively and seemingly lackadaisical attitude of senior officers, who she said have been resistant to changes in that regard.

The current staffing situation, she said in the report, is such that officers, who have occupied various positions for more than 15 to 20 years have claimed ownership to the posts and are unable to adjust to changes with regards to new processes and systems implementation.

“Additionally, there had been a very relaxed culture, where officers would come and go whenever and wherever they want and were never held accountable or liable to such behaviour. Therefore, as we sought to change such culture and implement a system of behaviour and conduct as per General orders, we were met with resistance, which has now taken on a face of outright rebellion on the part of senior officers.”

Additionally, over two years, evidence of mi-conduct and negligent behaviour surfaced with a number of trade licence applications which were not sent through the proper channels for processing, however, there were licences distributed to the applicants, the report stated.

“My challenge was that when such matters were brought to the Ministry, they seemed to have been ignored and some persons were still allowed to carry-on business as usual as they were then approved and no further actions were taken to address the issue. I am not quite sure what kind of message that may have sent, as it may have encouraged some employees to undermine the work and progress of the department.”

The director said as a result, the department was met with several complaints, which came under investigation by the Complaints Commission, and subsequently led to a full investigation of the department and its operational functions.

She also said that because of the lack of understanding and support from the Ministry, the department became and remains restricted and unable to function in the manner it should.

“Decisions were and are still being made due to personal preferences, and on the basis of hearsay, without proper guidance and communication. It then leaves room for speculation and quandary, which lends to a huge disconnect in the relationship of the Minister responsible, Ministry and department. In light of this, we still preserve, with the notion that it is never about one individual person, but instead, it is for a purpose and that purpose is to ensure that the development needs of the Territory are met, whether the powers that be see it or not.”

Another major challenge outlined in the report was the lack of an adequate IT database system for the storage and retrieval of trade license information and the retrieval of reports. “This system has been dysfunctional for almost 10 years and it renders the department helpless and ineffective in producing adequate reports and statistics for its effective functioning. The Assistance of the Information Systems Unit was sought for an interim solution until we have identified a new database. We are now able to generate reports, but with some inaccuracies.”

There are also some budgetary and human resources constraints in achieving the Department’s overall objective. As it relates to the human resources, the lack of adequate technically skilled personnel results in a huge disconnect with regards to the functioning of the department, but with the technical functions as well, which leads to over extension, exhaustion and burn out, the report alleged.

Meanwhile, the director has been seconded to the BVI London Office.

Ms. George, is now officially serving as the BVI London Office’s (BVILO) new Management Officer in the United Kingdom (UK) for a period of 12 months.

Unconfirmed reports are that former Post Master General Kevin ‘OJ’ Smith is now the Acting Director of the Department of Trade and Consumer Affairs.