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UPDATE: Hold your purses! Budget address today Nov. 15
Premier Smith, who is also the Minister of Finance, will announce Government’s revenue and expenditure estimates for 2013 when he delivers the Budget Address, the second since his party took up office in November 2011.
Following the budget address, legislators will convene for meetings of the Standing Finance Committee to discuss budgetary submissions with heads of each ministry, department, unit and statutory board.
These meetings are scheduled to begin on Friday, November 16 to be followed by the much anticipated budget debate in the House of Assembly.
The HOA convenes today at 10 A.M.
See previous story posted:
Hon. Fraser to fire off more questions at Thursday’s HOA sitting!
- Third District Representative is to quiz the Premier as well as the Ministers of Communications & Works, Education & Culture & Health & Social Development
While many believe the highlight of the fourth sitting of the second session of the second House of Assembly (HOA) scheduled for November 15, 2012 will be the Annual Budget address to be delivered by Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, think again.
It seems like Opposition member and former Minister for Communications and Works Honourable Julian Fraser RA, will steal the Minister of Finance’s thunder on Thursday when, according to the Order Paper for the November 15, 2012 sitting, he will fire off some 30 plus questions to the National Democratic Party (NDP) Government’s front beach.
Hon. Fraser’s questions will be posed to the Premier and Leader of Government Business plus three of his Ministers; Skelton, Vanterpool and Walwyn. The popular Natural Resources and Labour Minister, who is also the Deputy Premier Dr. the Honourable Kedrick Pickering, has been yet again spared from the wrath of the Virgin Islands Party Opposition’s questions in Parliament.
The Third District Representative’s questions will range from the Ag. Commissioner of Police David Morris’ promotion policy, the Protocols and necessary approvals obtained by the United Kingdom Secretary of State, the Government’s efforts to staff the new Peebles Hospital, the market value of the Baughers Bay water plant, the revenue earning potential of the Baughers Bay water plant and issues of water quality and cost of three water plants.
Ministers on the front beach will remain on the hot seat when Hon. Fraser, now in his fourth consecutive term in office, will quiz them on the number of contracts issued for infrastructural works since the NDP took office, with title and value and sub-head, and the issue of regular visits to the Biwater project, and persons hired by the Ministry of Education and Culture under consultancy and terms and conditions of those contracts.
Controversial Question –behaviour in the House of Assembly
The Third District Representative Hon. Fraser will be asking the controversial Minister for Education and Culture Myron V. Walwyn whether the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College has submitted to his Ministry the necessary invoice to recoup the reported $2,747, 947 owed through the Tuition Assistance Programme from the second half of 2009 up to 2011.
Many would recall at the October 9, 2012 sitting of Parliament when Hon. Fraser had asked Minister Walwyn about the monies owed by the college from Central Government via the subvention and why the outstanding amounts were not paid, Walwyn was disrespectful in telling the veteran representative Fraser to “consult himself” for an answer.
Hon. Walwyn’s behavior in the HOA brought outraged in the community from talk show hosts, ordinary citizens and the public in general. Former Legislator Eileene L. Parsons described the HOA as a “circus”, while talk show host Donald E. de Castro said, it’s “disgraceful”. Many persons have lamented how the HOA has reached a stage with disrepute in the eyes of the public. Mrs. Parsons said many have told her they have stopped tuning into the sessions.
Many Departments reports will be presented
At the sitting of November 15, 2012 the Premier will lay on the table many department's reports including the Director of Public Prosecutions 2010 and 2011 reports, along with the Deputy Governor’s annual report for 2011. The Minister for Education and Culture is also to lay on the table many of his department’s reports, including that of the Prison, Department of Culture, Library Services and his own Ministry for 2011.
One report to watch is the VI Festival and Fairs Committee 2012 Annual report, which will also be laid this coming Thursday at the fourth sitting of the second session of the second HOA. The meeting will be held at the Assembly Chambers in Road Town on the main Island of Tortola and will commence at 10 A.M.
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