Hansard - Parliament

227 Pages·2013·0.67 MB·English

by  Hansard Department

THE
PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES
OFFICIAL REPORT
IN THE SECOND SESSION OF THE TENTH PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO WHICH OPENED ON JUNE 18, 2010
SESSION 2011—2012 VOLUME 9
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Friday, January 20, 2012
The House met at 1.30 p.m.
PRAYERS
[MR. SPEAKER in the Chair]
LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I have received communication from the Hon.
Collin Partap, Member of Parliament for Cumuto/Manzanilla, who is currently
out of the country and has asked to be excused from today’s sitting of the House. I
have also received communication from the Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar SC,
Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Siparia, who will not be attending
the sitting today and has asked to be excused from today’s sitting. The leave
which these Members seek is granted.
2011 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I wish to read the following correspondence
from the Assembly Legislature Secretariat, Tobago House of Assembly:
“THA (S) 2/11/7
December 21, 2011
The Clerk
Office of the Parliament of the Republic
of Trinidad and Tobago
Level 3 Tower D
The Port of Spain International Waterfront Centre
1A Wrightson Road
Port of Spain
Trinidad
2
2011 Christmas Greetings Friday, January 20, 2012
[MR. SPEAKER]
Dear Sir,
The Tobago House of Assembly (2009-2013) at its Plenary Sitting,
(Fortieth Meeting) held in the Tobago House of Assembly Chamber on
Thursday, 15th December, 2011 by resolve, directed that ‘Seasons Greetings
for a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year’, be extended to the
Honourable Speaker of the House of Representatives and his family, the
Leader of the Opposition and his family, and other Members of the House of
Representatives and their families.
Yours respectfully,
Vanessa Cutting-Thomas
Clerk of the Assembly.”
PAPERS LAID
1. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on
the financial statements of the Provident Fund for the financial year ended
September 30, 2008. [The Minister of Finance (Hon.W. Dookeran)]
2. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on
the financial statements of the Provident Fund for the financial year ended
September 30, 2009. [Hon. W. Dookeran]
3. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on
the financial statements of the Provident Fund for the financial year ended
September 30, 2010. [Hon. W. Dookeran]
4. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on
the financial statements of the National Agricultural Marketing and
Development Corporation for the year ended September 30, 2004. [Hon. W.
Dookeran]
5. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on
the financial statements of the National Agricultural Marketing and
Development Corporation for the year ended September 30, 2005. [Hon. W.
Dookeran]
6. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on
the financial statements of the National Agricultural Marketing and
Development Corporation for the year ended September 30, 2006. [Hon. W.
Dookeran]
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Papers Laid Friday, January 20, 2012

7. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on
the financial statements of the South-West Regional Health Authority for
the year ended September 30, 2005. [Hon. W. Dookeran]
8. Audited financial statements for the Regulated Industries Commission for
the year ended December 31, 2008. [Hon. W. Dookeran]
Papers 1 to 8 to be referred to the Public Accounts Committee.
9. Audited financial statements of Community Improvement Services Limited
for the financial year ended September 30, 2010. [Hon. W. Dookeran]
10. Audited financial statements of Rural Development Company of Trinidad
and Tobago Limited for the financial year ended September 30, 2010. [Hon.
W. Dookeran]
11. Annual audited financial statements of Trinidad and Tobago Film Company
Limited for the financial year ended September 30, 2011. [Hon. W.
Dookeran]
Papers 9 to 11 to be referred to the Public Accounts (Enterprises)
Committee.
12. First annual report of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Trinidad and
Tobago for the period February 09, 2010 to September 30, 2010. [Hon. W.
Dookeran]
13. Second annual report of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Trinidad
and Tobago for the year ended September 30, 2011. [Hon. W. Dookeran]
14. Value Added Tax (Amendment to Schedule 2) Order, 2011. [Hon. W.
Dookeran]
15. Administrative report of the Ministry of Public Utilities for fiscal year
2009/2010. [The Minister of Housing and the Environment (Hon. Dr.
Roodal Moonilal)]
16. Budget and planned activities of the Regulated Industries Commission for
the year ended December 31, 2012. [Hon. Dr. R. Moonilal]
17. Annual report on the Green Fund for financial year ending September 30,
2011. [Hon. Dr. R. Moonilal]
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Finance Committee Report Friday, January 20, 2012

FINANCE COMMITTEE REPORT
(Presentation)
The Minister of Finance (Hon. Winston Dookeran): I wish to present The
First Report (2011/2012) Session of the Finance Committee of the House of
Representatives of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on proposals for the
Supplementation and Variation of the 2012 Appropriation.
ORAL ANSWER TO QUESTION
School Safety Officers (SSOs)
(Status of)
30. Mrs. Patricia Mc Intosh (Port of Spain North/St. Ann’s West) asked the
Hon. Minister of Education:
Could the Minister state:
a) What is the current employment status of School Safety Officers
(SSOs) in government schools?
b) How many new SSOs were hired since January 2011?
c) What are the employment conditions under which the new SSOs were
hired?
The Minister of Education (Hon. Dr. Tim Gopeesingh): Thank you, Mr.
Speaker. With respect to part (a) of the question, Cabinet, in October 2011,
approved the employment on contract of 182 school safety officers: 170 in
Trinidad and 12 in Tobago. These positions have since been advertised in the
media and arrangements are being made for the commencement of the selection
process. Persons who are currently employed on contract have continued on
month-to-month during this period of time of employment upon the expiration of
their contracts, recently.
With respect to part (b) of the question, no new school safety officers were
employed in 2011, since there are no vacant positions and all positions are filled.
The answer to part (c) is, therefore, not applicable.
STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS
Child Protection Laws in Trinidad and Tobago
(State of)
The Minister of Gender, Youth and Child Development (Sen. The Hon.
Verna St. Rose Greaves): Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity afforded
to me to make a brief statement on the state of child protection laws in Trinidad
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Child Protection Laws in T&T Friday, January 20, 2012

and Tobago and the need, therefore, for the introduction of legislation to
strengthen and buttress the existing legislative framework in that regard.
It is with mixed feelings that I stand here today. I stand with a sense of
honour, with hope, with gratitude, a great deal of anticipation and much
trepidation. I say trepidation, based on the many attempts made over the years to
bring to fruition legislation to protect our nation’s children.
Mr. Speaker, I am oh so hopeful that we as a nation, we as a collective, can
make this happen. For while we in this House will treat with the legislation, we
must all be mindful that legislation alone will not protect our children; that alone
cannot do it. Culture continues to be regarded as a secondary issue and a major
blind spot in our society. We must discuss how to make shifts in our culture
where children become our priority and are a priority, and how we can create
peaceful, democratic relations among children and between adults and children if
we are to produce well-rounded, self-disciplined citizens.
As a Minister of Government, as a social worker, as a human rights specialist
and as an advocate and activist, my work, my mission, has always been to seek
and to work towards a better life for our nation's children. Mr. Speaker, research,
statistics and reports from various task forces attest to the increasing incidents and
prevalence of violence against children, including and especially child sexual
abuse. The prevalence of the atrocities perpetrated against the children of our
beloved country has called for the re-examination of the laws pertaining to their
protection and the political will to get it done.
None of us, I am sure, can forget the many extreme cases which made it into
our living rooms through the media: Akil Chambers—used, killed and dumped in
a swimming pool; Parmanand Persaud—savaged, buggered and killed right
opposite where he lived; Ettienne Daniel, Faith, Sean—the list goes on and on.
Those who have disappeared: Marina Henry, Oma Nanan, Vijay Persad, Mark
Prescott, Leah Lammy and so many others. In some cases, children are presented
both as victim and perpetrator.
But, we must be mindful that they are the ones who make it into the public
domain. For many others, they remain invisible. Neglect, torture and abuse have
become their norm. In our classrooms, children with learning challenges, hearing
and speech impediments, poor eyesight or diseased teeth are issues which impede
their development and their progress. School-age children who walk the streets
any time of night or day and good citizens are not moved to question or to act.
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Child Protection Laws in T&T Friday, January 20, 2012
[SEN. THE HON. V. ST. ROSE GREAVES]
Mr. Speaker, some of us understand that the atrocities being visited upon us in our
crime situation today are linked to a failure to protect our children.
Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago, in 1990, Trinidad and Tobago ratified what has
been described by some as a “Magna Carta” for children—The UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child. The Convention firmly established the independent rights
of children and located children’s issues at the core of human rights work. The
CRC critically addresses child abuse in all its forms. Trinidad and Tobago is,
therefore, obligated to put in place legislative policy and administrative measures
to ensure that our children are fully protected under the Articles of the
Convention. The Government is obligated to doing that.
The present Children Act, Chap. 46:01, which relates primarily to the
protection of children and young persons and to juvenile offenders, was preceded
by the 1925 Children Ordinance, and is still largely reflective of that Ordinance.
The Hansard dated February 27, 1925, at page 45 records Colonel May, a
Member of the Legislative Council, as stating that:
“The Bill represents the Children’s Imperial Act of 1908 adapted to the
conditions in this Colony as they exist to-day.”
At that time, the atrocities to which children were subjected were of a
different nature, scale and intensity than what exist today. Since that time, the
Children Act has been the subject of many amendments which have not
adequately protected our children from abuse.
1.45 p.m.
Moreover, the present legislation as it pertains to children has been
fragmented and ineffective in establishing a child protection regime. It is thus
imperative that the State intervenes to address these issues and to provide better
protection for the nation’s children. A more relevant and effective legislative
scheme specifically to address these needs coupled with better infrastructure, both
physically and in terms of social services, would do much to provide the kind of
protection for children that is needed today.
In 2000, a package of legislation was enacted in keeping with the
Government’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child. The package included the Children’s Authority (Amdt.) Act, the
Children’s Community Residences, Foster Homes and Nurseries Act, the
Miscellaneous Provisions Act, the Adoption of Children Act and the Children
(Amdt.) Act.
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Child Protection Laws in T&T Friday, January 20, 2012

A Cabinet appointed Family Court committee reviewed the Children (Amdt.)
Act, No. 68 of 2000. Further review led to a recommendation that the entire
Children Act be repealed and replaced by comprehensive legislation to more
adequately address the new crimes perpetrated against children today—some of
those crimes, many of us here could have never imagined—as well as to
strengthen the existing child protection regime.
The policy of the Government thus includes a better child protection regime,
especially as regards child sexual abuse. To support its firm intention and
commitment, the Government has established the Ministry of Gender, Youth and
Child Development, which I have the honour and privilege of leading, and whose
mandate represents the foundation of the human and social capital of Trinidad and
Tobago. For that, I would sincerely like to thank the hon. Prime Minister, Mrs.
Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Mr. Speaker, it is the duty of the Government to adopt and put in place
necessary measures to ensure the safety of the nation’s children. Government
must be ready to respond to the needs, hopes and aspirations of its people,
particularly its children. In its 2005 State of the World’s Children Report, UNICEF
describes childhood as follows:
“Childhood means more than just the time between birth and the attainment of
adulthood. It refers to the state and condition of a child’s life: to the quality of
those years.”
These sentiments have been recognized internationally by the various conventions
and other international documents concerned with the protection of children’s
rights. Our signing of the various agreements for the protection of children attests
to our commitment to those principles. Within this global context of the need for a
protection regime for children, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago is
mindful of and recognizes the urgent need to strengthen the legislative framework
for the protection of our children. The Government must adopt a more stringent
child protection regime.
The Children Bill, 2012 will afford special attention to the children of
Trinidad and Tobago in a more cohesive and comprehensive manner than
previously. As a nation, as a people, as a collective, we not only have a moral
obligation to protect our children, but a legal obligation as well. We must do our
part before it is too late.
Mr. Speaker, with all that has been happening to our children within recent
times and previously, we are hearing people talking and asking for us to talk. I am
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Child Protection Laws in T&T Friday, January 20, 2012
[SEN. THE HON. V. ST. ROSE GREAVES]
saying that we must take action, it cannot just be talk. Let us all join together and
ensure that our children get the protection and the kind of life that they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you. [Desk thumping]
Prime Minister
(State Visit to India)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Communications (Hon. Dr.
Surujrattan Rambachan): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, since this is
the first time that I am speaking in the New Year, may I take this opportunity to
wish you and your family a very happy New Year and all of God’s blessings for
the future; and so too, to all the colleagues gathered here in this Chamber.
Mr. Speaker, I have been authorized by Cabinet to make the following
statement with respect to the State visit, and I repeat the State visit, of the hon.
Prime Minister to the Republic of India. The acceptance by the Prime Minister of
an invitation for a state visit to India, and as the chief guest of Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas, which is a gathering of India’s diaspora community, has resulted in the
usual discussions as to usefulness, cost and long-term benefits to Trinidad and
Tobago. But this is not surprising, Mr. Speaker, as most actions of this
Government have come under an unusual degree of scrutiny, and that is good,
despite the transparency which this Government has sought to bring [Desk
thumping] to bear upon travel decisions and other decisions involving the Prime
Minister and the Cabinet.
Correct me if I am wrong, but this is the first Government which comes to
Parliament and declares the objectives behind visits and also reports to Parliament
on the outcomes. Additionally, this is the first Government which offers to the
population, an almost immediate exposure on radio, television and the newspapers
[Desk thumping] about the Prime Minister’s overseas engagements and activities.
Such approaches, Mr. Speaker, are unprecedented and in the case of Parliament,
where I am reporting again, it further leaves the Hansard as a basis for evaluating
the Government in the future.
In this country on May 24, 2010, people voted for change and one aspect of
that change they are witnessing through the People’s Partnership Government is
public accountability. [Desk thumping] Public accountability is sacred to this
Government.
Hon. Member: What!
Hon. Dr. S. Rambachan: Speaking about accountability, let me say here and
now that the cost of the Prime Minister’s official delegation was paid for by the
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Prime Minister (State Visit to India) Friday, January 20, 2012

Government of India. In addition, the Indian Government provided an Air Bus
A320 for the delegation’s internal travel.
I wish to take this opportunity to express, on behalf of the hon. Prime Minister
and the delegation, both private and public sector, our gratitude and thanks for the
generous hospitality of the Prime Minister, the Government and the people of
India. [Desk thumping]
Mr. Speaker, upon assuming office, the People’s Partnership Government
openly proclaimed its intention to diversify the economy away from oil and gas,
as well as to add value, through downstream industries, to limited natural
resources. This is part of the strategy of the Government to create a sustainable
economy, with long-term jobs and income for the country.
The missions to Brazil, to the Commonwealth Business Forum in London,
during her tenure as Chair in the Office of the Commonwealth, and now to India,
had as their primary focus the wooing of investors. It should be noted that two of
these visits were to countries which experienced significant economic growth,
despite the global financial meltdown.
In addition, Trinidad and Tobago was the venue for the Caricom/China
Economic Summit, where China pledged US $1 billion for investments in the
Caribbean, at a time when Caribbean economies are in dire need of economic
revitalization. This Government has, therefore, engaged in the space of 19 months
three of the BRIC countries and has done so in a meaningful way. [Desk thumping]
In Australia, Trinidad and Tobago used the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting (CHOGM) to engage in serious networking especially with
African countries now finding oil and gas, in order to create meaningful
partnerships for mutual benefit. In every instance, the private sector was involved
and at their own cost, and on behalf of Trinidad and Tobago.
Mr. Speaker, contrast this to Cabinet Note, No. 277 of February 01, 2007,
where Cabinet agreed to host a trade and investment mission to the Far East from
February 27 to March 12, 2007. It included South Korea, Beijing, Shanghai,
Mumbai and Delhi. The cost of the visit led by the then Minister, Mr. Kenneth
Valley, now deceased, was $9,511,853.95 of which a cultural contingent
accompanying the delegation cost $3 million.
Dr. Moonilal: What is that?
Hon. Dr. S. Rambachan: Mr. Speaker, in the moneys allocated in that $9.5
million, the sum of $1 million was provided to support the private sector’s visit
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Prime Minister (State Visit to India) Friday, January 20, 2012
[HON. DR. S. RAMBACHAN]
and accompanying the Minister; $1 million. The Minister of Trade and Industry
will tell you, Hon. Mr. Cadiz, that in the case of this Government the private
sector has consistently paid its own way. [Desk thumping]
Mr. Speaker, from that visit in 2007, I have not heard about one “doubles”
stall, or one “barra” stall being built. But this morning I read in the Express
newspapers, January 20, 2012, where Mr. Mario Sabga Aboud, the founder of
Rituals, has announced that they are negotiating with an Indian group to enter the
Indian market and to set up at least 50 Rituals shops in India. [Desk thumping] We
must congratulate the entrepreneurial vision of the management of Rituals.
I also read in today’s Trinidad Guardian, where the distinguished principal of
the University of the West Indies, Prof. Clement Sankat, has said that tourism will
benefit from the visit to India; page A18 of the Trinidad Guardian, January 20,
2012.
Mr. Speaker, one notices that whenever an overseas mission is announced by
this Government, the cost becomes a factor. Indeed, every citizen has the right to
question costs, since national financial resources are involved. But, as a country,
we must begin to appreciate how business is done and how business is won. As
any businessman will attest, and to put it in a layman’s term: “you have to spend
money to make money”. Furthermore, you have to invest upfront with the full
knowledge that this investment may not bring you immediate results, but if the
foundations are not laid, the house cannot be properly constructed. If you have a
product to sell, for which there are competitive offerings, then you must advertise
so as to differentiate what you have to offer. These advertising costs are often
incurred even before you sell any of your products.
It will appear that there is yet the misconstrued belief that you can attract
investors to this country without having to invest in promotional activities.
Everyone knows, even the simplest students of marketing and economics, that
such initial investments must take place. Trinidad and Tobago has the option to do
nothing, and maybe the critics will then say that no efforts are being made to
attract investments. It is possible that those who made these commentaries have
not been listening to the Government in terms of its pre- and post-visits reports.
One of the aspects of the commentaries levelled at the Government has to do
with the lack of presentation of alternatives to what is being criticized. Much
criticism and commentaries are written, but how many of those commentators
have viable alternatives to present to the Government? A criticism, a commentary,
is as effective and valuable as the quality of the alternative presented to the
Government. Lest it be misunderstood, this Government is not afraid, nor is it