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1 Leave of Absence 2019.06.17 SENATE Monday, June 17, 2019 The Senate met at 10.00 a.m. PRAYERS [MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair] LEAVE OF ABSENCE Madam President: Hon. Senators, I have granted leave of absence to Sen. The Hon. Jennifer Baptiste-Primus and to Sen. Garvin Simonette, both of whom are out of the country. ARRANGEMENT OF BUSINESS Madam President: Hon. Senators, I am awaiting the instruments of appointment, and therefore I will defer the swearing in of the temporary Senators to later in the proceedings. VISITOR His Excellency Arthur H. W. Williams (High Commissioner to Jamaica) Madam President: Hon. Senators, may I also acknowledge the presence of the High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Arthur H. W. Williams who is seated in the Presiding Officers Gallery. Hon. Senators, as all of you may recall, on May 28, 2019, the fifth Prime Minister of Jamaica, the most hon. Edward Seaga, ON PC, passed away. His Excellency, the Jamaican High Commissioner has made available to the Office of Parliament a condolence book which will give Members of Parliament the opportunity to express their condolences. This book is now open in the Sir Ellis Clarke corridor, Mezzanine Floor, Office of the Parliament and will remain available on Tuesday, June 19th and Friday, June 21st for all Members to pay their UNREVISED 2 Visitor (cont’d) 2019.06.17 respects. So may we all just welcome His Excellency to the Chamber. [Desk thumping] MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS (TAX AMNESTY, PENSIONS, FREEDOM OF INFORMATION, NATIONAL INSURANCE, CENTRAL BANK, COMPANIES AND NON-PROFIT ORGANISATIONS) BILL, 2019 Bill to provide a tax amnesty in relation to certain revenue laws and to amend the Retiring Allowances (Legislative Service) Act, Chap. 2:03; the President’s Emoluments Act, Chap. 2:50; the Prime Minister’s Pensions Act, Chap. 2:51; the Judges Salaries and Pensions Act, Chap. 6:02; the Freedom of Information Act, Chap. 22:02; the National Insurance Act, Chap. 32:01; the Central Bank Act, Chap. 79:02; the Companies Act, Chap. 81:01 and the Non- Profit Organisations Act, 2019 (Act No. 7 of 2019), brought from the House of Representatives [The Minister of Finance]; read the first time. Motion made: That the next stage be taken later in the proceedings. [Hon. F. Khan] Question put and agreed to. PAPERS LAID 1. Ministerial Response of the Ministry of Works and Transport to the Sixth Report of the Joint Select Committee on Land and Physical Infrastructure on an Inquiry into the Establishment of Systems for the Maintenance of Drainage and Roadways. [The Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries (Sen. The Hon. Clarence Rambharat)] 2. Delegation Report on the Equality and Justice Forum for Commonwealth Parliamentarians, Cape Town, South Africa, February 18-20, 2019. [Sen. Hazel Thompson-Ahye] UNREVISED 3 Papers Laid (cont’d) 2019.06.17 3. Annual Patent and Consolidated Audited Financial Statements of Point Lisas Industrial Port Development Corporation Limited (PLIPDECO) for the financial year ended December 31, 2018. [The Minister in the Ministry of Finance (Sen. The Hon. Allyson West)] 4. Ministerial Response of the Ministry of Finance to the Ninth Report of the Joint Select Committee on Social Services and Public Administration on an inquiry into the state of contract employment in the public service. [Sen. The Hon. A. West] 5. Ministerial Response of the Ministry of Public Utilities to the Fifth Report of the Joint Select Committee on Finance and Legal Affairs on a Critical Assessment of the Waste Management Policies and Initiatives of the State (with specific focus on Solid Waste). [The Minister of Energy and Energy Industries (Sen. The Hon. Franklin Khan)] 6. Ministerial Response of the Ministry of Education to the Eighth Report of the Joint Select Committee on Social Services and Public Administration on its First Follow-up Inquiry into the current level of violence among students in schools with particular focus on physical and cyber bullying. [Sen. The Hon. F. Khan] 7. Ministerial Response of the Ministry of Public Administration to the Ninth Report of the Joint Select Committee on Social Services and Public Administration on an inquiry into the state of contract employment in the public service. [Sen. The Hon. F. Khan] 8. Ministerial Response of the Ministry of Labour and Small Enterprise Development to the Ninth Report of the Joint Select Committee on Social Services and Public Administration on an inquiry into the state of contract employment in the public service. [Sen. The Hon. F. Khan] UNREVISED 4 Urgent Questions (cont’d) 2019.06.17 URGENT QUESTIONS Immigration Detention Centre (Payment of Staff Salaries) Sen. Wade Mark: Thank you, Madam President. [Desk thumping] To the Minister of National Security: In light of the failure of Government to make salary payments to staff at the Immigration Detention Centre, can the Minister indicate what is being done to address this issue? Madam President: Minister of National Security. [Desk thumping] The Minister of National Security, Minister of Communications and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (Hon. Stuart Young): Thank you very much, Madam President. Madam President, the Director of Finance and Accounts looked into this matter yesterday and all arrangements are being made to have these salaries paid today. Instructions have been given to do all that can be done to ensure, or to prevent this from reoccurring. It appears as though, unfortunately, the paperwork for those who are on contract and short-term employees was not done with sufficient time. So instructions have been given to make sure and have this done with at least one week’s space in between so that payments in the future can be made on time. I take the opportunity to apologize to those workers at the Immigration Detention Centre who were affected. Sen. Mark: Can the hon. Minister indicate to this honourable Senate how many workers were involved, both permanent and contract? Madam President: Minister? Hon. S. Young: Madam President, the permanent workers would not have been affected. Unfortunately, throughout the public service, what happens is contract workers and, more particularly, short-term employees are paid after the permanent staff and public servants are paid; so this is what occurred on this occasion, and I UNREVISED 5 Urgent Questions (cont’d) 2019.06.17 do not have the numbers as to how many would have been on short-term contracts. What I have also asked the Permanent Secretary to do is to look at—they were doing an exercise—an HR exercise—to hire persons into contract positions. Once that is completed, the short-term persons should no longer exist, I hope, and this would not reoccur in the future. Sen. Mark: Can the Minister indicate whether the basis for this particular development has to do with a cash-flow problem affecting the Government of Trinidad and Tobago that has resulted in this development? Can you share with this honourable House if it is a cash-flow problem? Madam President: Sen. Mark, I would not allow that question. Next question, Sen. Mark. Venezuelan Visa Regime (Provision of Additional Resources) Sen. Wade Mark: Thank you, Madam President. [Desk thumping] To the Minister of National Security: In light of the introduction of a visa regime for visitors from Venezuela, can the Minister inform the Senate whether additional resources will be provided to the Embassy in Venezuela to process applications? Madam President: Minister of National Security? [Desk thumping] The Minister of National Security, Minister of Communications and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister (Hon. Stuart Young): Thank you very much, Madam President. Madam President, I have been in discussions with the Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs as to how this would be carried out from our embassy in Caracas, which is currently staffed. It is not necessarily additional resources. As the Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs has said previously, there were certain staff who were there and rotating in and out. So what we are looking at is ensuring that we would have sufficient resources there, and the UNREVISED 6 Urgent Questions (cont’d) 2019.06.17 approval of these visas will come from headquarters. So what it would be, of applications done in Caracas, and then headquarters would say yea or nay to the applications that are made in Caracas. Madam President: Sen. Mark? Sen. Mark: Can the hon. Minister indicate to this Senate whether a cost is going to be attached to these visas that would be issued in Port of Spain via persons who are willing to come to Trinidad from Venezuela? Madam President: Minister? Hon. S. Young: Thank you very much, Madam President. Madam President, as is normal with all visa applications, for example when one applies to the United States Embassy, to the Canadian Embassy, the British High Commission, there are always administrative costs attached to the application for visas. It will be no different in this circumstance. Madam President: Sen. Mark? Sen. Mark: Can the Minister indicate whether the Government has taken a decision thus far as to the cost, the actual value that would be attached to a visitor from Venezuela as it relates to accessing visas to Trinidad and Tobago? Can you identify a specific number that they will have to pay in terms of figures? Madam President: Minister? Hon. S. Young: Thank you very much, Madam President. Madam President, all of the information pertaining to the visas, the visa application process, the cost associated, all of the logistical elements that will attach itself to this visa application, will be provided in the not-too-distant future. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS The Minister of Energy and Energy Industries (Sen.