House of Assembly Debates
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THE House of Assembly Debates (OFFICIAL REPORT) FIRST SESSION 1999 – 2004 HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY Hon. H. F. LASHLEY (Minister of Social Transformation) Tuesday, October 10, 2000 Hon. R. St. C. TOPPIN, LL.B. (Minister of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Business Development) Pursuant to the adjournment, the House of Assembly Mr. D. St. E. KELLMAN met at 11.25 a.m. on Tuesday, October 10, 2000. Miss H. E. THOMPSON, LL.B. Hon. Miss M. A. MOTTLEY, LL.B. (Minister of Education, Youth Affairs and Culture) PRESENT Mr. M. Z. WILLIAMS Mr. T. A. PRESCOD, B.A. His Honour I. A. ROETT, B.A., Dip. Ed., (Speaker) Rev. J. J. S. ATHERLEY, B.A., B.Sc. (Parliamentary His Honour J. M. EDGHILL, J.P., (Deputy Speaker) Secretary to the Attorney General and Minister of Home Hon. Sir HENRY FORDE, K.A., Q.C., M.A., LL.M. Affairs) (Cantab.) Mr. D. T. GILL, B.Sc. Rt. Hon. O. S. ARTHUR, M.Sc. (Econ.) (Prime Hon. A. P. WOOD, J.P., B.Sc., M.Sc., M.Phil. Minister, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs) (Minister of the Civil Service) (Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development) Hon. D. A. C. SIMMONS, Q.C., LL.M. (Attorney Hon. R. R. FARLEY, B.Sc. (Minister of Industry and General and Minister of Home Affairs) (Leader of the International Business) House) Mr. D. J. H. THOMPSON, LL.B. (Hons.) (Leader of Prayers were taken by Canon Father Ivan Harewood. the Opposition) Sir HAROLD St. JOHN, K.A., Q.C., LL.B. Mr. SPEAKER: The House is now in session. Mr. L. R. TULL, Q.C., M.A. (Oxon.) Hon. Dr. R. L. CHELTENHAM, Q.C., M.A., M.Sc. MINUTES (Econ.) Hon. Miss B. A. MILLER (Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. SPEAKER: The Minutes of Tuesday, August 15, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade) 2000. Hon. R. C. EASTMOND, J.P., B.A. (Hons.), Dip. Ed., LL.B. (Hons.), L.E.C. (Minister of the Hon. D. A. C. SIMMONS: Mr. Speaker, I beg to Environment, Energy and Natural Resources) move that the Minutes for the Honourable the House of Mr. D. CARTER (Chairman of Committees) Assembly for its meeting of Tuesday, August 15, 2000, which Minutes have been circulated, be taken as read. Hon. R. N. GREENIDGE, B.A., LL.B. (Minister of Labour, Sports and Public Sector Reform) Hon. R. C. EASTMOND: I beg to second that, Sir. Hon. G. A. CLARKE, J.P., B.Sc., Dip. Ed., (Minister of Housing and Lands) Mr. SPEAKER: If there are no corrections or Hon. R. D. MARSHALL (Minister of Public Works observations, then let these Minutes stand confirmed. and Transport) October 10, 2000 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS BY HIS HONOUR PAPERS THE SPEAKER Rt. Hon. O. S. ARTHUR: Mr. Speaker, I am Mr. SPEAKER: To the Honourable the House of commanded to lay the following: Assembly a letter from the Leader of the Opposition dated 9th October, 2000. 1. Report of the (Sugar Workers’ Provident Fund) under the Sugar Industry Act for the year 1999. “The Speaker, 2. Sugar Industry (Sugar Workers’ Provident Fund) House of Assembly, Order, 2000. Parliament, Bridgetown. 3. Report of the Public Enterprises Investment Fund for the Quarter ended June 30, 2000. Dear Sir, 4. Report of the Social Investment Fund for the I hereby tender my resignation from the Joint Select Quarter ended June 30, 2000. Committee on Law and Order. Hon. D. A. C. SIMMONS: Mr. Speaker, I am Yours faithfully, commanded to lay the following: Leader of the Opposition 1. Report of the Family Law Council for the year cc: The Clerk 1997 to 1998. Hon. D. A. C. Simmons, M.P.” 2. Annual Reports of the Barbados Broadcasting Authority for the Years ended October 1996 to MESSAGES FROM THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL September 1997 and October 1997 to September 1998. Mr. SPEAKER: A Message from His Excellency the Governor-General dated 5th October, 2000. 3. Annual Report of the Sanitation Service Authority for the year 1998 to 1999. “Dear Mr. Speaker, Hon. Miss M. A. MOTTLEY: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am I shall be away from the island during the period the commanded to lay the following: 8th to 13th October, 2000 to attend the Sixth Conference of Heads of State of CARICOM countries Education for all in the Caribbean – Plan of in Saint Lucia. Action 2000 to 2015. In accordance with the provisions of section 29(1)(b) of the Constitution, the Chief Justice, the Hon. GOVERNMENT NOTICES Sir Denys A. Williams, KCMG, GCM, will perform the functions of the office of Governor-General during Hon. D. A. C. SIMMONS: Mr. Speaker, I beg to give my absence. notice of the following: As the Honourable the House of Assembly will not 1. Pierhead Development Bill, 2000. be meeting prior to my departure, it will not be possible for the usual formal Message to be sent down to your 2. Police Complaints Authority Bill, 2000. Chamber. Will you, therefore, please bring my absence formally to the attention of the Honourable the House FIRST READING OF BILLS of Assembly when next it meets. On the motion of Hon. D. A. C. SIMMONS, seconded I have the honour to be, by Hon. R. C. EASTMOND, the following Bills were read a first time: Yours faithfully, 1. Pierhead Development Bill, 2000 C. Husbands Governor-General.” 2. Police Complaints Authority Bill, 2000 3 October 10, 2000 3 3. Bill to amend Police Order Act. advantage of the Free Trade Area of the Americas when it comes into effect, we hope and believe in the year 2005. 4. Referendum Bill, 2000. There is also much work to be done in the parallel process 5. now known as the Summit of Americas, to prepare for the next hemispheric summit which is going to take place in STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS Quebec City, Canada in April 2001. Mr. SPEAKER: The Honourable Member for the City. Mr. Speaker, the Barbados Embassy at Washington Hon. Miss B. A. MILLER: Mr. Speaker, Sir, in under Ambassador King’s leadership we believe, will play a keeping with my undertaking to keep this Honourable House key coordinating role in the preparations which the Ministry fully informed of important developments within the of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade will be putting in place country’s diplomatic service, I am pleased to provide to ensure that the positions of Barbados and the Caribbean information on a number of ambassadorial appointments. are well represented in the final mandate that emerges from the Quebec Summit. First, Ambassador Michael King has assumed duties as The Mission will also be concerned with the renewal of Ambassador of Barbados to the United States of America the Inter-American system, strengthening the system of and the Organisation of American States with effect from the justice in this hemisphere, deepening cooperation in the 1st October, 2000. Americas and reviewing the work carried out by the OAS and its specialised agencies. Ambassador Erskine Griffith will take up office as Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am equally pleased to acknowledge and its specialised agencies in Geneva and to the World at this juncture the recent accreditation of His Excellency Trade Organisation on the 1st November, 2000. Mr. James Daly, as Ambassador of the United States of Ambassador Griffith will, of course, be the first Ambassador America to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. As you are that Barbados will have to these specialised agencies in aware, Sir, the post has been vacant for almost a year Geneva and the United Nations where it is represented there. following the illness and subsequent death in office of his predecessor. Ambassador Daly’s appointment holds the I am also to announce, Mr. Speaker, Sir, that Mr. Errol promise of a resumption of meaningful and fruitful dialogue Humphrey will become Barbados’ new Ambassador to the between our two countries. I have already had initial Kingdom of Belgium and the Community of the European discussions with Ambassador Daly and look forward to Union, effective 1st January, 2001. working closely with him in various sub mutual interests and concerns. I am confident that his appointment, together with that of Ambassador King will serve to enhance the Mr. Michael King, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I believe is well constructive dialogue which has traditionally characterised known to all Sides of the House. He is a career diplomat of United States/Barbados’ relations. the past 23 years and he brings to the post at Washington a wealth of experience in the fields of negotiations at both the With regard to the Caribbean region as a whole, we regional and international levels. This would include his now have an established process of dialogue institutionalised work as Executive Director in the past, of the Caribbean through the Bridgetown accord and there is much follow-up Conservation Commission. He has also been a director of to be done on the mandates agreed upon by that process. the Office of the General Secretariat of the Organisation of American States in the Bahamas and, of course, most recently as Ambassador of Barbados to the Kingdom of Likewise, Sir, I would wish to make mention of the Belgium and the European Community and UNESCO. recent accreditation of High Commissioner Scrimshaw as From his Brussels location, he also served as the non- Commissioner for Canada and the Eastern Caribbean, resident Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Canada being, Sir, an old and Honoured ally. Ambassador Nations and its specialised agencies in Geneva and was designate, Erskine Griffith, retired head of the Civil Service accredited on a bilateral basis to the Member Countries of of Barbados and former Director of Finance and Economic the European Union.