DOCSLIB.ORG

April 2007 April 2007 Vol

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
April 2007 April 2007 Vol April 2007 April 2007 Vol. 34, No. 2 Board of Editors Josef Moser, President, Rechnungshof, Austria ©007 International Journal of Government Auditing, Inc. Sheila Fraser, Auditor General, Canada Faiza Kefi, First President, Cour des Comptes, Tunisia David M. Walker, Comptroller General, United States of America Clodosbaldo Russián Uzcátegui, Comptroller General, Venezuela The International Journal of Government President Auditing is published quarterly (January, April, Helen H. Hsing (U.S.A.) contents July, October) in Arabic, English, French, Editor German, and Spanish on behalf of INTOSAI New Journal Web Site. 1 Donald R. Drach (U.S.A.) (International Organization of Supreme Editorial . 2 Assistant Editors Audit Institutions). The Journal, which is the Linda J. Sellevaag (U.S.A.) official organ of INTOSAI, is dedicated to News in Brief. 5 Elizabeth Singer (U.S.A.) the advancement of government auditing SAIs and Civil Society. 15 Associate Editors procedures and techniques. Opinions and Office of the Auditor General (Canada) CAROSAI Congress . 20 Khalid Bin Jamal (ASOSAI-India) beliefs expressed are those of editors or Luseane Sikalu (SPASAI-Tonga) individual contributors and do not necessarily Audit Profile: Ghana . 25 Michael C.G. Paynter (CAROSAI-Trinidad reflect the views or policies of the organization. and Tobago) Reports in Print. 28 EUROSAI General Secretariat (Spain) The editors invite submissions of articles, Khemais Hosni (Tunisia) Inside INTOSAI. 29 Yadira Espinoza Moreno (Venezuela) special reports, and news items, which should INTOSAI General Secretariat (Austria) be sent to the editorial offices at: IDI Update. 35 U.S. Government Accountability Office (U.S.A.) U.S. Government Accountability Office Calendar. 37 Administration Room 78, G Street, NW Sebrina Chase (U.S.A.) Washington, D.C. 08 Members of the Governing Board of INTOSAI U.S.A Arpád Kovács, President, Allami Szám- vevöszék, Hungary, Chairman (phone: 0--707; fax: 0--0; Arturo González de Aragón, Auditor Gen- eral, Auditoría Superior de la Federación, e-mail: [email protected]) Mexico, First Vice-Chairman Osama Jaffer Faquih, President, General Au- diting Bureau, Saudi Arabia, Second Given the Journal’s use as a teaching tool, Vice-Chairman articles most likely to be accepted are those Josef Moser, President, Rechnungshof, Austria, Secretary General that deal with pragmatic aspects of public Henri Bruno Bessin, Inspector General, In- sector auditing. These include case studies, specteur Général d’Etat, Burkina Faso Paul R.S. Allsworth, Director of Audit, Cook ideas on new audit methodologies, or details Islands Audit Office on audit training programs. Articles that deal Vijayendra Nath Kaul, Comptroller and Auditor General, India primarily with theory would not be appropriate. Muneharu Otsuka, President, Board of Audit, Japan The Journal is distributed to INTOSAI members Yun-Churl Jeon, Chairman, Board of Audit and other interested parties at no cost. It is and Inspection, Korea also available electronically at Guillermo Argüello Poessy, President, Consejo www.intosai. Superior de la Contraloría General, Nica- org and by contacting the Journal at spel@ ragua gao.gov. Juergen Kosmo, Auditor General, Riksrevis- jonen, Norway Guilherme D’Oliveira Martins, President, Tribu- Articles in the Journal are indexed in the nal de Contas, Portugal Accountants’ Index published by the American Albert Edwards, Director of Audit, National Audit Office, St. Kitts and Nevis Institute of Certified Public Accountants Faiza Kefi, First President, Cour des Comptes, and included in Management Contents. Tunisia Selected articles are included in abstracts Sir John Bourn, Comptroller and Auditor General, National Audit Office, United published by Anbar Management Services, Kingdom Wembley, England, and University Microfilms David M. Walker, Comptroller General, Government Accountability Office, United International, Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.A. States of America Guillermo Ramírez, President, Tribunal de Cuentas de la República, Uruguay Clodosbaldo Russián Uzcátegui, Comptroller www.intosaijournal.org General, Venezuela International Journal of Government Auditing–April 2007 International Journal of Government Auditing–April 2007 Mr. Arturo In October 2004, INTOSAI members had the pleasure of meeting in the beautiful González de city of Budapest for the 18th INCOSAI (International Congress of Supreme Audit Institutions). During the 53rd meeting of the INTOSAI Governing Board, the SAI of Aragón Mexico—honoring the commitment it had made—issued an official invitation for the Auditor General of Mexico 55th meeting of the Governing Board to be held in Mexico in November 2006 and for and First Vice Chairman the 19th INCOSAI to be held in Mexico City, November 5-10, 2007. The commit- of the INTOSAI Governing ment also includes hosting the 56th and 57th meetings of the Governing Board, which Board will take place before and after the congress. The events will be held in Mexico City, formerly Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire, and today the capital of our country. As the members of our organization that have hosted INTOSAI’s supreme event can testify, this responsibility—which we have freely assumed—involves a considerable financial, logistical, technical, and administrative effort. It is also a great honor for the SAI of Mexico and constitutes a commitment to all INTOSAI members. The preparations required to organize this type of congress involve many months of hard work to carry out its planning, design, and operations. The results of these efforts are concentrated into a period of 6 days during which the host SAI’s organizational skills and ability to respond are put to the test. Many details must be taken into ac- count, many unexpected situations may arise, and many technical and administrative problems must be dealt with. The climate may cause adverse conditions that need to be resolved in situ. In all these circumstances, two elements are essential: foreseeing potential issues and having the capacity to respond to them. Editorial International Journal of Government Auditing–April 2007 Holding a Governing Board meeting or a congress requires the participation of all INTOSAI members. Their collaboration on the various committees, subcommit- tees, working groups, and task forces gives our organization its life and purpose. The INTOSAI motto (Mutual Experience Benefits All) has been wisely chosen: the raison d’être of this international institution to which we are proud to belong is the exchange of experiences and knowledge in order to strengthen the organization’s members. For this reason, I invite all INTOSAI members to join in our common effort and contribute their experience, presence, and participation to enrich the formidable body of knowledge that we have decided to create among ourselves. Our ultimate purpose is to be able to better serve the societies that have entrusted us with the important task of auditing the use of public resources. It does not matter whether the members are experienced or newly created SAIs or SAIs undergoing a process of transformation; whether they are chambers, courts of audit, audit councils, or comptroller or audit general offices. Nor do the differences in governmental traditions, administrative practices, degrees of independence, and scope of the legal or constitutional mandate matter. Each SAI brings a unique contribution to this common task, for the principal wealth of the INTOSAI lies precisely in the diversity of its membership. It will be the responsibility of the Mexican SAI to provide the right environment for an open, respectful, free, and democratic exchange of ideas and contributions. The growing importance of online communications is a sign of the times. For this reason, we have tried to take maximum advantage of tools such as the Internet to streamline the dissemination of information relating to the congress. Please visit our Web site for the 19th INCOSAI at www.incosai2007.org.mx, where you will find up- to-date details on the program of events, cultural and social activities, administrative and logistical matters, and other items of general interest. Obviously, the congress reflects a financial and administrative cost not only for the host SAI but also for all the delegates, who must devote time, work, resources, and efforts to ensure that their participation is effective. Consequently, we are committed to (1) ensuring that the technical discussions form the core of the congress and (2) obtaining results that will have a real impact on our auditing work and lead to tangible improvements in our practices to benefit the citizens of our respective countries. For this congress, the technical subjects to be covered come under the two broad areas into which the work of an SAI can be divided: the proper use of resources and the pro- motion of best government practices. The first area will be covered in theme I—man- agement, accountability, and audit of public debt—which the Federal Court of Audit of Germany is coordinating, and the second, in theme II—performance assessment systems based on universally accepted key indicators—which the U.S. Government Accountability Office is coordinating. Society has a legitimate concern about the use of resources obtained by public sector borrowing, and SAIs can help to allay this concern through their auditing duties. The Editorial International Journal of Government Auditing–April 2007 work of SAIs must also propose parameters for objectively assessing government per- formance
Load more

Recommended publications
  • PLP Wins Landslide Victory 29 Seats Give Powerful Mandate from the People the Progressive Liberal Party Under the Leadership of Mr
    May 15th, 2002 The Abaconian Page 1 VOLUME 10, NUMBER 10, MAY 15th, 2002 PLP Wins Landslide Victory 29 Seats Give Powerful Mandate from the People The Progressive Liberal Party under the leadership of Mr. Perry Gladstone Christie won the May 2 election in a landslide, win- ning 29 seats of the 40 seat House of Assem- bly. The Free National Movement won seven seats and independents won four seats. The PLP had been out of power since 1992 when the FNM defeated them for the first time since the independence of The Bahamas. They had been in power for 25 years under the leadership of Sir Lynden O. Pindling. They now have won 21 of the 24 Nassau seats, three of the six Grand Bahama seats and five of the seats in the other Family Islands. Two candidates who had previously been cabinet ministers in the FNM government ran independently and won. They were Mr. Pierre Dupuch, former Minister of Agricul- ture and Fisheries, and Mr. Tennyson Well, former Attorney General. Mr. Christie was sworn in on May 3 in a ceremony of pomp and pageantry at Govern- ment House. He pledged to “build a peace- ful, prosperous and just society for all our people.” He is the third prime minister since The Bahamas became an independent coun- try in 1973. He has already named his cabinet mem- Winner of the general election held on May 2, Mr. Perry Christie of the Progressive Liberal Party quickly organized his new bers and created two new ministries. Still to government and began his task of governing.
    [Show full text]
  • Roberts: Idbfinanced Survey Good News for Christie Today's Fr
    4/29/2015 The Nassau Guardian Date: Sign Up Subscribe Advertise About Us Contact Archives search... Search News Business National Review Opinion Sports Op­Ed Editorial Letters Lifestyles Religion Obituaries Health & Wellness Education Pulse Arts & Culture Spice 2014 Hurricane Supplement Home & Fashion Today's News WEATHER The Abacos Light Rain Max: 91°F | Min: 78°F Roberts: IDB­financed survey good news for Christie CANDIA DAMES Print Managing Editor [email protected] Outlook Published: Apr 14, 2015 Gmail PrintFriendly In light of the customary “mid­term blues” among voters, the results of an Inter­American Development Share This: Twitter Bank (IDB)­financed survey reported on in National Facebook Review yesterday are “very good news” for Prime Minister Perry Christie and “very bad news” for Rate this article: Tumblr Opposition Leader Dr. Hubert Minnis, according to More... (293) Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Chairman Bradley Add To Favourite Roberts. Settings... The results showed that 9.5 percent of those surveyed viewed Christie’s job performance as “very good” AddThis Privacy and 37.4 percent as “good”. The results show that 9.6 percent viewed Christie’s job performance as “very bad”. Today's Front Page Another 11.3 percent viewed it as “bad”. 32.2 percent said Christie’s job performance was neither good nor bad, but “fair”. National Review also revealed that more than 45 percent of the Bahamians surveyed said they would vote for a candidate or party different from the current administration if an election were held this week. Another 24.5 percent said they would not vote at all.
    [Show full text]
  • View Profile
    The Bahamas Vegetation: The soil is thin, and generally infertile, but cultivation has produced exotic flowers (as well as subtropical fruit and vegetables) on the more developed islands. Some islands have large areas of pine forests. Forest covers 51 per cent of the land area and there was no significant loss of forest cover during 1990–2011. Wildlife: Animal life is restricted to small species, such as agouti, frogs, iguanas and bats. The Inagua National Park on Great Inagua Island is the home of more than 50,000 flamingos, the largest flock in the world and The Bahamas’ national bird. Main towns: Nassau (capital, pop. 241,200 in 2010) on New Providence; Freeport (44,300), West End (13,100) and High Rock (3,900) on Grand Bahama; Cooper’s Town (9,300) and Marsh Harbour (5,800) on Abaco; Freetown (4,300) and Spanish Wells (1,800) on Eleuthera; Andros Town (2,300) on Andros; and Clarence Town (1,700) on Long Island. Transport: The total road system extends to some 2,700 km, about 60 per cent of it paved. There are almost 1,000 km of roads on New Providence (some of which are privately owned), 209 km of roads on KEY FACTS city of Freeport. The other islands are known Eleuthera, 156 km on Grand Bahama, and collectively as the Family Islands or Out Joined Commonwealth: 1973 more than 885 km on the Out Islands. Islands. The islands lie on a submarine shelf Population: 377,000 (2013) which rises steeply from deep waters in the Main ports are Nassau (New Providence), Freeport (Grand Bahama) and Matthew Town GDP p.c.
    [Show full text]
  • Bahamian-Ness As an Exclusive Good: Attempting to Change the Constitution, 2002
    ORIGINAL ARTICLES Bahamian-ness as an Exclusive Good: Attempting to Change the Constitution, 2002 Stephen B. Aranha Max Planck Institute for European Legal History1 ABSTRACT In 2014, Bahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie announced a constitutional referendum on gender equality. In 2002, his predecessor, Hubert Ingraham, had already put a similar referendum before the electorate. Back then, the proposed amendments failed. The Bahamas’ Independence Constitution imagines citizenship as limited and exclusionary. The amendments currently proposed would indeed remove some levels of discrimination contained in the citizenship provisions, but others would be retained, and some new ones may even be added. However, the discussion of these amendments is dominated by a proxy debate appealing to populist emotions. This paper seeks to analyse the amendments proposed in 2002, which marked the first attempt at constitutional reform since Bahamian Independence, as well as the process that ultimately led to defeat at the polls. The focus will be on the amendments addressing gender inequality. Questions include: how would the 2002 proposal have changed the levels of unequal access to citizenship compared to the 1973 Constitution, and how do they compare to the 2014 proposals? And, to what extent were there procedural flaws present in 2002, and to what extent did a distractionary discourse sabotage the declared goal of gender equality? INTRODUCTION to make more fundamental changes to the Since Independence in 1973, the Constitution Constitution. So far, none have succeeded. of The Bahamas has seen only minor In 2002, towards the end of his second changes—cosmetic in nature, addressing non- consecutive term in office, then Prime entrenched provisions (Constitutional Minister Hubert Ingraham put five Commission, 2013, p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bahamas: an Overview
    Updated October 16, 2019 The Bahamas: An Overview Political and Economic Environment full opening of the Baha Mar project. For 2019, real growth The Bahamas, a Caribbean nation of some 700 islands off is projected to decline to 0.9% because of the impact of the southeast coast of the United States, has been a stable Hurricane Dorian (see “Hurricane Dorian,” below). parliamentary democracy since its independence from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1973. The country’s bicameral legislature has a 39-seat House of Assembly directly elected for five-year terms and a 16-member appointed Senate. Since independence, the political scene has been dominated by two political parties, the center-left Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and the center-right Free National Movement (FNM). The PLP was formed in 1953 as an opposition party to the United Bahamian Party (UBP), which governed the Bahamas when the country was under British rule. In 1967, the PLP won control of the government and oversaw the country’s independence from the UK. It ruled continuously from 1967 until 1992 under the leadership of Lynden Pindling, commonly referred to as the “father of the nation.” The FNM was formed in 1971 by former members of the UBP and dissidents from the PLP. Under the leadership of Hubert Ingraham, the FNM won the 1992 general elections, governing until 2002. The PLP returned to power in 2002 under the leadership of Perry Christie, lost in 2007 to the FNM (still led by Hubert Ingraham), and won again in 2012, with Perry Christie as prime minister.
    [Show full text]
  • Sir Michael Barnett
    PROGRAMME Welcome Judith A. Whitehead GrahamThompson Managing Partner Peter D. Graham Distinguished Lecture The Honourable Sir Michael L. Barnett Justice of Appeal Closing Remarks Cocktail Reception PDG Inaugural Distinguished Lecture INTRODUCTORY REMARKS Judith A Whitehead, Managing Partner Ladies and Gentlemen thank you very thing that you knew - apart from having to be much for coming out and thank you also for a good lawyer (and I think we have to say this heeding the call to come out at 6 o’clock on about ourselves with pride) - is that you had to a Wednesday evening, which I know is tough, be committed to public service. It is absolutely and thank you to all the Graham Thompson in our DNA. people who paid attention to the last email. Equally importantly is that he instilled in us This is a particularly special occasion for us at the importance of doing it quietly but with Graham Thompson because it marks the 70th purpose. That’s another characteristic I think anniversary of the opening of the firm by Peter of GT; there is no chest beating; we’re not D. Graham - who is sitting in the front here with allowed to do it. Many of you would have his wife and his family. known Claire Hepburn who was a former partner who then became Madam Justice For the 70th anniversary, we wanted to do Claire Hepburn ( now retired) -and whenever something different to honor Mr. Graham. anything was getting a little bit out of control at GT all Claire had to do was this ( chest He is a very special person to us.
    [Show full text]
  • Overview of Violence Against Women: the Commonwealth of The
    Overview of Violence Against Women: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas UN Sabbatical Leave Report Gaynel Curry Gender and Women’s Rights Advisor OHCHR-NYO June 2016 1 Background to and rationale for The Bahamas assessment The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) defines violence against women as, “any act of gender‑based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life. Gender-based violence is any violence inflicted on a person because of their sex.” While women, men, girls and boys can be victims of gender-based violence, women and girls are the main victims due mainly to unequal distribution of power in society between women and men. 1 Gender-based violence reflects and reinforces inequalities between men and women in their homes and communities and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victim.2 Several United Nations reports from the Universal Periodic Review process and the Human Rights Treaty Bodies on the situation of the rights of women in Commonwealth3 Caribbean States have revealed a high prevalence of violence against women and girls and the need to strengthen efforts to address marital rape, domestic violence, sexual harassment, violence against LGBT persons as well as other forms of sexual and gender based violence. The issue of gender-based violence in The Bahamas has been consistently raised before these and other international human rights bodies. In 2012 for example, the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)4 listed violence against women in The Bahamas as among the two top concerns facing women.
    [Show full text]
  • Bahamas Timeline
    A SNAPSHOT OF THE HISTORY OF THE BAHAMAS A TIMELINE 1400’s - 1800's • (1492) Christopher Columbus made first landing in Bahamas • (1625) French settlers tried unsuccessfully to colonize what was created as a barony of The Bahamas • (1647) English, Bermudan religious refugees established first European settlement in Bahamas. • (1666) Colonization of New Providence Island began • (1670) King Charles II of England granted Six Lords Proprietors of South Carolina the Bahama Islands • (1695) The City of Charles Towne was established on New Providence in honour of King Charles II, later renamed Nassau in honour of King William III, formerly Prince of Orange-Nassau. • (1697) Fort Nassau was built on the site currently occupied bythe British Colonial Hilton Hotel on Bay Street. • (1717) Bahamas became British crown colony and Captain Woodes Rogers was named first Royal Governor. • (1729) The Bahamas House of Assembly officially meets for the first time. • (1741) Construction began on Fort Montagu at the eastern entrance of Nassau Harbour. • (1742) Construction of Fort Montagu completed. • (1776) Bahamas invaded as 8 American Colonial warships captured Forts Nassau and Montagu. • (1778) The Bahamas invaded a second time by the Americans • (1783) In Treaty of Paris, Spain ceded Bahamas to Britain. • (1789) Main portion of Fort Charlotte overlooking the west entrance to Nassau Harbour completed. • (1793) Fort Fincastle was constructed in New Providence. • (1805) The Bahamas Parliament met for the first time at its current location on Bay and Parliament • (1834) Slaves emancipated • (1838) Slavery in the British Empire was fully abolished. • (1861-65) American Civil War brought great wealth to Nassau, a major supply base for the confederacy.
    [Show full text]
  • Tribune 25 Template V2009
    C M C M Y K Y K WEATHER TINGS TOUGH McDOUBLE FOR $3.79 ANY TIME...ANY PLACE, WE’RE #1 HIGH 75F LOW 64F The Tribune SUNSHINE, CLOUDS BAHAMAS EDITION www.tribune242.com Volume: 106 No.36 THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2010 PRICE – 75¢ (Abaco and Grand Bahama $1.25) ADDERLEY HITS OUT AT PLP LEADERSHIP AS HE QUITS HOUSE ‘It’s the worst personal experience I have faced’ f By ALISON LOWE worsened. From then to f a Registration centres t Tribune Staff Reporter now has been the worst per- s [email protected] e sonal experience that my n to open today for u family and I have ever b i r Elizabeth constituents BLAMING PLP party faced. I took the insults, the T / leader Perry Christie for disrespect, the negative gos- e k By PAUL G TURNQUEST r “undermining” him as a sip, the careful and calcu- a l Tribune Staff Reporter C political representative, lated undermining that was [email protected] m Malcolm Adderley yester- the hallmark of my politi- i day formally announced his cal journey...” T PARLIAMENTARY resignation as an MP, days He said his decision to Commissioner Errol Bethel after notifying the PLP that resign, “one of the most dif- has issued a notice advising he was leaving the party. ficult” he has made, came residents of the Elizabeth In an at times emotional not because of any personal constituency that beginning speech, Mr Adderley said disgruntlement over being today registration centres the last seven and a half denied a Cabinet position will be established at the years as MP for Elizabeth under the 2002 to 2007 Thelma Gibson School in have been “the worst per- Christie administration, as preparation for this con- sonal experience” for him some had alleged, but stituency’s impending by- and his family as his rela- because the 4,000 “loyal, election.
    [Show full text]
  • Story of Women's Suffrage Wins Over Screening Audience | the Tribune
    The Tribune Login or Sign up Upvote 0 Story Of Women's Suffrage Wins Over Screening Audience As of Monday, November 26, 2012 Sign in to favorite this Discuss Comment, Blog about Share this Email, Facebook, Twitter Marion Bethel at the screening. By Noelle Nicolls Tribune Features Editor [email protected] THERE was “an overwhelmingly positive response” to the debut screening of the new documentary on the women’s suffrage movement in the Bahamas. Producer/Director Marion Bethel presented the film, “Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights and Democracy”, during a closed screening at Government House, Friday. The public launch of the film is Friday, December 7, at 1:30pm during the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF). “I am really pleased now that it is finished. I am feeling in the spirit of the gift. The documentary is meant to be a gift from the team who produced it to the Bahamian community celebrating the lives of the women of the suffrage movement,” said Ms Bethel. The 73-minute documentary chronicles the journey of Bahamian women from the 1940s to November 26, 1962, when they voted for the first time. The narrative is rooted in early resistance efforts of enslaved African women, who led freedom fighting efforts against slavery and colonisation. The documentary is dedicated to the heroic struggle of Kate Moss and Mary Prince, two enslaved women who fought for their freedom in the 19th century in the Bahamas. They became symbols of resistance within the anti-slavery abolitionist movement. Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Perry Christie confirmed his government’s pledge to hold a constitutional referendum by July 2013, during which he said the citizenship question concerning the rights of Bahamian women would be put to the people again.
    [Show full text]
  • Kmad Budget Communication 2015
    HON. KENRED DORSETT M. P. MINISTER OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND HOUSING BUDGET COMMUNICATION 2015/2016 CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY THANK YOU MR. SPEAKER MR. SPEAKER, I RISE ONCE AGAIN ON BEHALF OF THE RESIDENTS OF SOUTHERN SHORES. PERMIT ME MR. SPEAKER, TO ONCE AGAIN ACKNOWLEDGE THEM FOR AFFORDING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPRESENT THEM IN THIS PLACE. IT IS MY PRIVILEGE TO SERVE THEM AND I THANK THEM FOR SUPPORTING ME FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS IN ALL OF THE COMMUNITY ENDEAVOURS THAT I HAVE ADVANCED AND I AM GRATEFUL TO THEM FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT. MUCH WORK HAS BEEN DONE IN THE COMMUNITY AND THERE IS MORE TO COME. MR. SPEAKER, I WANT TO THANK THE URBAN RENEWAL SMALL HOME REPAIR PROGRAMME. A FEW OF MY CONSTITUENTS HAVE BENEFITTED FROM THE 1 PROGRAMME AND THERE ARE MANY MORE WHO NEED ASSISTANCE. MR. SPEAKER, I’M NOT ASKING FOR MUCH. IF I GET AS MANY REPAIRS AS KILLARNEY; MR. SPEAKER, SOUTHERN SHORES WILL BE HAPPY. KILLARNEY COMPLAINS ABOUT URBAN RENEWAL BUT GETS MORE UNDER THE PROGRAMME THAN OTHERS. ANYWAY, MR. SPEAKER, I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH URBAN RENEWAL OVER THE SUMMER TO COMPLETE ROOF REPAIRS IN THE CONSTITUENCY TO HELP MY PEOPLE, PARTICULARLY THROUGH THE RAINY AND HURRICANE SEASON. MR. SPEAKER WHILE TALKING ABOUT SMALL HOME REPAIRS, I WANT TO ALSO COMMEND THIS CARING PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF FINANCE FOR PROVIDING DUTY RELIEF ON SMALL HOME REPAIR MATERIALS IN DEPRESSED AREAS. THIS WILL HELP MANY BAHAMIANS THROUGHOUT THE BAHAMAS BUT IN PARTICULAR IN DEPRESSED AREAS IN NEW PROVIDENCE. I AM CERTAIN THAT THIS ADDITIONAL RELIEF WILL HELP OUR PEOPLE.
    [Show full text]
  • Facts & Figures
    BAHAMAS AND UNESCO KEY FACTS AND FIGURES I. COUNTRY PROFILE Political system • Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. It is a Commonwealth realm. Governor General appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed Prime Minister by the Governor General; the Prime Minister recommends the Deputy Prime Minister; Cabinet appointed by Governor General on recommendation of Prime Minister. • Head of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Marguerite PINDLING (since 8 July 2014). • Head of government: Prime Minister. Mr Hubert MINNIS (since 11 May 2017). Note: Prime Minister Hubert MINNIS is only the fourth prime minister in Bahamian history following its independence from the UK; he is also the first prime minister in 25 years besides Perry CHRISTIE and Hubert INGRAHAM, who repeatedly traded the premiership from 1992 to 2017 • Minister of Foreign Affairs: Mr Darren HENFIELD (since 15 May 2017). • Elections: o Senate - last appointments on 24 May 2017 (next appointments in 2022) o House of Assembly - last held on 10 May 2017 (next to be held by May 2022) Statistical figures (source: UNDP Human Development Report 2018) • Total population (million): 0.4 • Human Development Index: 0.807 / 54e rank • Life expectancy at birth (years): 75.8 • Gross national income (GNI) per capita (2011 PPP$): 26,681 • Internet users (% of population): 80.0% • Carbon dioxide emissions per capita (tones): 6.3 (Map of Bahamas at the last page) Education (source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics) • Expected years of schooling (years): 12.8 • Compulsory education (years): 12 (from age 5 to 16) • Net enrolment ratio in primary education (%): 88.2% • Government expenditure on education (% of GDP): - II.
    [Show full text]