PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Fifth Session (2014/2015) TENTH PARLIAMENT Seventeenth Report Joint Select Committee Appointed to inquire into and report on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions on a review of the Administration and Operations of the Ordered to be printed with the Minutes of Tunapuna/Piarco Proceedings and Notes of Evidence Regional Corporation 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions An electronic copy of this report can be found on the Parliament website: www.ttparliament.org The Joint Select Committee on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions (with the exception of the Judicial and Legal Service Commissions) Contact the Committee’s Secretariat Telephone: 624-7275 Extensions 2277/2288/2282, Fax: 625-4672 Email: [email protected] ii 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions Seventeenth Report of the Joint Select Committee appointed to inquire into and report on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions [with the exception of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission] on a Review of the Administration of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation Date Laid: HoR: 08.05.2015 Senate: 12.05.2015 iii 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions iv 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions The Committee Mr. Anthony Vieira Mr. Hugh R. I. Roach Chairman Vice-Chairman Mrs. Vernella Alleyne - Toppin , MP Ms. Marlene Coudray Ms. Shamfa Cudjoe Member Member Member Mr. Chandresh Sharma, MP Ms. Marlene McDonald, MP Mr. Devant Maharaj Member Member Member Mr. James Lambert Mrs. Joanne Thomas, MP Member Mr. Rodger Samuel, MP Member Member Mr. Prakash Ramadhar, MP v Member 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions Committee Mandate and Establishment In accordance with provisions of section 66(A) of the Constitution of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, on September 17, 2010 the House of Representatives and October 12, 2010 the Senate, agreed to a motion on the subject of the appointment of a Joint Select Committee to inquire into and report to Parliament on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions with the exception of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission on all matters relating to: . their administration . the manner of exercise of their powers . their methods of functioning; and . any criteria adopted by them in the exercise of their powers and functions. Powers of the Joint Select Committee Standing Orders 71B of the Senate and 101 of the House of Representatives outline that inter alia the Committee is empowered to study and report on all matters relating to the mandate, management and operations of the Ministry or Body assigned to it by the House. In consequence, the Committee has the powers inter alia: to review and report on all matters relating to: . the statute law relating to the Ministry/Body assigned to it; . the program and policy objectives of the Ministry/Body and its effectiveness in the implementation of same; . other matters relating to the management , organization of the ministry or body, as the Committee deems it fit; to send for persons, papers and records; to adjourn from place to place; to appoint specialist advisers either to supply information which is not otherwise readily available or to elucidate matters of complexity within the Committee’s terms of reference; and to communicate with any other Committees of Parliament on matters of common interest. vi 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions Membership The members of the Committee are as follows: . Mr. Anthony Vieira1 - Chairman . Mr. Hugh Russell Ian Roach2 - Vice-Chairman . Ms. Marlene Coudray3 . Mr. James Lambert4 . Ms. Shamfa Cudjoe . Mr. Devant Maharaj . Mrs. Vernella Alleyne-Toppin, MP . Mr. Chandresh Sharma, MP . Mr. Rodger Samuel, MP . Mr. Prakash Ramadhar, MP . Ms. Marlene McDonald, MP . Mrs. Joanne Thomas, MP Mr. Subhas Ramkhelawan was appointed to the Committee on October 12, 2010 and served as the Committee’s Chairman from October 22, 2010 until his Senatorial resignation on April 09, 2014. Secretariat Support Secretarial assistance was provided by the following officers: Mr. Julien Ogilvie - Secretary Ms. Candice Skerrette - Assistant Secretary Ms. Kimberly Mitchell - Graduate Research Assistant Mr. Johnson Greenidge - Parliamentary Intern 1 Mr. Anthony Vieira replaced Mr. Elton Prescott on the Committee with effect from September 23, 2013. 2 Mr. Hugh Russell Ian Roach replaced Mr. Subhas Ramkhelawan on the Committee with effect from May 06, 2014. 3 Ms. Marlene Coudray replaced Brig. John Sandy on the Committee with effect from 16.10.12 following the termination of his Senatorial appointment on June 25, 2012 4 Mr. James Lambert replaced Mr. David Abdulah on the Committee with effect from 16.10.12 following the termination of his Senatorial appointment on June 22, 2012. vii 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions Contents Page # List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... ix Table of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ ix Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Background of Inquiry ............................................................................................................................ 13 Chapter 2 ..................................................................................................................................................... 16 Evidence Received .................................................................................................................................. 16 Chapter 3 ..................................................................................................................................................... 63 Findings and Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 63 Appendix 1 .................................................................................................................................................. 85 Entities falling under the purview of the Committee .................................................................................. 85 Appendix 2 .................................................................................................................................................. 87 Minutes ....................................................................................................................................................... 87 Appendix 3 ................................................................................................................................................ 106 Verbatim Notes of the public meeting held with the SFCC ...................................................................... 106 Appendix 4 .…..…………..........…………………………….…………………………………………..155 Written submissions by the SFCC...………………………………………………..……………………157 Appendix 5 .....……………………………………………………………………………..………….... 160 Staff of the Administrative Section ……………………...……………………….……………….......... 161 Appendix 6………………………………………………………………………………………….…... 163 Number of projects and accompanying costs for recruitment programme……….…………………….. 164 viii 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions List of Tables TABLE NO. 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Table 1 20 Statement of Revenue for the year ended 30.09.13 Table 2 Statement of Recurrent Expenditure for the year 21 ended 30.09.13 Table 3 Number of applications received and processed 29 and the number of approvals granted for the period October 2012-2013 49 Table 4 Analysis of TPRC’s Strengths 50 Table 5 Analysis of TPRC’s Weaknesses Table of Abbreviations ABBREVIATION MEANING CEO Chief Executive Officer CERT Community Emergency Response Team (training) CMOH County Medical Officer of Health CPO Chief Personnel Officer DMU Disaster Management Unit ix 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions EOC Emergency Operations Centre LSA Land Settlement Agency LPW Litter Prevention Warden MOLG Ministry of Local Government NEOC National Emergency Operations Centre NGO Non-Governmental Organization NUGFW National Union of Government and Federated Workers OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Act PBX Private Branch Exchange Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and PESTLE Environmental PIRO Personnel and Industrial Relations Officer TPRC Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation SJLRC San Juan /Laventille Regional Corporation SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats T&TEC Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission TTPS Trinidad and Tobago Police Service WASA Water and Sewerage Authority x 17th Report of the JSC on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions Executive Summary At its Twenty-Ninth Meeting held on March 07, 2014, the Committee agreed to conduct a review of the administration of the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation for the purpose of inquiring into the state of its administration. To