123 ICT Strategic Plan Friday January 25, 2013 SENATE Friday, January 25, 2013 The Senate met at 1.30 p.m. PRAYERS [MR. PRESIDENT in the Chair] ICT STRATEGIC PLAN Mr. President: Hon. Members, in 2012, the Office of the Parliament, in collaboration with the European Union, the United Nations and the Caribbean Centre for Development Administration (CARICAD), developed a four-year ICT strategic plan with the overall objective of enhancing the ongoing services to Members and sustaining the institution through the implementation of a series of initiatives to upgrade technology services while ensuring their security and resiliency so that Members and employees can better serve the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the key goals of our plans for the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament are: 1. All documents received or produced by the Parliament will be made available in electronic format. 2. The Hansard reports will be available in an open format that will be searchable and reusable by internal and external partners within the next three years. 3. The public website will contain all information needed to conform to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) guidelines within one year. 4. The Parliament will adopt a standard open format for legislation shared between all Government partners within the next three years. 5. Within the next year, the Hansard reports, without verified quotations, will be published on time, 90 per cent of the time within 24 hours of completion of the debate. 6. Parliamentary applications and information will be securely accessible by authorized users from anywhere at any time within the next two years. 7. Paper usage by the Parliament will be reduced by 50 per cent by the end of 2013 compared with the year 2012 usage. 124 ICT Strategic Plan Friday January 25, 2013 [MR. PRESIDENT] Hon. Members, I am pleased to advise that we are on target with all of these goals. I wish to highlight, in particular, the goals numbered 6 and 7. First, the launch of a mobile application called the Rotunda, which is being specifically commissioned by the Office of the Parliament to facilitate the sharing of documentation in electronic form with Members. Secondly, the distribution of an iPad to each Member of Parliament with the Rotunda application installed on it. The use of the iPad will be subject to certain policy guidelines and you will be advised of these at the time of distribution. The distribution of iPads to Senators will be accommodated on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 and subsequent to this arrangement, arrangements will be made and communicated to you for the training of Members who so desire. Hon. Members, the issuing of iPads to Members will allow the Office of the Parliament to do the following: 1. Reduce its use of paper which will result in significant cost savings. 2. Improve communication and delivery of documents to all Members of Parliament. 3. Provide all Members of Parliament with a single online repository for the collection and sharing of parliamentary documents. Hon. Members, we hope that you will find this new initiative beneficial and we encourage you to use the iPad and the Rotunda, as you perform your parliamentary duties. We also look forward to receiving your feedback so that we can continue to serve Members. Thank you. FINANCE (SUPPLEMENTATION AND VARIATION APPROPRIATION) (FINANCIAL YEAR, 2012) BILL, 2013 Bill to supplement and vary the appropriation of the sum the issue of which was authorized by the Appropriation (Financial Year 2012) Act, 2011, brought from the House of Representatives [The Minister of Finance and the Economy]; read the first time. Motion made: That the next stage be taken later in the proceedings. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] Question put and agreed to. 125 Papers Laid Friday January 25, 2013 PAPERS LAID 1. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the Financial Statements of the Trinidad and Tobago Postal Corporation for the year ended September 30, 2006. [The Minister of Finance and the Economy (Sen. The Hon. Larry Howai)] 2. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the Financial Statements of the Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago Children Authority Fund for the nine months ended September 30, 2009. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 3. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the Financial Statements of the Environmental Management Authority— Environmental Trust Fund for the year ended September 30, 2011. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 4. Report of the Auditor General of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on the financial statements of the National Lotteries Control Board for the year ended December 31, 2001. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 5. Report of the Auditor General on the financial statements of the Heritage and Stabilisation Fund for the year ended September 30, 2012. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 6. Annual report of the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company Limited for the fiscal year 2009. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 7. Annual report of the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company Limited for the fiscal year 2010. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 8. Annual report of the Trinidad and Tobago Mortgage Finance Company Limited for the fiscal year 2011. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 9. Annual audited financial statements of the Government Information Services Limited for the year ended September 30, 2009. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 10. Annual audited financial statements of the Government Information Services Limited for the year ended September 30, 2010. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 11. Annual audited financial statements of the National Infrastructural Development Company Limited for the financial year ended September 30, 2011. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 126 Papers Laid Friday January 25, 2013 12. Annual audited financial statements of the Trinidad and Tobago Film Company Limited for the financial year ended September 30, 2012. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 13. Annual report of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) for the year 2012. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 14. Annual audited financial statements of the National Commission for Self-Help Limited for the financial year ended September 30, 2011. [Sen. The Hon. L. Howai] 15. Annual administrative report of the Ministry of Tourism for fiscal year 2011. [The Minister of the Environment and Water Resources (Sen. The Hon. Ganga Singh)] 16. Annual administrative report of the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago for fiscal year 2011. [Sen. The Hon. G. Singh] 17. Annual administrative report of the Tourism Development Company Limited for fiscal year 2011. [Sen. The Hon. G. Singh] 18. Administrative report of the Arima Borough Corporation for the period October, 2010 to September, 2011. [Sen. The Hon. G. Singh] 19. Annual report of the Ministry of Public Administration for the financial year 2010—2011. [Sen. The Hon. G. Singh] JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS (Presentation) Sen. Subhas Ramkhelawan: Mr. President, I have the honour to present the following reports as listed on the Order Paper in my name: Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions-Public Service Commission (Except Judicial and Legal Service Commissions) 1. The Fifth Report of the Joint Select Committee established to enquire into and report to Parliament on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions (with the exception of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission) on a re-evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Public Service Commission. 127 JSC Reports Friday January 25, 2013 Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions—Statutory Authorities Service Commission (Except Judicial and Legal Service Commissions) 2. The Sixth Report of the Joint Select Committee established to enquire into and report to Parliament on Municipal Corporations and Service Commissions (with the exception of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission) on a re- evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Statutory Authorities Service Commission. Sen. Dr. Victor Wheeler: Mr. President, I have the honour to present the following reports as listed on the Order Paper in my name: Ministries, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Group 2)—National Drug Council 1. The Seventh Report of the Joint Select Committee on Ministries, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Group 2) on the National Drug Council (NDC). Ministries, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Group 2)—Water Resources Agency 2. The Eighth Report of the Joint Select Committee on Ministries, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (Group 2) on the Water Resources Agency (WRA). ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS The Minister of the Environment and Water Resources (Sen. The Hon. Ganga Singh): Mr. President, the Government will be answering questions 9, 10, 11, 23, 29 and 37, and seek a two-week deferral on questions 32, 33 and 36. The following questions stood on the Order Paper: Tobago Regional Health Authority (Details of Board of Directors) 32. With regard to the board of directors of the Tobago Regional Health Authority, could the Minister of Tobago Development please state: (a) the date that the Board of Directors first received their instruments of appointment; (b) whether there have been any changes to the members of the Board of Directors of the Tobago Regional Health Authority since that date; and (c) the names of the current members of the Board of Directors? [Sen. Dr. V. Wheeler] 128 Oral Answers to Questions Friday January 25, 2013 “Colour Me Orange” Programme (Details of) 33. With respect to the “Colour Me Orange” programme, would the Minister of Housing, Land and Marine Affairs please indicate: (a) whether the programme has to come to an end; (b) whether there is any plan or intention to extend the programme; (c) precisely how much was expended on this programme; (d) the number of jobs created by the programme; (e) what was the Government’s rationale for its activation; and (f) did the programme achieve its objective? [Sen.