THE PARLIAMENT OF TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
THE PARLIAMENT OF TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
OFFICIAL HANSARD REPORT
The Speaker's absence is announced by the Clerk. The Deputy Speaker should take the Chair, and she will be invested with all the powers of the Speaker until the Speaker is present. I now call on the Deputy Speaker to take the Chair. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
Good afternoon, honourable members. I call this first sitting of the 19th meeting of the First Session of the 13th Legislature of the Parliament of the Turks and Caicos Islands, to be held today, Monday, 23rd March 2026, at the NJS Francis Building here on Pond Street, Grand Turk, to order. I call on the Chaplain to invoke God's presence.
Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon, I have given it, as I have spoken unto Moses, from the wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea towards the going down of the sun shall be your border. Be strong and of good courage, for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I swear to give unto their fathers. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate according to all that is written therein, for thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and thou shalt have good success. In this context, the Lord declared, every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given to you.
It is the promise of the land, conditional possession. I will never leave you nor forsake you. God's presence and God's support are the source of strength. Be strong and courageous. God says, I will be with you. It is a command to be strong and courageous, meditating on God's word, with the promise of prosperity and success in everything that you do. In essence, this text conveys a message of God's promise, support and guidance for Joshua, and for you, as he leads the Israelites into the Promised Land. It emphasizes the importance of faith, courage and obedience to God's word for success and prosperity.
Let us pray. Almighty God, we bow in thanksgiving for your faithfulness and the blessings of the successful debate of this 2025-2026 Supplementary Appropriation and for its safe passage. We pray for the success of this Government as it embarks on the mission of keeping its promises: promises of better healthcare, more educational opportunity, border protection and security, greater infrastructure, food security, and access to Crown land for a sense of dignity and belonging, building prosperity and security for our future. Give them courage.
Make them courageous to have good success as they move this people and this country upward and forward. We pray for your blessings, favour, courage, strength and good health for our Speaker, our Premier, our Ministers, the Leader of the Opposition, our Attorney General, our Clerk, and all members of this Honourable House as they serve your people. As you were with Moses, we pray that you will be with them. Bless this Parliament and its proceedings.
Bless this country. It is in Jesus' name we pray.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 130, I move that Standing Order 12 be suspended to allow this Honourable Parliament to sit beyond the 6 pm hour. Do I have a seconder?
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Given that the Supreme Court sat this morning for a valedictory hearing to bid farewell to the Honourable Chief Justice Mabel Agyemang, and given that the Honourable Speaker, the Honourable Premier, the Honourable Attorney General, the Honourable Member of Parliament for Richmond Hill and Cheshire Hall, and the Honourable Ninth All-Island Elected Member attended that special sitting, with your indulgence and the indulgence of this Honourable House, I move that the business of this Honourable Parliament be suspended at this time to reconvene at 2 pm, to allow those Honourable Members to return to Grand Turk and into the Chamber. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Deputy Premier and seconded by the Minister of Home Affairs, that this House will be suspended until the 2 pm hour to allow the Speaker to take the Chair and other Members of Parliament to attend. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it.
Honourable Deputy Premier.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Given the suspension of the business of the Parliament just agreed, with your leave, I move, pursuant to Standing Order 130, that Standing Order 44 be suspended so that question time be taken after the passage of the Supplementary Appropriation Bill and so that government business will take precedence over all other business.
Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Deputy Premier and seconded by the Minister of PPID, that Standing Order 44 be suspended so that question time be taken after government business. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Honourable members, this House will resume its sitting at the 2 pm hour.
The question is that the report of the Appropriations Committee on the Third Supplementary Appropriation Estimates 2025/2026 be laid on the table of this Honourable House without question put. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Honourable Chair.
Mr. Speaker, the Appropriations Committee met on Monday 16th and Tuesday 17th March 2026 to examine the 2025/2026 estimates of expenditure. The committee heard from 10 ministries, departments and one statutory body. After hearing from the various accounting officers and scrutinising the estimates in detail, the committee came up with the following findings and recommendations. During the presentation of the Second Supplementary Appropriation Estimates 2025/2026 on January 26th, this committee laid a report that explicitly detailed our grave concerns regarding the high volume of vacancies within the public service and the subsequent decline in national productivity.
However, the committee finds itself before this Honourable House once again presenting the Third Supplementary Appropriation Committee report, with those same concerns remaining largely unaddressed. The persistent gaps in our workforce continue to hinder the efficient delivery of public services and stall our economic objectives. The Appropriations Committee, having reviewed this submission and the evidence presented, makes the following recommendations. Given the lack of measurable progress since our last report, the committee strongly recommends an immediate and comprehensive review of the current recruitment policy; concrete changes to modernise the hiring process, ensuring it is agile enough to meet current demands; and, parallel to recruitment, the establishment of a robust framework for the retention of human resources to prevent further brain drain within the public service. We cannot expect different results while maintaining the same outdated recruitment frameworks.
We urge the relevant authorities to act on these recommendations with the urgency they deserve. The committee recommends a variation of funds from the Consolidated Fund to be applied to the service of the financial year ending 31st March 2026. The committee also recommends a reduction of funds from the Development Fund in the sum not exceeding $3,276,200, to be applied to the service of the financial year ending 31st March 2026. The committee acknowledges with deep gratitude all persons and officers appearing before the committee and those involved in arranging the meeting.
In accordance with section 128 of the Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2011, I move that the report of the Appropriations Committee on the Third Supplementary Appropriation Estimates 2025/2026 be adopted. Do I have a seconder?
Honourable Members, the motion has been moved by the Honourable Chair of the Appropriations Committee and seconded by the Honourable Member for Blue Hills, that the report of the Appropriations Committee on the Third Supplementary Appropriation Estimates for 2025/2026 be hereby adopted. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no.
The ayes have it. Thank you very much, Honourable Chair. Honourable Members, I will now return to the Order Paper. We are now at the First Reading of Bills, and we will have the first reading of the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026, No. 2 Bill 2026, to be moved by the Honourable Premier and Minister for Finance, Economic Development, Investment and Trade.
Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 90(4), I move that the Bill entitled Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026, No. 2 Bill 2026, be read a first time. Do I have a seconder?
Honourable Members, the motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Deputy Premier, that the Bill entitled Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026, No. 2 Bill 2026, be read a first time. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Thank you very much, Madam Clerk. Honourable Members, I will now go back to the Order Paper, and we are now on Orders of the Day, the Second Reading of Bills. We will now have the second reading of the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026, No. 2 Bill 2026, to be moved by the Honourable Premier. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 92, I move that the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026, No. 2 Bill 2026, be read a second time. Do I have a seconder?
Honourable Members, the motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Education, that the Bill entitled Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026, No. 2 Bill 2026, be now read a second time. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Honourable Premier, you can make your presentation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can we adjourn for five minutes, please?
Honourable Members, this Honourable House now resumes its sitting. Pray be seated. Honourable Members, before our short suspension, the Honourable Premier was going to give his presentation on the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026, No. 2 Bill 2026. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for indulging the break. For the benefit of members, this is the second bill for 2026, even though it is the Third Supplementary Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the fiscal year 2025/2026. I rise to present the Supplementary Appropriation Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the fiscal year 2025/2026. In so doing, I will reiterate the statements that I gave when the Bill was laid.
There is nothing new except to say that the expenditure remains neutral, in that we continue to fund it from savings in other parts of the overall estimates of revenue and expenditure. The proposed supplementary seeks the approval of this Honourable House to make targeted adjustments to the approved budget in order to address a number of unavoidable operational requirements and statutory obligations that have arisen during the course of the year. These are unavoidable. It is sometimes said that an estimate is only good until the ink is dry, so there will always be requirements for supplementary estimates or adjustments.
I wish to emphasize from the outset that this supplementary is anticipated to be cost-neutral, as the additional allocations will be funded through savings identified across several areas of government expenditure. Therefore, there will be no impact on our current fiscal position and no impact on our cash reserves. The adjustments proposed in the supplementary primarily relate to the following areas, which I mentioned during my short speech when the Bill was laid: compulsory land acquisition, $11.9 million; an increase of $280,000 under estates management to meet higher than anticipated rental costs; retirement of Contingency Warrant No. 2, which addressed Hurricane Melissa relief to Jamaica; Contingency Warrant No. 4, to address the prevention of mosquito-borne diseases possibly arising from flooding events experienced late last year; and projects requiring additional funding amounting to $200,000. The Department of Rehabilitation and Community Services requires $150,000 to cover safety precaution repair works and fencing for the Providenciales Children's Home. The Treatment Abroad Programme, which continues to dog us, requires an increase of $4.5 million due to rising healthcare costs.
Claims against Government, contingent liability payments, backlog rental payments, settlement for compulsory land acquisition and employment claims amount to $2.2 million. In keeping with the principles of responsible financial management, these additional expenditures will be fully funded through savings identified across government operations. Personnel cost savings amount to $8.5 million due to delayed recruitment and staff attrition.
Based on the comments from the Appropriations Committee, I believe it is worth bringing a comprehensive commentary on why this is the case, because it is not a simple matter of throwing bodies in just to have full positions. There is a need to look at the overall structure of the human resource requirements of the Government, particularly in an environment where technology is becoming more useful and user-friendly. The point made by the Appropriations Committee needs to be further explained as to the challenges, not only in terms of the requirement for specialized skills rather than administrative skills. This is a conversation that is ongoing.
Savings in operating expenditure amount to $7.8 million due to effective cost-saving measures and project delays. One could be critical of project delays, but these are issues I have spoken to repeatedly: the challenges we have in procuring specialized skills for some of these very technical projects that need to be delivered, and the need to modernize some of the procurement. There is a capital expenditure saving of $2.9 million.
The Supplementary Appropriation reflects a decrease in the amount appropriated for the Public Sector Investment Programme for 2025/2026 from $49.8 million to $47 million, a reduction of $3 million. This supplementary focuses on vehicles for immigration, $12,400; Chalk Sound sidewalks, $50,000; equipment for the Mechanical Division, $48,000; a mobile clinic, $112,000; and vehicles for the Health Promotion and Advocacy Unit, $6.4 million.
Deferred projects include community parks and recreational facilities, $500,000; construction of a community centre in Bottle Creek, North Caicos, $1 million; a community centre at The Bight, $200,000; the Blue Hills signage project, $150,000; renovation of Fuller and Clementina Walkin Park, $550,000; and works to the dumpsite, $730,000. Allow me also briefly to update the Honourable House on the Government's fiscal performance as at the end of the third quarter. Aggregate recurrent revenue performance stood at $417 million, which is approximately 2% above budget and 15% higher than the same period in the previous year. The performance was driven primarily by strong collections in work permits, statutory body remittances and stamp duty on land transfers.
Additionally, the Ministry of Finance has intensified compliance and enforcement efforts, which have contributed positively to revenue collection. Year-to-date total recurrent expenditure totals $335 million, which was 13% behind estimates and 9% higher than the prior year. As of the end of the third quarter, the Development Fund balance stood at $82 million and capital expenditure to date was $18 million. The year-to-date operating surplus was $81.6 million, and capital expenditure was $18.1 million against a budget of $48.9 million.
The net surplus was $63.5 million. At the end of the third quarter, the cash balance stood at $428 million, attributable as follows: Consolidated Fund, $247 million; Development Fund, $82 million; National Forfeiture Fund, $3.4 million; and National Wealth Fund, $95.7 million. The Destination Enhancement Fund stood at $530,000, for a closing balance of $428 million. These results reflect the Government's continued commitment to sound fiscal management, disciplined expenditure control and strengthened revenue administration. Since the laying of this paper on the table of the House, there have been some other adjustments which will be dealt with in committee. There is a reinstatement of $90,000 to support the execution of the ExecuTax system upgrade contract, which is a very critical need for the Government in order to assist with the current drive and emphasis on compliance.
This adjustment was offset by savings arising from the remobilisation of the digitisation project. There is a reduction of $375,000 within the Public Sector Investment Programme resulting from the deferral of the following projects: bus for immigration and safe spaces project. These savings were allocated to fund refurbishment works, the sports field in South Caicos, and a community road in Provo. The above was further balanced through an increase in claims against Government, reflecting unforeseen claims arising in the final month of the financial year.
Apart from that, I will be able to speak more clearly and precisely to the overall performance at the time when the budget for 2026/2027 is presented. Suffice it to say that in the last two months, particularly February and March, we have seen a very encouraging uptick in government revenue, particularly as it relates to the tourism sector. Quite frankly, we were somewhat concerned and a little less optimistic, but I think we can now say that that optimism is partly supported by the more recent trends. TCIG, the Ministry of Finance and all the other organs of government responsible still need to put more focus on compliance.
As I have said in this House before, we have put in place an operation called Dragnet to try to collect all of government revenue. The cost of running a country is increasing. The social cost is increasing. We are, of course, concerned about the trajectory of healthcare, and we are working seriously to bring that under control.
More will be said during the presentation of the 2026/2027 budget, when more is known and we have a better handle on precisely what we will be doing to bring those costs under control. With that, Mr. Speaker, I recommend to my colleagues and to this Parliament, and seek their support for, the passage of this Supplementary Estimate of Revenue and Expenditure for the financial year 2025/2026. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Hon. Premier, for your presentation on the Third Supplementary Estimates 2025/2026. Honourable Members, the floor is now open for debate on the supplementary, and the Chair recognizes the Honourable Leader of the Opposition for his contribution.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Before I rise to make my contribution to the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026, No. 2 Bill 2026, let me first say a pleasant good afternoon to all those throughout the Turks and Caicos Islands, particularly in my constituency of Grand Turk South Salt Cay. Let me offer condolences to all the bereaved families of the Turks and Caicos Islands going through a difficult period, and congratulations to all those who have reason to be in a festive mood.
In looking at and going through the supplementary, certain things jump out. There is a serious issue in Government in terms of staffing and recruitment. This was highlighted before. When you look, you see human resource savings, and I think that word savings can sometimes be misleading. These are positions that were not hired, Mr. Speaker; positions that last year we were told were greatly needed; positions that we challenged inside this Honourable Chamber when we had accounting officers before us asking about their staff complement. Yet this year again we have some $8.5 million in funds that were supposed to be spent on human resources but sadly never came to fruition. We have to do much more than simply look at what is going on in terms of human resources.
We have heard persons come before us and talk about the high turnover. People are employed by Government, then they leave, and that cycle repeats. We have to take a holistic look at what is going on. It is troubling. Next week, during the appropriations, we are going to have the officers right here again saying, we need the staff. Any of us doing our job and trying to account for the people's money will have to ask them to be responsible. You say you need these five staff, but you existed a whole year without them. Help me understand why you need these five staff.
How will they answer that, Mr. Speaker? Some departments may say that this is the reason why there is so much claimed inefficiency in Government: because they asked for the manpower, capabilities, knowledge, skills and abilities in their departments, but they were not given to them, and now we want to talk about performance.
If I am a general and I say that, in order to fight this army, I need at least 10,000 men because they have 20,000 men, and each of my men can take out two, but you say, I am not going to give you 10,000; I am going to give you 1,000, then when the army defeats me and I do not accomplish my goal, you cannot blame me. I told you what I needed in order to accomplish the task put before me. Bringing that to the civil servants, many of them come before us and say, this is what we need, but sadly they do not have it. Something must give, Mr. Speaker, and the money was there.
You are not giving them the staff, but you are holding them highly accountable. Why are you not performing? Why is this ministry not performing? Why is your department behind on this? Why has this not happened? I believe that directly correlates with the number of projects we see cancelled. This is our third supplementary, and in each supplementary we have had projects being cancelled or deferred, or the nice fancy term they like to use, re-sculpted. This project is being re-sculpted, but sadly many of those projects do not return to the budget.
In my questions, if we get to question time today, you will see where I point out that some 20 projects went out to tender in the last three weeks of the financial year. Think about that. Of the projects that survived chopping block supplementary number one, chopping block supplementary number two and chopping block supplementary number three, about six did not make it. The community parks and recreation facilities, $500,000, which is important and which we want to see happen in our constituencies, have been cut.
The construction of the community centre in Bottle Creek has been cut. I am sure the Honourable Minister wants that to happen, and we all want that to happen for the people in Bottle Creek. The community centre in The Bight has been cut out of the budget. Blue Hills signage project has been cut.
We know how important signs are on the roads, especially with the traffic issues. Renovations to the Fuller and Clementina Walkin Park have been cut. The Honourable Member has been asking for that for many sessions, and I hope it comes back for the people's sake. Very important works to the dumpsite, $730,000, have been cut at a time when refuse has increased dramatically, especially in Providenciales.
With all the new construction taking place around Providenciales, refuse has tripled. I do not know whether you considered the contract. The refuse has tripled, the contract remains the same, but the works that are needed are being cut out. How can we be tendering 20 projects in the month of March? You could not do it the entire year, but in March you are going to get 20 projects advertised and closed, with closing dates of March 4, March 6, March 8 and March 9.
Then you have to go to evaluation and the entire tendering process. You are going to speed that up with 20 projects in the last month of March. Is that efficiency? Is that the right way? A year has 52 weeks, and for 49 of those weeks these projects did not move anywhere to get to tender. In the last three weeks of the year, we see all these projects come out.
We had the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture community parks in Kew just go out, and I hope that is saved. The Ministry of Physical Planning roads and electrification development, causeway and spine road works, probably consultancy, just went out. Blue Hills Signage Project, Office of the Deputy Governor, Bus for Immigration. I heard the Premier mention Bus for Immigration.
That one just went out again. The Ministry of Finance Automatic Exchange of Information System, AEOI, just went out in the last three weeks of the year. Community signs in The Bight went out, but we are hearing that it is being cancelled. The Safe Spaces Project, Ministry of Education, went out in the last three weeks.
The mobile clinics for Blue Hills went out in the last three weeks, and we hope we can get some traction on that. Community Centre, The Bight, as I said. Ministry of Tourism, Sapodilla Bay development just going out; we know how important that is. People might say better late than never, but is this efficiency? Is this how we want our Government to be working in the 2025/2026 year, going into 2026/2027? Redevelopment of Bambarra Beach vendors market just went out in the last two weeks of the year.
Upgrades to the Grand Turk Fish Market just went out in the last two weeks of the year. The Airports Authority had some out; I will not go through them because that is statutory, but the automatic weather observation system just went out, janitorial service for TCIAA just went out, and furniture and equipment for the control tower just went out. Consultancy for roads, all islands, is just going out, at the time when we need it because we are formulating the budget and will be laying the new budget in the next couple of days. Maybe it is long-term and not considering the short-term; I do not know exactly what is going on there, but it is just going out.
Community roads, Providenciales, so important and so much needed, are just going out in the last two weeks of the financial year. Over the last couple of weeks, one of the number one things discussed in the country has been transportation, vehicles, roads, traffic jams and traffic accidents. Repairs to Grand Turk Police Station have been in the budget all year and are just going out in the last two weeks of the year. That is not efficiency at all. I was trying to think of an analogy when the Premier was speaking.
This one is a little violent, but it is based thousands of years ago. General Shang Tsung, when he was trying to prove his worth to the Emperor, said, give me the softest ladies in your harem and I can turn them into a small army. So the emperor gave him the concubines.
These ladies were laughing, and he taught them a couple of military stances, just two moves. He said, I am going to pick two leaders. You have one group and you have the next group. When the drum plays, get your persons organized. When the drum played, they laughed. He took his sword and cut off the leader's head. He told the next one, when the drum plays, get your soldiers in order. Everybody went to attention and everybody did their moves correctly.
The moral of the story is that if the instructions are not clear, it is the fault of the leader; but if the instructions were clear, it is the fault of the generals and managers. So I ask you, Ministers and Government, are your instructions clear to your Permanent Secretaries, directors and heads of departments?
If they are clear, it is not your fault; it is their fault. But if they are not clear and you are not running your ministries, it is directly your fault. You have to answer that. I will see in the coming days, going through the appropriations, which one it is, but I will give you a chance to self-assess.
Are your instructions to your ministries clear? If they are clear, we cannot say it is the Minister who did not do this or did not give instructions. But if they are not clear, it has to be at the top. I do not want the Premier to be like Shang Tsung and cut off anybody's head or say heads need to roll. I am not asking the Premier to do anything like that.
But if it is not clear, obviously it is the fault of the generals or the leaders. Looking at the supplementary, another thing stands out. In every one of the supplementaries we had to give money to NHIP. In every supplementary, money is being asked for NHIP. First we did a budget in April or May. Was this the money needed for the year, with all the projections? Yes. Did you take into consideration unforeseen events? Yes. Are you sure this is enough? Yes.
First supplementary, millions of dollars. Now is this enough? Yes, because we needed this to cover outstanding bills and everything. Second supplementary, millions of dollars again. Is this final? Is this money enough now? Yes, because last time we did not foresee this or that. Third supplementary, at the end of the financial year, $4 million-plus again to NHIP. We know that you cannot predict health outcomes, but we can do certain things to minimize them. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. We have to do more in preventative medicine and primary healthcare, because this is getting out of hand.
What is going on with treatment abroad? We have to do a review of what is going on there. The original budget was some $30 million-plus, then $11 million-plus, then I think $15 million, and then $4 million. In the upcoming days I will have the total figure, when the financial year ends and we see the exact amount that has been spent. Something is wrong there.
Again, are the instructions clear? Are the instructions coming from the head? Are they being filtered down? Are they being instituted? You were elected to lead the country. I do not like this role I am in, not because of opposition; I hate to be the person always looking for the negative. I prefer to be the person looking for the positive, but I am getting paid to look for the things that are not happening and bring them out. I chair the Public Accounts Committee.
I have to look at how people spend the money. I am on the Appropriations Committee. I have to see what value for money the people and the Government are getting for the money that is being asked for. In my role as Leader of the Opposition, I have to look at and give an account to the people of the things that are not taking place, that are not going right and that are not to their benefit.
Mr. Speaker, you know more than anyone that anything that is good for the people of this country I will be the first to support. Sadly, too many things are not happening correctly. Much has been said about efficiencies in Government, but these supplementaries do not just reflect a change in vision. This supplementary did not say Government changed its priorities.
We understand that Government priorities shift. We may want to move something because, instead of building a road that costs $5 million, we want to build one that costs $7 million; instead of having 10 police, we want 15; instead of having one boat, we want one boat on each island. Those things and unforeseen things happen. But this is not that.
This is not a change in priorities. This supplementary represents underspent, underutilized funds. We all know the story of the talents in the Bible, about the people who buried their talents when God gifted them. Honourable Members, you have been given a gift. You are Ministers. You are leaders in our country. It is a gift, one of the highest things that almost any of our citizens can get in terms of professional accolades. To be a Member of Parliament is an honour.
To be the Minister running a ministry for the Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands is an honour, and it has been one of my honours to be Minister of Health. Honourable Ministers, for God's sake, please run your ministries. Please give clear instructions so, at the end of the day, as Stephen A.
Smith says in sports, make sure it ain't you. If we lose the game or anything happens, make sure it ain't you. You do your job. Honourable Ministers, do your job so we will not have supplementary after supplementary that does not reflect a change in priorities or a change in Government interests.
This supplementary does not reflect that. The number of projects being cancelled does not reflect a change in priorities. The number of positions left vacant does not reflect a change in priorities. Something has to be done. I will have much more to say during budget time. The supplementaries are coming up. Let us see what happens. Honourable Ministers, let us do our job.
Honourable Members of the House and members of committees, let us do our job to the best of our ability. When they say, what do you do when you have done all you can, all you can do is stand. But Ministers and Members, make sure it ain't you. Thank you very much, Honourable Speaker.
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members. Before I begin, I offer condolences to all families mourning the loss of loved ones since we last met, and happy anniversaries and birthdays to all those who are celebrating. Mr. Speaker, I rise to make my contribution in support of the Supplementary Appropriation (2025/2026) (No. 3) Bill 2026. I do so with a heart of gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility, as the Department of Rehabilitation and Community Supervision, through the Ministry of Public Safety and Utilities, has been allocated $150,000 to support the newly established safe house for at-risk boys, covering safety precautions, repair works and fencing at the former Provost General's home, which has been purchased by the TCIG for at-risk boys.
This initiative is not just a line item in a budget; it is a lifeline. It is a declaration that we will not abandon our young men to the streets, to negative influences or to cycles of destructive behaviour. Instead, we are choosing intervention over indifference, guidance over neglect, and hope over despair. The safe house represents a proactive and transformative approach to youth development.
It provides structure, mentorship, counselling and a safe environment for young men who are most vulnerable, those standing at the crossroads between purpose and peril. If we are honest, many of these young men are not inherently bad; they are often misdirected, underserved and in need of positive reinforcement. This initiative allows us to reach them before they fall, to steady them before they stumble, and to restore them before they are lost. Scripture reminds us in Proverbs 22:6 to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
This safe house embodies that principle. It is an investment in training, nurturing and guiding our youth on to a path of righteousness and responsibility. I express sincere thanks to the Ministry of Finance and to Cabinet for recognizing the urgency and importance of this initiative. Their support demonstrates a shared commitment to safeguarding the future of our nation's young people.
Let us also be reminded of Matthew 19:14: Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven. In that same spirit, we must not hinder our young men by neglect or inaction, but create avenues where they can grow, be restored and realize their God-given potential. When we invest in our youth, we invest in the safety, stability and success of our country. This safe house is not just about rehabilitation; it is about redemption, restoration and a renewed sense of purpose.
I therefore lend my full support to this supplementary appropriation and commend this vital initiative to this honourable Parliament. May God continue to guide us as we build a safer and stronger Turks and Caicos Islands. I thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Honourable Member, for your contribution to this debate. The Chair recognizes the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs for his contribution.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon to you, to all my honourable colleagues in the House, to those in the gallery, and to the people across these Turks and Caicos Islands whom I proudly represent, from Gibbs Cay to West Caicos. I also convey condolences to all those persons across this country who are in mourning today. I think of the Stubbs family in The Bight, the family of the late Benjamin Stubbs, and the Delancey family on the huge loss of Mother Delancey, wife of Reverend Delancey in The Bight.
I also offer condolences to my son, as Mother Delancey was his grandmother, and to all the children and extended family. Mr. Speaker, I rise to lend my brief support to the Supplementary Appropriation (2025/2026) (No. 3) Bill 2026. This is my Bill and I support it. I want to touch on the three points raised by the Leader of the Opposition.
As we all know, supplementaries, especially at the end of a financial year, are not unusual, as the budget is a living and moving document that changes from time to time during the financial year. For many reasons, issues are encountered and governments have to make adjustments. This is the third supplementary before the House at the end of the financial year. The Leader of the Opposition again amazes me when he speaks to issues of the national budget as if he had never sat in a Cabinet and does not understand how the budget works.
He raised the issue of human resources. Yes, it is difficult to recruit in certain areas, as we are competing with other small island states and major countries for human resources in critical areas. From time to time, as in many years, departments cannot fill all their vacancies, but that does not mean the positions are not necessary. When he tells the public that some of these positions will come back in the new budget, of course they will, because they are critical positions and government must continue to make every effort to fill them.
It is not a lack of management in one's ministry; it is a national and regional recruiting issue. He also raised projects. There are many dynamics in taking a project from one point to another. Sometimes we have to tender and retender, because a project may be put out three or four times and no one applies.
Those entrusted with moving projects forward must follow procedures, and that takes time. Everybody knows that the procurement process in the Turks and Caicos Islands is tedious, and my Government is doing everything it can to reduce the process. At the end of the financial year, the Ordinance gives a government room to move priorities around and do what it must to save a project. Unlike what they used to do, we do not like to throw away anything.
We try our best to save everything. We do our best to reprioritize and get the best outcome in the interests of the people of this country, and that is why we are here this evening. I say to my colleagues, especially those not on the front bench, that we are not throwing away their projects. Many of them, most of them, will come back, and we will continue to adjust until we deliver them.
Finally, he raised the issue of NHIB and treatment abroad. Everyone in this country knows that treatment abroad is an albatross with which this Government is contending. It is moving for many reasons: the country is growing, more people are part of the process, and the cost is trending upwards to a colossal $62 million and climbing. The Leader of the Opposition asked what we are doing about it. At the State of the State, the Premier made it clear.
He said that he wanted to see what the numbers would be, and he also announced measures we are putting in place. We have acquired a top-notch facility to help with primary care and to help deal with issues in-house so that people do not have to reach the point of treatment abroad.
Most of all, to alleviate the burden, we announced that we will no longer carry the burden of treatment abroad for work permit holders in our country. We are doing something about it, Honourable Leader of the Opposition. Yes, it is a problem, and we are dealing with it. One may surmise that $40 million will be needed, but that does not mean the outcome will be that.
The Leader of the Opposition also closed by using the biblical story of the talents. This Government does not bury anything. That is why we are here, saving what we can and reprioritizing in the best interests and for the benefit of our people. We are not the one with the one talent that buries it when the master comes.
That is why they sent us back and will send us back again: because we take the five and make it ten, and we take the two and make it four. This Government may not be perfect, but we continue every day to do what is right and in the best interests of this country. This third supplementary moves the needle. I fully support the supplementary Bill.
Thank you, and I bid you good afternoon.
Thank you very much, Honourable Member, for your contribution to this debate. Are there any further contributions? The Chair recognizes the Honourable Minister of Education for her contribution.
Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker, to my parliamentary team members, to those in the gallery, and to the beautiful people of Electoral District 9, Five Cays, South Dock and Chalk Sound. Before I speak specifically to the supplementary budget, let me respond to the narrative of the Honourable Leader of the Opposition on holding Ministers and their teams accountable for projects under their remit.
We all know that when funds are appropriated or reappropriated to another ministry, responsibility is clearly defined under our public finance and governance framework. Once the appropriation is approved by this Honourable House and authorized by Cabinet, the receiving ministry assumes full responsibility for the project. The Minister of that ministry is politically accountable to Parliament, while the Permanent Secretary, as accounting officer, is administratively and financially responsible for execution of the project in accordance with the Financial Management Ordinance, financial regulations, procurement laws and Cabinet decisions. Many projects, especially capital projects, happen in partnership with other ministries.
Ministers do not manage projects on a day-to-day basis. That responsibility properly rests with Permanent Secretaries and technical officers who oversee procurement, implementation, compliance and value for money. Ultimate accountability to this House rests with the Minister. Across ministries, in partnership with Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, our PSAs or Deputy Secretaries responsible for capital projects meet biweekly with the PPID team to review the status of projects and ensure that, where gaps exist, relevant measures are put in place.
As a proactive Cabinet, we speak frequently to the lead persons on our projects to find out where they are and what challenges they are experiencing. Although Ministers are not directly responsible for the day-to-day work, I guarantee that Ministers on this side make a concerted effort to ensure that, where support is needed, we intervene. We do not sit back as the others used to do. That is why it is important to reappropriate funding in the best interests of our people.
It is also important to address tenders not being successful. In several cases projects could not proceed, not because of inaction or mismanagement, but because no bids were received when invitations to tender closed, or because the bids received did not meet the required technical or compliance standards. I remember when the Minister with responsibility for Leeward and Long Bay was Minister of PPID. As MP for my constituency, I went out and found my people with contractor business licences and invited them to meetings hosted by that Minister to guide them through the tendering process.
I encourage the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands to get the relevant information and know what is required so that they can become successful bidders. Pre-tendering meetings take place; bidders are encouraged and given opportunities to ask questions and receive relevant information. It is important for the people of this country to understand the dynamics of the tendering process and the work we do as Ministers. I will not allow anyone to say that our Permanent Secretaries and technical teams are not doing their jobs. At the same time, I believe we can always reevaluate what we do to fill gaps.
I will not sit here and allow the Leader of the Opposition to paint a picture that we are not doing anything in Cabinet or in our ministries to ensure that projects materialize. Government cannot and should not award contracts where there is no competition, non-compliance with procurement requirements, or failure to meet technical thresholds. To do so would undermine transparency, value for money and public trust.
Where the market does not respond or contractors fail to meet standards, the responsible course is to pause, reassess and, where necessary, retender or reappropriate funds. Reappropriation in these circumstances is not an abdication of responsibility; it is prudent, lawful and transparent. It responds to market realities and ensures that public funds are spent only where projects can be delivered properly and in the public interest. That is the standard this Government upholds, and that is the basis on which accountability is exercised.
I now rise to support the Supplementary Appropriation (2025/2026) (No. 3) Bill 2026 and to provide clarity on the adjustments being made, particularly in relation to capital projects and human resource matters within the Ministry of Education. As the Premier stated, Cabinet was invited to approve a decrease in the appropriation for the Public Sector Investment Programme for the financial year, a net reduction of a little over $3 million. That assessment determined that a number of capital projects should be deferred to a future financial year. In some instances, no bids were received, and we had to do the right thing and reappropriate.
Turning specifically to the ministry with responsibility for sport, an amount of $500,000 was allocated for the development of community parks. During this financial year, the projects for Juba Sound Park and Back Salina Park were tendered and evaluated, but no tender resulted in a successful bidder. We were subsequently advised that there was insufficient time remaining in this financial year to retender these projects. The Leader of the Opposition also spoke of the Kew project, but that was tendered and not one bid came in.
These are issues we have to address by encouraging more of our people to bid on capital projects. Where possible, funding should be made available again in the new financial year, because constituents in those communities are looking for the opportunity to develop safe spaces. We hope those projects will be retendered. These parks are essential community spaces, and the Ministry remains committed to delivering them in a timely and effective manner.
I now address human resource matters, as they have directly influenced expenditure patterns and service delivery. We have been able to reappropriate additional savings across my ministry due to late resignations within our schools, which affected recruitment timelines and salary outturns. I congratulate my Permanent Secretary, Mr. James Astwood, and my team for their effectiveness in the recruitment process. Not all of the headcounts reflected are from the beginning of the year; some were given additional funding in the second supplementary.
Applications were received for several critical posts, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and behaviour analyst. Unfortunately, successful candidates for occupational therapy, behaviour analyst and speech and language pathologist declined offers after accepting them. Situations like this happen, and it is important for the country to understand where we are. I am pleased to report, however, that one speech and language pathologist, who was already in the country working in Grand Turk in partnership with Therapy Abroad, applied for the position, and that position has now been filled.
Although that person moved to serve Providenciales and North Caicos, Therapy Abroad has reassigned another specialist, so the Grand Turk space has also been filled. In our ministry, and in this Government, we are intentional about what we do. Although the behaviour analyst position has not yet been permanently filled, the Ministry has taken proactive steps to ensure that services are not disrupted. We have partnered with Oasis ABA, owned by our very own Melisha Williams, which continues to support the Ministry in delivering behaviour analyst services to our students, and the numbers being served have increased. Members of this Honourable House were also able to meet a team of five professionals this morning from the One World Foundation, including behaviour therapists and occupational therapists.
They are here for one week. Today they are in South Caicos, tomorrow they will be in the nation's capital, on Wednesday they will be in North Caicos to serve students in North and Middle Caicos, and on Thursday and Friday they will return to Providenciales. Parents interested in an assessment for their child can contact us. Looking ahead, in May, Therapy Abroad will conduct its annual speech camp, and in July, neuropsychological therapy services will be provided in partnership with Breakthrough Therapeutic Concepts.
I say this because it is important for the country to understand that, in the absence of those two skills, we have been intentional in continuing service so that we can build capacity within our students. This Government remains intentional in building long-term service capacity. We currently have a number of students studying abroad in key areas such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, and psychology, and we look forward to welcoming them home between 2026 and 2028 to strengthen service delivery and continue developing our human capital. When the Leader of the Opposition speaks, he pushes his chest out, so we have to bring clarity to it all.
Our people need to understand where we are. To further clarify the Ministry's human resource position, the following vacancies are currently being actively advertised: a cleaner for the library, an assistant teacher at Ianthe Pratt Primary School, and a security officer at Helena Jones Robinson High School. Recruitment is also in progress for several key posts approved under the second supplementary appropriations. These were recently funded.
The positions include a special needs teacher for Oseta Jolly Primary School, because we have seen an increase in the number of students assessed and we are putting mechanisms in place to address that; a graduate teacher in information technology for North and Middle Caicos, so that one teacher does not have to run between North Caicos and Middle Caicos; and a music teacher for Eliza Simons Primary School, which was once shared with Ona Glinton Primary School.
That is where the second supplementary comes in, so when the country sees the large headcount, it should understand the context.
The large headcount, Mr Speaker, is the reason I had to justify the position, because the Leader of the Opposition said that ministers are responsible. The country must understand where we stand. I also want to mention that in Electoral District 9 we have an additional $50,000 to support the Chalk Sound sidewalks, and an additional $100,000 under my ministry for the sports field in South Caicos. I know they will be quite happy. I take this opportunity to commend the Minister with responsibility for Public Safety and Utilities for the additional funding this Government has given him under his department, in the amount of $150,000, for the rehabilitation programme. This supplementary appropriation reflects responsible financial management, prudent decision making and a clear commitment to meeting the needs of our people, both now and in the future.
I stand to say that I support this Bill. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Honourable Member, for your contribution. Are there any further contributions? There being no further contributions, I call on the Honourable Premier to wrap up the debate and to commit this Bill to the Committee on Supply. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank my colleagues and the Leader of the Opposition for his critique. This is really a wrapping-up exercise at the end of the financial year, and I think we ought to focus our attention on the positive outcome. The classification of expenditure in relation to vacancies in the public service that have not been filled, whether as savings or otherwise, is just that.
The reality is that funds have been released at the end of this financial year so that we can apply them in other places. In that regard, I look at the adjustments proposed in the supplementary, primarily those seven items on pages 1 and 2. The compulsory land acquisition of $11.9 million is important. I would not want to give particular details of all of it at the moment, but it is a known fact that, for many years, TCIG Crown land was going out in one direction.
Today, in order to provide proper housing opportunities and other opportunities for Turks and Caicos Islanders, we find ourselves having to buy back land. We are in the throes of establishing a mortgage corporation and a housing entity to provide affordable housing for our people, which is one of the greatest needs. In some cases, the housing situation may even be considered a crisis. We therefore need to look at the positive side of the reallocation of funds that we can spend in the current period, or green light in this period for immediate expenditure.
The increase of $280,000 is to meet higher than anticipated rental costs. Turks and Caicos has come, in less than 50 years, to where it has taken some countries 100 or even 200 years to come. That has a lot to do with the welcoming experience and investment promotional activities of past and present Governments. Government has expanded, the need for accommodation has expanded, and proper accommodation is important.
It was important for us to provide assistance of $1 million to our neighbour Jamaica during the storm, and also during the more recent storm in Providenciales. We could have found ourselves, unless funds were made available, fighting an epidemic of norovirus or some other illness more serious than that. The Honourable Minister for Safety also spoke to the allocation of $150,000 to the Providenciales Children's Home, which is critical to the support and rehabilitation of our young men. I return to the Treatment Abroad Programme.
I can speak to that for a long time, but I want this Parliament and the Turks and Caicos Islands community to know that we have huge issues to deal with, including ultimately the transition of the Turks and Caicos Islands hospitals back under the control of the Turks and Caicos Islands Government. I believe the Treatment Abroad Programme has been abused, and to some extent we as legislators and parliamentarians may have contributed to that abuse and to a culture that we should send everybody abroad who has a headache, a cut finger or heart palpitations. We have to face the reality that that is not sustainable. We are also in a challenging set of negotiations, and sometimes confrontational negotiations, about how we extract ourselves from a contract that has not delivered on its promise to make healthcare better and more affordable.
It would be hard to say that healthcare in this country has not improved. It has evolved over the years and, for a small country, we probably have some of the best opportunities for good healthcare services in the Caribbean, including the ability to travel abroad. But the treatment abroad programme has been abused and is part of the challenge we face. At the same time, we cannot stop providing that service.
We recognise that it is not sustainable when treatment abroad alone is more than $61 million a year, and that does not include the public or private contributions made to healthcare. Spending $61 million on treatment abroad alone is not sustainable. We are trying to get our arms around it, but we cannot ignore the fact that people do get sick. As parliamentarians, we do not have direct control over who is sent abroad, except to agree that it is not sustainable, that it may be abused, and that we need to come to grips with it.
That is $4.5 million. There will also always be claims against Government, amounting to more than $2 million. These are obligations that we have to take care of. The fact that we had savings and were able to reprioritise them to projects and expenditure, whether capital or recurrent, so that they can be spent or appropriated within the current cycle, is a positive thing.
There have been cost savings, and I am not going to pretend that all of those savings are the result of efficiency. It would send the wrong message to the public to say that. We should all be magnanimous enough, regardless of which side of the table we sit on, to admit that much of this does not always have to do with savings through efficiency. This is a young country with a lot of growing to do.
We have invested heavily in human capital development because we want to improve efficiency. We have savings because of a lack of efficiency that we can apply elsewhere, but we also have savings because of efficiency. Both work together, and we now have funds that can be applied to priority areas. Some projects have been on the books for a long time and keep having to be postponed.
Some relate to the constituency of Blue Hills, but there are issues such as encroachment on private property and a number of other complications. I expected the Minister for PPID to make a few comments, but there are reasons why some of these things are not done when they are supposed to be done, and why we keep allocating and reallocating funding for them. If we were not serious about getting them done, we would not be reallocating money for them. It shows that there are challenges we still have to overcome.
I understand that the Leader of the Opposition would not be doing his job if he were not making every attempt to hold the Government's feet to the fire, and I do not fault him for that. But, as someone with experience on this side of the table, I say that it is not simply a matter of allocating money and having it drawn down and spent. If I had the ability, I would cut out a lot of the bureaucracy, because I think some of it is unnecessary. In some cases, we need to do a value chain analysis to remove steps from these processes, but even that will take time and money.
Because of our experience, we have become so risk-averse. Nobody wants to take a risk. We have become a punishment-led culture rather than one that facilitates and enables. The pendulum has swung entirely to the other side, and sometimes, while the house may be burning down, we are not able to buy water to put the fire out. We have become a country laden with legal and pedantic issues rather than a practical way of dealing with problems.
While our relationship with the United Kingdom is very important, I believe we ought to, and we are trying to, unwind the system, because in some cases it has been too tightly wound and impedes the ability to deliver. On the other hand, we must ensure transparency and accountability in Government, because there are still rumours and complaints about pockets within Government where the level of corruption is unacceptable. While I understand risk aversion, as a politician I do not have the same level of risk aversion as an accounting officer at the highest level of Government. I appreciate their position, but it is sometimes very frustrating to get things done.
The Leader of the Opposition contributes to this, because he knows that we are not accounting officers. We allocate money to the public purse and then depend on accounting officers and other technical people to assist us, and even some of those people get frustrated with the system. We have a challenge that we must deal with collectively. One thing that can help is how we deal with the digitalisation of Government.
A computer does not know who is on the other side, so it cannot discriminate, make arbitrary decisions or decide whether to hold out a hand for a graft. If the programme says that you have to pay $1 million, it does not matter who you are; you pay $1 million. We still have a long way to go, but we have to agree as a people that, if we are going to deliver for the public, we must be realistic about two things: the use of technology, and recognising talent wherever it shows up. Simply putting people into administrative positions is not doing them or the country any good when the focus ought to be on service delivery. To the extent that the public is inconvenienced by the fact that, as a Government, elected and unelected, there is still much to do to improve the system, I regret that it has taken time.
We are working to address those issues so that service delivery can be more efficient and effective. When I return in a few weeks to deliver the budget for 2026-27, I will speak more clearly about some of those issues, the things we are doing and the progress we are making to improve service delivery. At this juncture, I express my thanks to the Budget Office and to the Ministry of Finance in particular. Amid the lack of performance in many parts of Government, there is admirable performance, sleepless nights and dedication by a large sector of the public service to deliver for the people of these islands. To those who wake up every morning with the only intention of doing the best job they can, I tip my hat.
I meet more of those people than the others. There are people who take credit for other people's work, and there are people who create the credit. For those who are creating the credit in Government, and more and more I see them rising to the top like cream, I tip my hat to them. I do not produce these numbers; I make policy.
There is a young lady in the Budget Office with whom I am very impressed. Sometimes all young people need is to be given a chance, and I must call out Lakeia Lewis for the wonderful job she is doing as a young woman in the Budget Office. Of course, I think we all know that PS Harvey is a workhorse. I thank them all, and everyone else who contributes to the smooth running of Government and who shows up every day to do the best they can. I commend this supplementary to this Parliament. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the bill entitled— sorry, sir, I have to commit the bill. Mr. Speaker, I am told by my able Attorney General that the bill stands committed to the Committee of Supply. With that, pursuant to Standing Order 107, along with the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure, I move that this bill be referred to the Committee of Supply.
Thank you very much, Honourable Premier and Honourable Members. As the Supplementary Appropriations 2025-2026 (No. 2) Bill 2026 stands committed, I would now like to suspend this Honourable Parliament and call on the Honourable Deputy Speaker to preside in the Committee of Supply. This Honourable Parliament is hereby suspended.
The Committee of Supply will now consider the Supplementary Appropriations 2025-2026 (No. 2) Bill 2026.
Good afternoon again, Honourable Members. We are in the Committee of Supply to scrutinise the bill entitled Supplementary Appropriations 2025-2026 (No. 2) Bill 2026. Madam Clerk.
Head of Expenditure 01, Office of the Governor, $7,558,610.37. Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $7,558,610.37 be part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Attorney General and seconded by the Minister of Home Affairs that the amount of $7,558,610.37 stand part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $7,558,610.37 stand part of the schedule. All in favour, aye.
Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Head of Expenditure 03, Police, $40,854,880.21. Honourable Attorney General.
Madam Chair, I move that the amount of $40,854,880.21 now stand as part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Attorney General and seconded by the Minister of Utilities that the amount of $40,854,880.21 stand part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $40,854,880.21 stand part of the schedule. All in favour, aye.
Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Grateful, Madam Chair. I move that the sum of $7,665,462.40 now stand as part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Attorney General and seconded by the Minister of Education that the amount of $7,665,462.40 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions?
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I would submit to you that during the appropriations, because of perceivable conflicts, I could not ask the accounting officer for the Attorney General so many questions, so I refrained from asking direct questions. However, since the Attorney General is here, I can ask about the vacancies that I am very concerned about, knowing the importance of the work that the Attorney General Chambers does for the country and for the Government.
I see six vacancies. How is your department functioning with these six vacancies, and are we expecting more persons in the new financial year? Will these six be returned or removed?
I am grateful, Madam Chair, to the Honourable Leader of the Opposition for his questions. These six vacancies have been advertised; in fact, many of them, all of them, more than once. It is a similar situation to what has been indicated by the Honourable Minister for Education. In one case, the Executive Director position got all the way to waiting for the individual to take up the position before it was declined.
In the case of the Senior Parliamentary Counsel, the same thing occurred. We waited some months, I think three months, for the person to arrive through the migrant health process, only for the person to cancel at the very last moment. In the case of Senior Crown Counsel for Litigation, the same thing occurred. We continue to advertise these positions.
They are out in the current batch of advertisements. For the Senior Parliamentary Counsel, we have had interviews, and up to last week we were interviewing. We believe that we will be able to fill at least one of those positions during this financial year, but the others we will continue to fill. To answer the question from the Honourable Leader of the Opposition as to how we are coping without them, it is very challenging.
In the case of the Senior Parliamentary Counsel, as an example, I believe it is well known in these quarters that the Government's legislative agenda is quite ambitious. What we have had to resort to is that the two Parliamentary Counsel who remain in office are doing the same thing that the Honourable Premier mentioned: very late hours and working on the weekends. This weekend, they were working every day and up early this morning. I think my first email from Parliamentary Counsel was after 7 o'clock this morning.
They are working many more hours than they are being paid to work. In terms of the litigation, it is the same story. Without these posts being filled, everyone is impacted. Others who are working in the office are often working many long hours, regularly on weekends and public holidays, and way past the time that they can reasonably be expected to stop working.
It is having an impact, and we really do want to fill these positions. We are doing all that we can. For some of these, we are now looking for targeted advertisement avenues, including paying to advertise in some areas where we think there might be more fertile soil. It is a good question, Honourable Leader of the Opposition.
There is a high demand for legal services in the Government, all of the services that are set out here and represented by the six vacancies. We continue to try to fill these vacancies. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Honourable Attorney General. You have a follow-up? Go ahead with the question.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I wanted clarification on something that maybe can help the Honourable Minister of Health and also other ministries and departments. Some of the people, one of the persons who had declined, you said after selection and your recommendation it took about three months. Just clarify that for me: within that three months after selection, did the person decline?
Thank you, Madam Chair, and to the Honourable Leader of the Opposition. We had that occur three times: once in respect of the Executive Director, another in respect of the Senior Parliamentary Counsel, and another in respect of Senior Crown Counsel for Litigation. All three were different persons in three different places. We had gone through the recruitment process, gone to the Public Service Commission, it was agreed there, the offer had been made to the individual, the individual accepted the offer, and they began the migrant health process.
The migrant health process takes a while, and during that process, when we were merely waiting for the arrival of the person, they indicated that they were no longer coming down to the Turks and Caicos. You can imagine that that was quite disappointing, because we were building resources and plans around those persons and were not, at that stage, looking for other persons to fill the positions because we understood that those individuals were coming. It has been quite disruptive. I would like, as the Premier did, to say to the remaining staff profound thanks for the hard work and yeoman's work that they are doing.
I used to say they were not grumbling, but they are grumbling a little bit now. It is really because they are working very hard, and we are very keen to fill these positions.
Thank you, Honourable Attorney General. Are there any further contributions? There being no further contributions, the question is that the amount of $7,665,462.40 stand part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk. Head of Expenditure 05, Judiciary, $9,804,613.55. Honourable Attorney General.
Grateful, Madam Chair. I move that the sum of $9,804,613.55 now stand as part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Attorney General and seconded by the Minister of Education that the amount of $9,804,613.55 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $9,804,613.55 stand part of the schedule.
All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk. Head of Expenditure 14, Statutory Charges, $123,401,059.64. Honourable Premier.
Chair, I move that the sum of $123,401,059.64 stand part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Minister of Public Safety that the amount of $123,401,059.64 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Those to the contrary? The ayes have it. Are there any contributions?
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Through you, Madam Chair, I want to look at—
Before the Leader of the Opposition proceeds, I have an amendment to make to the Development Fund contribution. Where is this?
The key will come in. This will be revised estimates.
Thank you, Madam Chair. The Leader of the Opposition has gone out of the room. Just so that our members understand, if we go to 3.6 in the Budget Booklet, you will see that the Development Fund is made up of a number of items totalling $46,566,943. Do you see that?
Leader of the Opposition, look on page 3.6 of the Budget Booklet, at the bottom of the page, with a total under the Development Fund of $46,889,961. That is the figure for 2025-2026.
I am proposing a change. If you go to the long sheet on the statutory charges—
Thank you. The change has already been made in the bill, so if you go to the page that I gave you—
If you go to the page that I gave you, you will see— where is the change here? We do not show it.
The change is in the sum of $375,000 that I referred to during my speech. That number of $46,889,961 decreases by the fund withdrawal of $375,000, resulting in a final figure of $46,514,961. If you have the long sheet where it says Revised 2025-2026, you may notice that there is no number there. If you look at where it says statutory charge on the Development Fund, you see the number $46,889,961, and then you see the decrease of $375,000.
But in the line that says Revised 2025-2026, it is blank. When you take the $375,000 from the $46,889,961, it gives you $46,514,961. That is the deferral of project 0055796, the bus for immigration, and the Safe Spaces Project. Those two projects are cancelled or withdrawn.
If you go to the other line, Claims Against Government, where there is a figure of 19—where is the 19?
Commissioner and colleagues, if you go back to that sheet, I apologize, but where it says—first of all, I want you to correct the code number. The code number there should be 14-06-19-37501. You will see it on page 3.7, at the top of the page. Where it says revised allocation 2025-2026, that number is $19,225,000. It should be $18,850,000. We are under revised allocation for 2025-2026.
The $375,000 is an increase, which is really a counter-entry to the previous entry. It is an increase of $375,000, making the total under the revised 2025-2026 to $19,225,000. So where it has $19,600,000, that should be $19,225,000.
Yes, thank you very much. Through the Chair, with the statutory charges, the line item for land acquisition, can the Honourable Premier tell us as much as possible about the land or properties that are being acquired on behalf of the people, and their intended use?
I will do my best to give you as much detail as I can without telegraphing any information to the public that may be in conflict with what we are trying to achieve.
You are bringing forward $6 million for Family Healthcare in Grand Turk that you are purchasing, and then land property—remedy property—that you can use for the investment. You are dealing with that $6 million from Family Healthcare under land acquisition.
Thank you. Honourable Leader of the Opposition, thank you for your question. I can give you some indicative numbers. We have acquired Family Healthcare, so we are bringing forward from that purchase about $6 million for the balance on that purchase. As part of the project that we are working on to accommodate the MSC investment, the Government is acquiring some private land in that area, which will be needed to facilitate the MSC project. There is also a particular parcel of property that we are acquiring in Providenciales to support the local water sports community in Provo. Those three acquisitions amount to the $11-plus million.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Honourable Leader of the Opposition, do you have a follow-up? Thank you. Are there any further contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $123,401,059.64 stands part of the schedule. All in favour say aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Head of Expenditure 16, Office of the Deputy Premier and Ministry of Immigration and Border Services, $24,294,130.04.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $24,294,130.40 now stands part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Deputy Premier and seconded by the Minister of Public Safety that the amount of $24,294,130.40 stands part of the schedule. All in favour say aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions?
Madam Chair, just go ahead with your question. Sorry, if we turn to the expenditure long sheet, the recurrent expenditure, I just wanted to note two changes that were made. Under code 16-172-34401, the revised allocation 2025-2026 of $200,553 has an increase of $90,000, for a revised allocation of $290,553. I also note the additional change under code 16-096-34305, revised allocation 2025-2026 of $827,813, decreased by $29,873, with the revised 2025-2026 figure now $797,940.
I am noting those two changes, Madam Chair.
Okay, thank you. Are there any contributions? Honourable Leader of the Opposition.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. One of my concerns, and I want to place it to the Minister, is that there are 27 vacancies and a large number of persons on administrative leave, excluding the 27 vacancies. Honourable Minister, what is going on there, and how do you plan to address that in the new financial year?
Thank you for the question, Honourable Leader of the Opposition. Sorry, not VBID, Border Force. Honourable Deputy Premier.
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks for the question, Leader of the Opposition. In terms of those persons currently on administrative leave, they are going through the various processes and, of course, persons are innocent until proven guilty. That is taking its course, and I would not be in a position to comment publicly on each of those matters. Hopefully, in due course, those will be resolved one way or the other.
In terms of the vacancies in general, as has been stated several times in the responses so far, we too have those same challenges. We hope that recruitment will take place and that we can get the requisite number of persons recruited within the next fiscal year, ideally early in the fiscal year. Thank you.
Thank you, Honourable Deputy Premier. Leader of the Opposition, do you have a follow-up?
Yes. Through the Chair, can the Honourable Minister say how many persons are on administrative leave and from which departments?
Through the Chair, can the Honourable Minister say how many persons are on administrative leave and from which departments or units?
Thank you for the question. There are currently 14 persons on administrative leave: one person from the Employment Services Department and the others from Border Force. Thank you.
Thank you, Honourable Minister. Are there any further contributions? Madam—Honourable Leader of the Opposition—sorry, elected member for South Caicos.
Through you, Madam Chair, to the Minister, the question is: can the Minister state for the record whether the persons on administrative leave are on leave due to the Integrity Commission, or whether this is a Government leave and the Integrity Commission is finished?
A point of clarification: are we talking about medical leave, vacation leave or administrative leave, so I understand? Sorry about that.
Thank you very much. There are essentially three levels or categories. Some are being investigated by the Integrity Commission, some are being investigated by the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, and some are being investigated internally within the Ministry. Thank you for your question.
I do not have the breakdown for each, but it is 14 in total. I can assure you of that, but it is spread across those three. Thank you.
Yes, Madam Chair. During the appropriations, we saw a figure of $120,000 in relation to the CARICOM full membership initiative, which was really surprising to me. I was wondering whether wide consultation on the CARICOM full membership initiative has taken place, and how this $120,000 is supposed to be used.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Essentially, the $120,000 initially would have been the increase if we were granted full membership, but that is being pulled back at this time as we are establishing the accession task force, which will pursue the full membership initiative. That will roll into the new fiscal year. It was initially anticipated that this year we would have been in a position to pay the full membership fees, but the accession task force has to be set up first.
That will lead on that initiative.
Yes, Madam Chair. My concern is whether there has been wide consultation, because I know my feelings were not checked on full membership of CARICOM. I am just one person, but I am wondering whether full membership is what Turks and Caicos Islanders are asking for. Is this feedback that your Government has received from the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands, to pursue full membership of CARICOM?
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks for the question, Mr. Leader of the Opposition. Essentially, we had to make the policy decision first, which is to pursue full membership. That was step one. Step two will be the establishment of the accession task force, which will do all of the stakeholder engagements and town hall meetings, so that we will be in a position to engage properly with CARICOM on any finalized negotiated position.
We will get that feedback. Again, the first step was the policy decision to pursue full membership. Those full stakeholder engagements will take place over the coming months, and we will ensure that you are invited so that you can give your personal feedback in your capacity as Leader of the Opposition, as well as in your capacity as a voting member for the Grand Turk
South Salt Cay constituency.
Thank you, Honourable Deputy Premier. Seventh All-Island Member, go ahead with your contribution.
I have a question for the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, how would Turks and Caicos Islanders benefit from being a member of CARICOM?
Thank you very much for the question, Honourable Seventh All-Island Member. There are a few things off the top, and I will not go too deeply into them. First, with increased regional integration, we will have a better opportunity to participate in decision-making when it comes to regional security initiatives, of which we are part. We would have benefited in recent years from our engagement directly with the Bahamas as well as Jamaica in securing several technical or tactical officers who assisted us in quelling crime.
From a disaster management standpoint, we are presently participating states of CDEMA, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, but we do not fully benefit from all of the resources that are made available to all participating states, given that we are not full members of CDEMA. Additionally, there is the overall opportunity to shape our present and future diplomats on that stage and to be engaged in regional decision-making, to shape what is happening within our region.
Those are three things, in summary, from which we will be able to benefit more. I also reiterate for the listening public that, as part of our request for full membership, we are not entertaining the free movement initiative when it comes to labour in the Caribbean single market economy. There are examples that already exist within CARICOM of countries that have not signed on to that particular protocol, and that is a non-starter for us at this point. In the pursuit of full membership, that was one of the things we agreed we would not want to sign on to. As many people would know and see, there are a number of current full member countries within CARICOM that have not instituted the full Caribbean single market economy.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Honourable Deputy Premier, for that answer. Honourable Leader of the Opposition, go ahead with your contribution.
Yes, I thank you very much, Madam Chair. One last clarification: in essence, if the feedback from the consultation is that the people do not want full membership, will the Government change course, or will the Government intend to change course if that is the overwhelming feedback?
Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you for the question, Mr. Leader of the Opposition. Given that it is a hypothetical question, I will not pre-empt what the feedback from the public will be, nor will I pre-empt what my Cabinet colleagues will decide based on the hypothetical feedback that we may or may not get. What I would say is that hopefully everybody engages beyond social media or chat groups when that opportunity is presented to them. Thank you.
Thank you. Just a correction on the amount: there was a 4 missing. If I can move the correct number into the committee, I would be grateful. If I could move that one more time, even though we discussed it, if that is possible.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I formally move again that the sum of $24,294,130.44 now stand part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Deputy Premier and seconded by the Minister of Health that the amount of $24,294,130.44 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. We have a question from the Eighth All-Island Member.
Yes, a question for the Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier, was there something specific that stimulated consideration of moving to full membership of CARICOM?
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks for the question, Madam Eighth All-Island Member of Parliament. This is something that has been looked into since 2022, going into 2023, when we requested the entrustment letter from the UK to be in a position to pursue full membership and to engage in the region more actively. That is around the time we had our first Minister with responsibility for CARICOM and Regional Affairs, who was my predecessor in this role. Over the last several years, we have been trying to get clarity on where we are today, which is to push for full membership, and now we are in a position to set up the accession committee to properly explore it with the people.
Overall, I think it is a good thing. We are in the region. It is better to be at the table than in the so-called bleachers watching what is taking place. There are benefits and, of course, drawbacks, as with any organisation, but I think this is the right move. Again, this is something that we have been contemplating for some time. It just happens that we are now in the position to move forward with it.
Honourable Deputy Premier, you were at the meeting at CARICOM. Did you feel comfortable that this is something that we should be a part of?
Thank you, Madam Chair, and thanks for the question, Madam Seventh All-Island Member of Parliament. The short answer is yes.
Thank you. Are there any further contributions? If you have a question on CARICOM, this is going to be the last one we will take on this matter.
Just one last question on CARICOM. Is it easy to get out if there is something that does not benefit us while we are in?
Thank you for that question. Yes, it is just as easy to get out, because it is legislation you would have to enter into for the initial agreement. You can revoke or withdraw your membership if a future government chooses to. Thank you.
Great question, by the way. Thank you so much for the answer. Are there any further contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $24,294,130.44 stand part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk. Head of Expenditure 54, Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Trade, $31,919,201.23.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $31,919,201.23 stand part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Minister of Home Affairs that the amount of $31,919,201.23 stand part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? The Chair recognises the Leader of the Opposition.
Yes, sorry, Madam Chair, I lost where I was. I was trying to find the figure on consultancy, and I was wondering why those critical consultants or consultancies did not take place in this financial year. I could not find the figure fast enough.
What is he looking for? If you go with me to 3.12, items 3.04 and 3.05, you will see that the consultancy in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development, Investment and Trade will be fully spent. The revised estimate is $4.5 million, and that is scheduled to be fully spent. As you notice, there are no additions or deductions from that number.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Leader of the Opposition, do you have a follow-up question?
Yes, sorry about that. I think it is for the Premier's Office. I will bring it back to the Honourable Premier when we reach the Premier's Office.
Madam Chair, thank you. Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $5,219,789.29 now stand part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Attorney General and seconded by the Minister of Health that the amount of $5,219,789.29 stand part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions?
Yes, ma'am. Through the Chair, Madam Chair, as we all know, the Attorney General does not work for, and is not a representative directly of, the Deputy Governor's Office. However, I will ask her to answer the questions as best she can. Madam Chair, during our deliberations, we were told that a total of 233 vacancies exist across the civil service, with 30 awaiting onboarding and 53 awaiting Public Service Commission approval. That is 233 vacancies across the entire Government at the end of the financial year. However, we were also informed that the average time takes six to eight weeks.
But from talking to administrative staff and accounting officers, we know that this has not been the experience. What policies or recommendations are going forward? I think the Premier alluded to some things that may take place in order to cut this down in the new financial year, so that we do not come to the end of the financial year with 233 vacancies and the total time for approval is actually six to eight weeks, and not the experience of accounting officers who sometimes view the whole process as taking much longer.
Thank you very much, Honourable Chair, and to the Honourable Leader of the Opposition for his question. Honourable Leader of the Opposition, I see what you have said reflected in the report from the committee. What I have also seen here and experienced is that improvements are being implemented, such as digital platforms and providing greater efficiencies with them, along with other efforts being made to improve recruitment, but it remains a challenge. I know that the majority of these vacancies are in areas that are notoriously difficult to recruit, such as teaching and policing, with which we always struggle, and I know that a lot of effort is being made to fill those positions.
The important details contained on page 9 of the appropriations report are relevant. It appears that these things are being actively pursued as a means of improving on the recruitment gaps and challenges faced. It talks about HRMD actively working to fill these roles through a structured and transparent recruitment process, with emphasis being placed on local talent development alongside competitive salaries and innovative recruitment strategies aimed at stabilising staffing levels and enhancing public service efficiency. I believe, Madam Chair, that the issues at play are known and that efforts are being made to grip the problem.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Honourable Attorney General. Honourable Leader of the Opposition, do you have a follow-up question?
Yes, ma'am. I was just looking at the staffing. How do we account for the Governor's Office and the Deputy Governor's Office having vacancies, they being the offices that spearhead human resources? How do we account for vacancies in their departments not being filled at the end of the financial year?
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. The vacancies reported on page 9 relate, in the larger numbers, to other areas. I do not see that there is a large number of vacancies within either of those two offices. What I observe on the page dealing with the Office of the Governor is that it is entirely about the regiment and the efforts being made to address the regiment, as well as the various things that they have been able to accomplish.
I do not see from this report that there is a great deal of vacancy within the Office of the Governor or the Office of the Deputy Governor. The vacancies appear to occur across Government in the sectors I mentioned: health with 29, infrastructure with 28, Border Force with 27 and education with 24. Honourable Leader of the Opposition, I am sure that if there are vacancies there, every effort is being made to fill them, but it appears that the vacancies exist elsewhere. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Madam Chair, she is right. Most of the vacancies are probably from persons resigning or moving on, so that was not reflected in these numbers, which the Honourable Attorney General can answer. Being as she does not work directly in those offices, I do not think it is fair to press her more on these known existing vacancies that are not reflected. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you, Honourable Leader of the Opposition. Are there any further contributions? There being no further contributions, the question is that the amount of $5,219,789.29 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Honourable members, we will take a five-minute break. This committee is hereby suspended for five minutes. We are now approaching the 6 o'clock hour, so we will suspend until 6.30.
This committee is hereby suspended until 6.30. Order. Appropriation (2025-2026) (No. 2) Bill 2026. I believe we left off on page 7 of the bill, schedule 57. Madam Clerk.
Head of Expenditure 57, Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, $63,182,449.79. The Honourable Minister of Education.
Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $63,182,449.79 stand part of the schedule.
The motion has been moved by the Minister of Education and seconded by the Minister of Health that the amount of $63,182,449.79 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? The Chair recognizes the Leader of the Opposition.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. As before, during the Appropriations Committee, the accounting officer was a relative of mine, so I refrained from asking certain questions, but I can pose them directly to the Minister now. Honourable Minister, looking at Head 169, the deduction from special needs services, $276,000, could that have been retained in any way instead of reducing that at the end of the financial year, because we know the need in special needs?
Thank you, Leader of the Opposition. What happened is that these are monies that were left in relation to the occupational therapist and behavioural analyst positions that have yet to be filled. In the new budget, the monies will be retained for them. This is money that was left over, and so, in order not to waste it, it was reappropriated.
A further question for the Honourable Minister: how many vacancies currently exist within the high schools and within the primary schools? You do not have to give me the schools; you can just say the number at the high school level and the number at the primary school level.
Thank you for that. I want to be a little specific for you. We currently have four positions, and that is within the primary schools, in relation to the new positions that we are giving in the supplementary budget. All other positions within our high schools have been filled, except that we recently had a new hire for the A. Louise Garland Thomas High School principal. Therefore, the vice principal position now becomes available.
Yes, Madam Chair, one final one for me on education. The figures here, as was alluded to even in your presentation, show that sometimes schools are left hanging in September when teachers abruptly resign just when school opens. Is this being seriously looked at for some kind of policy formation going forward, so that it will not happen this year and that we will have something?
I do not have the answer right now, but something that will prevent or deter teachers from staying on and then, just when the school opens, leaving Turks and Caicos Islands students high and dry by resigning.
Thank you very much for the question. We have had that discussion with our Deputy Governor on numerous occasions. What we realize is that even within the year, let us say they received their final cheque at the end of July or at the end of August, there is nothing there to prevent them from opting out. Even today or tomorrow, a teacher can opt out and say, I am not returning.
The challenge is on us to ensure that we are quite intentional in our approach to ensuring that our students who are currently in secondary education take up opportunities in the area of teaching. We have been actively pursuing that by making sure that the scholarship unit, as well as the internship and apprenticeship lead, visit our schools to ensure that this happens. But at any given time, anyone can opt out.
One follow-up to that, Madam Chair. Honourable Minister, has any thought been given to expanding your budget for substitute teachers, where you can get professionals to come in? If the office procedures teacher opts out, you can have a professional accountant come in, who is way more qualified, and teach that for a couple of days. Persons like myself and the Honourable Minister responsible for North Caicos, the Minister of PPID, can come in and teach industrial arts. I will come in and teach science free of charge, but other professionals may need to be paid.
Are you looking at expanding that budget for substitute teachers?
Thank you very much for that. We do have a bank of retirees. In the event that that happens, we have been utilizing such persons. In some islands, for example in South Caicos, we had the situation just the other day. To cover that, we have had online studies for our students, and, for example, if it is a mathematics teacher, we have utilized the mathematics teacher to go over on the weekends to cover those sessions. We usually use our retirees, but your point has been taken in relation to specialized individuals.
Thank you, Honourable Minister. Are there any further contributions? The Chair recognizes the Member for South Caicos.
Madam Chair, through you, just a quick observation on the Margery Basden High School and the $86,000. Can the Minister shed some light on what transpired there?
For the Margery Basden High School, that would have been a teacher in terms of a late recruitment, but that position has been filled.
Thank you, Honourable Deputy Speaker. My question is that I have noticed for a while that teachers leave at a certain time after they get their last salary. What are you doing to stop that? What are you going to implement to stop that?
Thank you very much, Honourable Member. As I mentioned, we cannot stop them from receiving their salary and then leaving. Teachers can opt out and leave at any given time. We have to ensure that we have a bank of teachers. We usually go through caribbeanjobs.com as well as another platform for the recruitment of our teachers. It will be important for us to have that bank of teachers. For example, if we had 10 persons who applied in the area of speech and language services, we would know that we have additional persons we can reach out to in an effort to apply for those positions.
We can intentionally send vacancies to individuals based on the bank that we currently have. But in terms of any teacher, we are speaking now and a teacher can opt out and leave. That has always been the challenge. We have been looking at matters in terms of how to address it, but nothing has been solidified to this point.
Thank you, Honourable Minister. Are there any further contributions? There being no further contributions, the question is that the amount of $63,182,449.79 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Grateful, Madam Chair. I move that the sum of $2,309,664.51 now stand as part of the schedule.
The motion has been moved by the Attorney General and seconded by the Minister of Home Affairs that the amount of $2,309,664.51 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $2,309,664.51 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it.
Madam Clerk.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the sum of $22,800,239.73 now stand as part of the schedule.
The motion has been moved by the Minister of Home Affairs and seconded by the Minister of Health that the amount of $22,800,239.73 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $22,800,239.73 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it.
Madam Clerk.
Head of expenditure 60, Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development, $34,735,068.34.
Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $34,735,068.34 now form part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
Motion has been moved by the Honourable Minister of PPID and seconded by the Minister of Education that the amount of $34,735,068.34 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions?
Thank you, Madam Chair. Honourable Minister, my question has to do with the list of cancelled projects, and the Blue Hills signage project. I know that it was out for tender from late January into March, but still it made this list. Can you explain what did not happen that caused it to be on this list?
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the Honourable Member, the project was not cancelled. It was deferred to the 2027-28 budget. As for going out in January, it is my understanding that there was a slight hiccup in that ITT, and it was pulled during that time.
Thank you, Honourable Member. Honourable Member for Blue Hills, do you have a follow-up?
Yes, ma'am. I have another question. I want to find out more on the other project, the renovation of the Fuller and Clementina Walkin project. That is also on the same list. I understand you said that the first one is deferred. Is that the same with this one?
Clementina Walkin. I stand to be corrected on that, but I think that is for next year's budget, 2026-27.
Okay, so it is fair to say both of them will return in the new fiscal year budget?
I was asking, would it be fair to say that both of them will return in the new budget of 2026-27?
No, sir, Honourable Member. I said that the previous one was in budget 2027-28 and the other one is 2026-27.
So the signage project is 2026-27. The Fuller and Clementina Walkin project is 2027-28. Is that what you are saying?
Are there any further contributions? The Chair recognizes the Member for The Bight.
Through the Chair, to the Minister of PPID, I also see the community centre for The Bight was deferred. Can you explain the reason for that?
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the Honourable Member, that tender went out. Nobody bid on it, and hopefully I will be able to put it back into the 2026-27 budget.
Are there any further contributions? Chair recognizes the Member for South Caicos.
Through the Chair, I know there are a lot of projects that were either deferred, or someone did not bid, or for some technicality it did not go through. My question is whether the Minister is comfortable sharing if there is a personnel issue with these projects, these tenders not being, I guess, the cost or the technical requirements, or if the QS reports or something is not up to date so that these things can go further.
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the Honourable Member from South Caicos, there are a lot of things to go through with these tenders. For some of them, it is the budget. The people who tender go outside of it. Sometimes they are too low, and definitely I do not think procurement wants to set up someone to fail. Most times people do not bid, or they do not meet the evaluation criteria. So there are a lot of variables that cause these tenders to fail.
I think the procurement department and my ministry have gone around the islands as much as we possibly can in the last financial year to educate the contractors. My ministry alone has had training every six months or so. I think going forward we have to do it probably every quarter, because we are getting some very weak tenders.
My concern, Minister, is that I know we have just put contracting or construction licences in a reserved category, and my concern is that if our people are not eligible or not bidding correctly on the projects that the Government is putting out, I think the whole gist of the category restriction was to ensure that our people have preference for these jobs. With that being said, I would appreciate if your ministry can somehow make it accessible.
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the Honourable Member, you are right, but, as you know, tendering for these jobs in the private sector is completely different from tendering in the government sector. It is very tedious on this side, and hopefully going forward we can collaborate with the private sector and make the tendering process much easier.
Thank you, Honourable Minister. Are there any other contributions? Chair recognizes the Honourable Eighth All-Island Member.
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the Minister, Honourable Minister, I think the concern that I have, and I think the general public have when it comes to putting forward tenders and the procurement process, is that we have contractors that are, you say, putting in possibly poor bids, and then you have some contractors that are not putting forward bids for any of the tenders. I think going forward, we have been talking about this procurement process for the past years that it has been in place. What are we doing in order to see that projects go through the procurement process? We have seen projects come and keep pushing forward, going forward, and then some just dropping off.
Holistically, what are we doing in order to get some of these projects through the procurement process?
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, to the Honourable Member, my job is to make sure the business case and the ITTs go to SPPD, and the ITTs go to procurement. After that, Honourable Member and Madam Chair, it is out of my hands. I know that the Premier will be having discussions on where we make some changes in procurement, but I think that question probably should be laid at his feet.
Thank you, Honourable Minister. The Chair recognizes the Member for Blue Hills.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I have one more question. Honourable Minister, I would have thought this item would have been under the Ministry of Health, but it comes on this list under the Ministry of Physical Planning and Infrastructure Development. Mobile Clinic Blue Hills has attracted an additional $112,000. I know that in fiscal year budget 2025-26 there was some $450,000 under the same heading. I am just wondering if you can share with us what is being procured that attracted this additional $112,000.
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the Honourable Member from Blue Hills, as you know, most capital projects go through my ministry. They are just using us, Madam Chair. So we are the catalyst, really, and that is how that mobile clinic comes on our desk. As far as the amount of money being asked for or added to the supplementary for that clinic, I will turn that over to the Minister for Health for him to answer.
Thank you, Honourable Member. Honourable Minister of Health, do you care to answer?
Thank you, Madam Chair. At this time I would like to wait for my time to answer that question.
Thank you. Are there any further contributions? Chair recognizes the Seventh All-Island Member.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. To the Minister of PPID, during the committee meeting, we brought up the maintenance of government buildings. We especially talked about this NJS Francis Building and the maintenance. Can you say if there is anything that will be put forward in the upcoming budget for maintenance of this building or any government buildings?
Thank you, Honourable Member. I should have said the Eighth All-Island Elected Member. Honourable Minister of PPID.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I should think so. As you know, we have a maintenance budget inside the Public Works Department for government buildings. I assume this comes under it as well. As far as going forward, this is practically a newly renovated building, so there was no budget last time, or whether Parliament has a maintenance budget within its vote to deal with it.
I can get that direct answer for you for the next sitting.
Head of expenditure 61, Ministry of Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries, Heritage and the Environment, $24,366,952.23.
Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $24,366,952.23 stands part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
Motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier, seconded by the Honourable Deputy Premier, that the amount of $24,366,952.23 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $24,366,952.23 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye.
Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the sum of $128,793,475.73 now stands part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
Motion has been moved by the Honourable Minister of Health and seconded by the Minister of Education that the amount of $128,793,475.73 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? The Chair recognizes the Eighth All-Island Member.
Yes, Madam Chair, thank you. To the Honourable Minister, during the Appropriations Committee meeting, we talked about the delay. One of the delays in the recruitment of human resources was due to the migrant health issue, the migrant health certificate. Can you say what the process is for the migrant health certificate and if something can be done to streamline this process?
Thank you, Madam Chair. To the question, the migrant health process, as you know, has some challenges. To date, there have been a number of processes that are currently being evaluated so that we can rule out some of the root causes that would play a part in the delays as it pertains to persons receiving certificates.
As you would know, persons coming into the country go through a rigorous health screening process through the private medical facilities. They would uptake that information, upload it into a system, and it would be validated by TCIG or the Migrant Health Department on the back end. Based on that information, they would receive either an acceptance or denial based on the medical outcome. With the significant onboarding of persons coming into the country, there are cases where there is a substantial backlog.
But, as I stated at the beginning, we are working to streamline this process. I will provide additional information to the House in short order as it speaks to a more cohesive and more transparent way of how the migrant health process is going to be facilitated in the very near future.
Thank you, Honourable Minister. Are there any further contributions? Any contributions? The Chair recognizes the Member for South Caicos.
Through the Chair, Honourable Minister, I would not be myself if I did not ask you whether there is anything in that $700,000 for the dump in South Caicos.
Thank you again, Member, for your question. I believe, from the last supplementary, the Premier stated that there has been a lot of communication with the owners, and we are working to facilitate that process. We had conversations with the Attorney General some time ago, so I do hope that post-budget we will be in a position to have a more tangible outcome.
Again, I know this is a sore issue for you, and it is also a sore issue for us. I want you to bear in mind that we are doing everything we can to resolve this as quickly as possible.
Just one follow-up, Madam Chair, to the Minister. I know that, before, back in the day, the dump was contained. My frustration is that I would like us to get it contained again, because we have had this issue for years with the whole land dispute, but it was contained on the same land. I am wondering whether there is any advice you could get from the Attorney General's Chambers so that we can continue to contain it as it was before.
Thank you, through the Chair. Thank you, Member, for your follow-up question. Again, it falls back in line with something I said earlier, or during the town hall, where the comprehensive solid waste management review would have been completed. I had hoped to have that report already on my desk, but nonetheless
South Caicos forms part of it, as we are looking for a much more comprehensive way of dealing with solid waste. I will say that we know there are staffing or capacity issues in South Caicos with that level of containment, and we hope that, with the onboarding process, we will have sufficient capacity to work with the current members of staff to have greater containment so that it is not an environmental hazard, or, as I alluded to, a sore issue for you in
South Caicos.
Thank you, Honourable Minister. Are there any further contributions? Any contributions? There being no further contributions, the Chair recognizes the Leader of the Opposition.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I just made it safe by the bell, or the buzz, if you do not want that term. Honourable Minister, is the money for NHIP for new, old or upcoming bills and payments?
Madam Chair, I have a number of questions for the Honourable Minister during question time, so much of what I have to ask will come up during that time. I will refrain at this time.
Thank you, Honourable Member. Are there any further contributions? Ministry of Health. Any contributions? Any further contributions? There being no further contributions, the question is that the amount of $128,793,475.73 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that the sum of $5,039,404.14 now stand as part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Attorney General, seconded by the Minister of Health, that the amount of $5,039,404.14 stand as part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? Any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $5,039,404.14 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it.
Madam Clerk.
I move that the amount of $4,077,627.45 stand part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier, seconded by the Minister of Education, that the amount of $4,077,627.45 stand part of the schedule. All in favour? Aye. Those to the contrary? No. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? Any contributions? Yes, the Chair recognizes the Leader of the Opposition.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Honourable Premier, with regard to the deduction from the Office of the Premier of some $3,329,506, what does that deduction total? What line items are in that deduction? I then have a supplementary.
Thank you for the question. The combination of expenditure being reduced includes public service employment costs of $129,506, a reduction in professional consultancy of $600,000, and a $2.6 million deduction for programme management. If you remember, the department or unit now called Programme Management is the Enterprise Project Management Programme, and that was not taken up in the last financial year because there was an issue with recruitment for that unit.
Those funds are being withdrawn and repurposed for the next financial year. That is where the sum of $3,329,506 comes from. That is captured on pages 3.5 and 3.9 in the budget booklet. While we are at it, there is also an amount totalling $11,000 for civil servants' employment costs in relation to the Communications Directorate, and that is on page 3.60.
Madam Chair, through the Chair to the Honourable Premier, the National Delivery Unit is now being repealed and replaced. What is the reason for the National Delivery Unit being replaced by a different entity?
It is basically being renamed. The purpose is essentially the same. It is an enterprise project management department, if you like, and the aim is to manage the programme and scheduling work for Government projects. This is pretty much a staple in most governments these days. The Ministry of PPID and other ministries are responsible for the management of their projects, but the best way I can put it is that the pre-work that goes into planning and programming is done ahead of it being delivered to the client ministry for delivery. Typically, project management units or departments have engineers, cost accountants, economists and people of that type who do all of that programming work. By the time it reaches the customer or client, it is packaged and ready for delivery. The intention is to help speed up the delivery of these public sector investment programmes, and that has been lacking over the last year.
Yes, a supplementary to that question, Madam Chair. Can the Honourable Premier say what projects that unit, previously named the National Delivery Unit, brought to fruition for TCIG?
A number of projects have been packaged and delivered by the unit, including one of the most prominent and biggest, the delivery of the port in Providenciales. I do not remember all of them, but that was certainly one of the marquee projects assisted by the previously established National Delivery Unit. There were others. Work was done on about 12 identified priority projects, including the national ID and the housing policy.
Some of them are now with the ministries to be implemented, including projects such as the fibre network. Unfortunately, the previous consultancy came to an end. The problem was that we were not able to recruit and staff the unit with local employees or local talent. Once the consultancy came to an end, we did not have a unit stood up and staffed in place.
The whole intention was to transition from a consultancy to a permanent unit staffed locally, and we have not been able to attract the talent necessary to do that. I think the ITT is out now for a fresh start. I will be in a better position to report on it the next time we meet. I believe the intention is still to put standards in place.
I know that is the plan, but I do not know exactly where we are with the project. I understand an ITT went out and there was a process, and that is meant to be moving forward. Hopefully, in the new year we will have this in place and be more successful in delivering projects.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. Are there any further contributions? Yes, the Chair recognizes the Eighth All-Island Member.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. To the Honourable Premier, you said it is a renaming of the unit to the Enterprise Project Management Delivery. My question is, if this unit is used to manage Government projects and, once they get to procurement, they are still bogged down and we are still not getting projects through the procurement process, what measures are we putting in place to push these projects through the procurement process?
I want to be clear with Members that, while colleagues on the front bench are answering these questions, I remind colleagues that there is a slot on the Cabinet agenda for question time. Some of these are policy issues that are best asked at that time. To answer the Member, there is work to be done on procurement separately from this particular facility. The Enterprise Project Management Department or programme is meant to facilitate the delivery of projects and not necessarily to interfere with the procurement process. This department will work closely with the Ministry of Finance in relation to capital projects.
The capital projects team within the Ministry of Finance works closely with procurement. The Government is looking at the whole procurement process to make it somewhat more decentralized, because I think part of the issue is that the centralized structure may be contributing to the speed at which projects are being delivered. We have to be smart enough to realize that there are skills gaps across the ministries, including the team in PPID. There is a quest, and rightly so, and an assumption that all of these positions can be filled locally, but that is certainly not the case.
It is difficult enough even to find people regionally who can provide the skills necessary for some of these positions. This is not unique to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Procurement is an issue that is the focus of all the major international watchdog bodies, because it has been found to be one way in which there have been huge national revenue leakages in different places. It is under the spotlight everywhere.
As I said earlier, in some cases our systems have been wound too tightly, and we have to find ways to loosen them without compromising transparency and accountability. That is the journey we are on with procurement now. We are looking at ways to decentralize and at structures and practices in other Commonwealth jurisdictions, including some of the overseas territories. We are particularly keen to see what is being done in the Cayman Islands.
They have more of a decentralized approach, and that is one of the jurisdictions we are looking at to try to decentralize procurement so that it can work more seamlessly with the team in the Ministry of Finance, particularly on capital projects, and also with this unit. That will give us a seamless approach, including accurate costing. Part of the problem, as pointed out earlier by the Minister of PPID, is that some projects are not costed properly. When bids go out, in a number of cases there is insufficient appropriation, so they have to be bid over and over again.
There have also been instances where bids have gone out on a number of occasions because the tender or bids have been weak, and there have been situations where we have not had any bids. Those are all reasons why things are delayed. I can promise the Member that we will pull out all the stops to ensure that the structure of the ordinance is decentralized in a way that will make the process move more smoothly. That does not mean we will get over the weakness of the bidding process.
We have to work very hard to educate contractors, particularly local contractors. The ones who do a good job of bidding seem to be busy all the time, and we run into situations where the process is accused of favouring contractors when, in fact, contractors who do a good job with bids will always get the work because there are criteria to follow. Unless those criteria are followed, we would be lacking in our duty as a Government and as a country by not following the law or the regulations that provide for how contracts are to be issued and how projects are to be delivered. There is a full commitment on my part, and on the part of the Government, to do everything we can to ensure that procurement is modernized.
We are looking at e-procurement and other steps to modernize procurement, but contractors also have to invest in their own education process.
Thank you, Honourable Premier. The Chair recognizes the Leader of the Opposition.
Thank you very much, Honourable Premier, for that. Honourable Premier, turning your attention to the $600,000 that was slated for special advisers and is now being taken back, I am concerned about it. I am hoping that we see that reappropriated back into the budget, because that is something I fully supported: that the Government be allowed to bring on special advisers. I was concerned when I saw no movement with the special advisers, and I am hoping that it is intended to be put back into the budget, and that this is not a sign that it will be taken away.
For special advisers, what I can say to the Honourable Leader of the Opposition is that provision will be made in the new budget for special advisers to the Ministry. They will, of course, be limited in number, and they will have to meet the necessary criteria to be hired. Provision is made in the budget for that. Thank you very much.
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Deputy Premier, that the amount of $12,324,874.16 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no.
Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $16,885,182.55 stands part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Minister of Health, that the amount of $16,885,182.55 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $16,885,182.55 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye.
Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $5,290,937.50 stands part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Minister of Home Affairs, that the amount of $5,290,937.50 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $5,290,937.50 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye.
Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Honourable Attorney General, thank you. Can you turn your microphone off for me, please?
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $1,636,521.73 now stand as part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Attorney General and seconded by the Minister of Health, that the amount of $1,636,521.73 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? The Chair recognizes the Ninth All-Island Member.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Attorney General, what is the reason for the substantial reduction from the budget? It is $687,000, which is almost a 25 per cent reduction.
Thank you, Madam Chair, and to the Honourable Member. Madam Chair, I do not see a note on it in the Appropriations Committee report, but I believe this reflects savings as a result of vacancies.
Thank you, Honourable Attorney General. Are there any further contributions? The Chair recognizes the Honourable Premier.
Attorney General, may I assist a little here? I believe what has happened is that the funds available for this audit of statutory bodies have not been expended, potentially because the scope of the work has not been carried out owing to staffing issues. I believe there is now a new Auditor General in place, and I am aware, through conversations with the Governor's Office, that the Audit Office is being resourced additionally so that this work can be carried out.
This is just savings that occurred because some of this work was not carried out on time. Sorry.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $8,727,009.17 now stands as part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Minister of Innovation and seconded by the Minister of Home Affairs, that the amount of $8,727,009.17 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? The Chair recognizes the Leader of the Opposition.
Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Through the Chair, can the Honourable Minister say, for line item 093, Innovation, Communication and E-Governance, what led to the $379,046.96 not being utilised this financial year?
Thank you, Mr. Leader of the Opposition. Through the Chair, line items 173, 077 and 093 all relate to vacancies. I have the breakdown as well. The savings are all underspends relating to vacancies.
Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $580,887,154.31 now stands part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Innovation, that the amount of $580,887,154.31 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $580,887,154.31 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye.
Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Madam Chair, I move that the sum of $45,653,711.24 stands part of the schedule. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs that the amount of $45,653,711.24 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that the amount of $45,653,711.24 stands part of the schedule. All in favour, aye.
Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk. Honourable Members, we now move to the clauses of the bill. Madam Clerk.
Honourable Premier. The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Innovation that Clause 1 stands part of the bill. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions to Clause 1? There being no contributions, the question is that Clause 1 stands part of the bill. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no.
The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Honourable Premier. The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs that Clause 2 stands part of the bill. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that Clause 2 stands part of the bill. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no.
The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Madam Chair, I move that Clause 3 now stands part of the bill. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of PPID that Clause 3 stands part of the bill. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? Any contributions, Honourable Leader of the Opposition? No contributions. There being no contributions, the question is that Clause 3 stands part of the bill. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no.
The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
Clause 4, section 5 of supporting schedules to the Estimates of Revenues and Expenditure forms part of Act.
Madam Chair, I move that Clause 4 stands part of the Act. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of PPID that Clause 4 stands part of the bill. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Are there any contributions? There being no contributions, the question is that Clause 4 stands part of the bill. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it.
Madam Chair, I believe there is an error on the Development Fund schedule. I would like to ask the Budget Director, Mrs Forbes, or somebody from the budget team to assist. If we look at the schedule, it is reflecting a variation of $3,276,200 and—
I am sorry, Honourable Premier, can you identify the page you are looking at?
Page 13. I think it was just about here. If you remember, earlier we made a correction to the long sheet. We made a correction to the Development Fund by decreasing it from $375,000 to $46,514,961. That was the revised allocation. During our first pass in the budget booklet, the original appropriation was $49,791,161. Where it says amount authorised April 2025 to March 2026, that figure was originally $49,791,161. In other words, where it says $48,929,911.24, that needs to be corrected.
I am making a motion that the figure of $48,929,911.24 be amended to read $49,791,161. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Health to amend the portion under the Development Fund to $49,791,161. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it.
The other amendment I would like to make, Madam Chair, relates to the amended balance. The revised amount authorised at April 2025 to March 2026 now becomes $46,514,961, where it now reads $45,653,711.24.
I am sorry, Honourable Premier, is that the same page? What page are you on?
Where it now reads $45,653,711.24, it should be amended to read $46,514,961.24. In other words, if you take the $3,276,200 from the original figure, $49,791,161, it should give you $46,514,961. I so move. Do I have a seconder?
The motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Innovation that the total Development Fund on this item 14 now reads $46,514,961.24. All in favour, aye. Those to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Thank you, Honourable Members. We have reached the end of the scrutiny of the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Bill 2026. I now suspend this session for two minutes to allow the Speaker to take the Chair.
There was a typo, just for note.
Honourable Members, this Honourable Parliament now resumes its sitting. Pray be seated.
Honourable Speaker, I am pleased to report that the committee has gone through the scrutiny of the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Bill 2026 with amendments. I now turn these proceedings over to you.
Thank you very much, Honourable Deputy Speaker. Honourable Members, I want to thank the Honourable Deputy Speaker for chairing the Committee of Supply and overseeing the passage of this bill. I will now return to the Order Paper. We are still on Orders of the Day, and we are at the third reading of bills. We will have the third reading of the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Bill 2026, to be moved by the Honourable Premier. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 109(2), the Bill entitled the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Bill 2026 be read for a third time. Do I have a seconder?
Honourable Members, the motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Education that the Bill entitled Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Bill 2026 now be read a third time. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Madam Clerk.
This Act may be cited as the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Act 2026 and comes into operation on the day of publication in the Gazette.
Mr Speaker, I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 99, the Bill entitled the Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Bill 2026 do now pass. Do I have a seconder?
Honourable Members, the motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Deputy Premier that the Bill entitled Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Bill 2026 do now pass. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no. The ayes have it. Honourable Members, the Bill entitled Supplementary Appropriation 2025/2026 No. 2 Bill 2026 do now pass. Honourable Members, I will now return to the Order Paper, and we are still on Orders of the Day, Second Reading of Bills. The Chair recognises the Honourable Minister of PPID.
Mr Speaker, under Standing Order 92, I move that the Airports Authority Amendment Bill 2025 be deferred to the next sitting of Parliament. Do I have a seconder?
Honourable Members, the motion has been moved by the Honourable Minister of PPID and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Education that the Bill entitled Airports Authority Amendment Bill 2025 be deferred until the next sitting of Parliament. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no. The ayes have it.
Honourable Members, we are still on second reading of bills, and we will now have the second reading of the Mortgage Corporation Bill 2026, to be moved by the Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. I move that, in accordance with Standing Order 92, the Mortgage Corporation Bill 2026 be deferred to the next sitting of Parliament. Do I have a seconder?
Honourable Members, the motion has been moved by the Honourable Premier and seconded by the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Technology and Energy that the Bill entitled Mortgage Corporation Bill 2026 be deferred until the next meeting of Parliament. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no. The ayes have it.
Honourable Members, I will now return to the Order Paper. We are still on Orders of the Day, and we have Government Motion No. 1 of 2026, to be moved by the Honourable Premier. Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Whereas the Appropriations Act in respect of the 2026-2027 financial year may not come into operation by the beginning of the financial year; and whereas section 113 of the Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution gives power to Parliament, by resolution, to empower the Minister of Finance to authorise the withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of monies necessary to carry on the services of the Government after the start of the new financial year and the use of those funds for up to four months or the coming into operation of the Appropriations Act, whichever is the earlier; and whereas section 113 of the Constitution provides, inter alia, that any sum issued in any financial year from the Consolidated Fund under section 113 of the Constitution in respect of any ongoing service of the Government shall not exceed one third of the amount approved for that service in an Appropriation Act or a Supplementary Appropriation Act for the previous financial year.
Now therefore, be it resolved that the Parliament hereby authorise the withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund of an amount of $193,629,500.45 in respect of the recurrent expenditure of the Islands for part of the fiscal year 2026-2027. Do I have a seconder?
Honourable Members, Government Motion No. 1 of 2026 with respect to Provisional Warrant 2026/2027 has been moved by the Honourable Premier and Minister of Finance and seconded by the Honourable Deputy Premier and Minister for Immigration and Border Services. The question is that Motion No. 1 of 2026 do hereby pass. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no.
The ayes have it. Honourable Members, we are now still on Orders of the Day, and we have Private Member's Motion No. 2 of 2026, with respect to the motion for the amendment of the Companies Act 2017 to provide relief in respect of companies dissolved over 20 years, to be moved by the Honourable Leader of the Opposition and seconded by the Honourable Elected Member for The Bight. Honourable Leader of the Opposition.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I rise to present this motion entitled Motion for the Amendment of the Companies Act 2017 to provide relief in respect of companies dissolved over 20 years. Whereas the Companies Act was enacted on 7 November 2018, requiring review and amendments to provide relief to persons whose companies are struck beyond 20 years; and whereas the holding of land, real estate and generational property through corporate vehicles is a longstanding measure by Turks and Caicos Island businessmen to invest and provide for their families; and whereas such corporate holdings are principally governed and affected by Part 15 of the Companies Ordinance 2017, and in particular sections 256, 259, 260 and 261 of the ordinance, which deal with striking off, dissolution and restoration of companies; and whereas there may be properties held in corporate form which have been left dormant with no annual corporate filings owing to loss of records and innocent failures of communication with and between families, resulting in many of these companies being struck from the register of companies for default over extended periods; and whereas during the 10 years following the company being struck off, the Registrar has authority under section 260 to restore the company to the register, but under section 259, the administrative power ceases after the expiry of 10 years from the date of striking off; and therefore, while the Supreme Court has the power under section 261 to order restoration, the power is subject to a further 10-year limitation period after dissolution; and whereas the combined effect of sections 259 and 261 is that after the expiry of 20 years from the date the company was struck off and dissolved, the Registrar of Companies and the Supreme Court are deprived of any power, authority or jurisdiction to order restoration regardless of the merit of the case; and whereas the jurisdictional limitation has caused and continues to cause hardship to a significant number of Turks and Caicos Islander families by preventing them from regularising the status of companies which hold family land and other assets, and thereby denying them proper legal access to properties acquired through many years of investment, savings and sacrifice; and whereas section 261(1) presently restricts the class of persons who may apply to the court for restoration of a dissolved company to the company, a director, a member or a liquidator of the company, thereby excluding the personal representative or successors of such persons, even when the original director, member or liquidator has died or is otherwise unable to act; and whereas section 261 imposes a blanket limitation period which bars any application to the court for restoration after 10 years from the date of dissolution, thereby creating an absolute and irrevocable bar to restoration after the expiry of 20 years from striking off and dissolution, irrespective of the circumstances.
Now therefore, be it resolved that this Honourable Parliament, in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Parliament of the Turks and Caicos Islands, calls upon the Turks and Caicos Islands Government to consider bringing forward the necessary legislation to amend section 261 of the Companies Ordinance 2017 so that section 261 is amended by inserting immediately after the words liquidator of the company the words or executor, administrator or successor of any of the foregoing persons; and section 261 is deleted in its entirety, thereby removing the current 10-year limitation period on application to the court for restoration of a dissolved company; and section 261 is renumbered as section 261, and any cross-reference to section 261 elsewhere in the ordinance be amended accordingly.
I so move, Mr Speaker. Do I have a seconder?
No, the question first. Honourable Members, the question is on Private Member's Motion No. 2 of 2026, with respect to the motion for the amendment of the Companies Act 2017 to provide relief in respect of companies dissolved over 20 years. All in favour say aye; to the contrary, no. The ayes have it.
Honourable Member, you may now give your explanation.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This is something that many families in the Turks and Caicos Islands are now faced with, where their relative, their father, mother, grandmother or others may have had a company and had their generational land tied up in it. They have since passed on to the Great Architect of the Universe, the Great Maker, and the limitations in the ordinance bar many of them from acting or petitioning the Supreme Court in order to restore the companies. Many persons in this situation have said that they do not mind paying the government the $40,000 or $50,000, or whatever it is, to reincorporate the company, as long as they are allowed to do it.
We look at jurisdictions such as our closest neighbour, the Bahamas. They do not have this limitation, and they use it as a revenue earner by allowing families, persons and businesses to reincorporate their businesses. This can be another revenue earner for the Government. It can bring in windfall revenue and also prevent the occurrence of so much generational land being tied up.
We can walk around the Turks and Caicos Islands, here in Grand Turk, Salt Cay, Middle Caicos and North Caicos especially, and there is so much land tied up. You ask what is happening with all this land. It is generational land that is tied up. Sometimes it is not companies, but a lot of the time it is companies. In Providenciales, generational land is tied up in companies that have been struck off the books.
Other jurisdictions do not have this limitation, where you can petition the Supreme Court to reinstate a company. Our legislation bars that. If my father died and had land tied up in a company, and I was a child or a minor at the time, nothing can happen. If the company has been dissolved and I now want to resolve this for our family, it bars me from doing so because I am not the director, the liquidator or someone listed as an actor of the company.
Many Turks and Caicos Islanders want the opportunity to pay the Government whatever fine or amount is owing to get the company back, sort out the land for their family and their generation, and do it the right way. Right now, the ordinance prevents that. They are asking, through me, that the Government at least look at this and see what amendments can be made. We know there are laws in place, so we want them to review this so that relief can be brought to families, so that they can sort out their generational land and reinstate companies.
Mr. Speaker, this is what the motion asks, and I believe that it is good for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. I do not benefit in any way from this. This is not about me. This is what people have asked me to present to the House of Assembly for the Government to consider.
I had considered giving it to one of the Ministers, but I know a lot is on your plate, so I decided to present it. This is something that is good for the people of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Anyone who knows about generational land, and land tied up in corporations, would want to see some kind of relief or avenue whereby our people can resolve this issue. We cannot tell the Cabinet what to do, so we are asking them to consider the review of this legislation and make amendments so that relief can be brought to families and those things that prevent persons from acting on behalf of their deceased relatives can be addressed.
Let us have something similar to the Bahamas, where there is no limitation and where a person can petition the court, so we can resolve this issue for many of our people. I hope that Members do not object to this and will at least look at it and consider what we can do to help these families and people here in the Turks and Caicos Islands as soon as possible. With that, Mr. Speaker, I rest. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Honourable Member. Are there any contributions to the motion? The floor is now open for contributions to the motion. The Chair recognizes the Honourable Premier.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the Leader of the Opposition for the motion. It is a substantial ask, and it will have an impact on a number of pieces of legislation. As it stands, under the Companies Ordinance, after a company has been struck off, property technically reverts to the Crown bona vacantia.
As it relates to generational property, my experience is that most generational properties have not been in companies, and most of the conflicts within generational properties have been between families. Sometimes these families get so big and spread across the world that, even if someone were minded to pursue administration, they cannot find all of the family members.
Matters therefore get worse over the years because, as families expand, more and more people are needed in order to do anything with the property. To the extent that generational property, or even an individual who may still be alive, has for one reason or another not kept up a company, I believe there is some merit in what the Leader of the Opposition asks us to consider. One would have to interface with the various stakeholders, including the FSC, and review the legislation to see whether there is any knock-on effect. My concern would also be whether we should amend it so that the provision goes away entirely, or whether some other provision should be put in the law whereby a person can prove extenuating circumstances that prevented them from keeping up the registration of the company, or some other mechanism so that they have access to that property.
That could include the ability, potentially, where the Government may have taken possession of it through bona vacantia, to consider whether there is any means of compensation for the Government taking. I think it is a good idea that we need to consult around, and I am happy, speaking for the Government, to place the matter on the legislative agenda for consideration, to see how best it would work. When someone passes, they either die intestate or leave a will. If someone leaves a will, it is possible that they could leave out property that they may not have included inadvertently.
That property may be in their name or in the name of a company, and it is quite possible that the person may have forgotten to include that company in the list of assets in the will. In the case of someone who dies intestate, sometimes we have family struggles and nobody ends up being granted letters of administration, because that itself requires other family members agreeing to who should be the administrator. It is a really complicated part of law. To the extent that we can simplify matters so that persons who have an entitlement to generational property or family land will not lose that right so easily, I think the ability to restore companies generally needs to be looked at, particularly where it would put families and individuals at a disadvantage.
By the same token, we do not want to create a state where people are irresponsible and feel that they can let matters slide and the Government will make sure, when they come back 20 years later, that they will be able to update things. We have a situation at the moment, for example, as it relates to Crown land, where people might have been granted a CPL 15 or 20 years ago at a couple of thousand dollars, and they expect that they can come back now, under the amnesty programme, and buy that land for the same price at which it was given to them 20 years ago. We do not want to set unrealistic expectations, but the Leader of the Opposition has gone to some length to do research on the sections of the law that apply.
From the Government's perspective, we should exercise goodwill and see the extent to which considering the issue and making amendments where possible is in the interests of families or individuals. I believe I speak for my colleagues on this side when I say it is something we are prepared to do. The Attorney General is here, so I undertake to include it in a very long legislative agenda so that we can start to canvass stakeholders, such as the FSC, which is the steward, so to speak, of companies or corporations in the TCI.
I recommend that we include it in the legislative agenda to have a look at it. That is my position, sir.
Thank you very much, Honourable Premier. Are there any further contributions to this motion? Honourable Members, the question is that Private Member's Motion No. 2 of 2026, with respect to the amendment of the Companies Act 2017 to provide relief in respect of companies dissolved over 20 years, as amended, be passed. All in favour say aye. All to the contrary, no.
The ayes have it.
Mr. Speaker, the Honourable Ninth Elected Member at Large put forward a number of questions in relation to SIPT civil recovery matters and costs. I promised to provide the answers to him through the Clerk. I now have the information, and I am happy to lay it on the table.
Thank you very much. Honourable Members, we have a number of other parliamentary questions that were asked, and I see the Honourable Minister is back in the room. I will now have parliamentary question No. 1. Yes, Madam Clerk. Honourable Member, do you have the answers to the questions now? The Chair recognizes the Honourable Minister of Health.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At this moment I do not have the answers to those questions. In light of that, I would like to defer to the next sitting.
Okay. There are also some questions for the Minister of PPID. Honourable Minister, do you have the answers to those questions?
None at the moment, sir. I will have them by the next sitting. I can email them to the Clerk as well.
Okay. There is also one question to be asked of the Honourable Attorney General. Honourable Attorney General, do you have the response to that question?
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe it is for me to ask that those questions be deferred to the next sitting. Taking into account the Minister's situation, I move that my questions, including the one for the Attorney General, be moved to the next sitting of the House of Assembly, as they tie in with the answers to be given by the Honourable Minister.
All of the parliamentary questions, Honourable Members, will be deferred until the next meeting of Parliament.