Office of the Prime Minister

Cabinet Meeting of May 2, 2006.

Belmopan - 03 May, 2006.
PRESS BRIEFING

Cabinet met in regular session on Tuesday, May 2, 2006.

The following information arising from Cabinet’s deliberations are presented for public information:

At its meeting today, Cabinet considered and approved five pieces of draft legislation for presentation to the next sitting of the House of Representatives.

The new legislation would amend the Criminal Code to provide for a new medico-legal form for use in the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and sexual cases as well amend the Costs in Criminal Cases Act to increase the allowances for witnesses attending the Supreme Court to give evidence in criminal cases.

Cabinet’s approval was also given for the introduction of a Bill to establish an autonomous Statistical Institute of Belize to replace the Central Office of Statistics, and a Bill to set up the Belize National Library Service and Information System which reflects the importance of computer technology in the delivery of information and library services in the 21st century.

Ministers also agreed to send to the House a Bill to transpose into domestic law the United Nations Convention on Chemical Weapons, which was signed in Paris on 13 January 1993 and entered into force in respect of Belize on the 31 December 2003.

Cabinet considered the status of the Banana Support Programme through which the European Commission has pledged financial assistance to improve yields and drive down operating costs in Belize’s banana farms over a ten-year period and included a social safety net in the form of a rural development component for the workers and communities in the banana belt.

The rural diversification component includes the building of social infrastructure, including education, water, some micro credit, start-up of small and medium enterprises and the provision of social amenities. Under the present special framework of assistance (SFA) the social component averages about 15% of the overall allocation. To date, no funds have been received for rural diversification.

Ministers decided to increase requests for the social sector to a minimum of 50% for 2007 and 2008 and request the EU to increase the allocation for rural development for the previous years (1999 to 2005) from 15% to 30%. Cabinet also agreed to intensify a joint and coordinated lobby effort in Brussels to ensure that marketing and procedural issues with respect to financing for the banana support programme and any new European assistance programme are addressed.

Cabinet approved a new appraisal system for public officers which will be implemented on July 1, 2006 to coincide with the restoration of increments for performance in the public service. The new system is expected to result in a significant improvement in the level of supervision and the award of increments based on performance. Training in performance management will be offered to a cadre of senior public officers to bring awareness to improved standards throughout the public service.

Cabinet has appointed the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Godfrey Smith, to head a committee to develop a national programme for the celebration of Belize’s 25th Anniversary of Independence. The Committee will include the Belize Tourism Board, the National Institute of Culture and History, Ministries of Education, Home Affairs and Defence, as well as representatives from national organizations.

The next Cabinet meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 23, 2006.

For further information contact:

ROBERT LESLIE
Cabinet Secretary

May 2, 2006.