Camille promises Budget action on health, housing

TOMORROW’s Budget presentation will focus heavily on education, health, housing and developmental programmes, according to Minister of Planning and Development Camille Robinson-Regis. Addressing reporters at a press briefing on Budget 2004 - 2005, Robinson-Regis said the public sector reform would take into consideration the fact the country had already achieved most of the millennium goals set by the United Nations, and as such Government was raising the stakes and moving forward towards achieving 2020 status. She said the focus on education would take into account the developmental process from pre-school to tertiary education. The health sector would look intensely at the primary and secondary concerns, and would include funding for increasing research and development in this sector. She said Government was moving towards achieving its goals for the housing industry and was closer to realising this goal with over 6,000 homes constructed for 2004, compared to 3,000 for 2003.  Under developmental programmes, Robinson-Regis noted Government would be focusing its programmes throughout the country and not just within the urban areas.

She said since Tobago had been lagging behind Trinidad for quite a while, focus would be placed on improving the infrastructure in the sister isle. This would include communications, roads, bridges, electricity, education, Internet access, hotel accommodations and water. She noted that these things were being looked at to ensure that Tobago gets and stays on the same standards as Trinidad. Permanent Secretary in the Planning Ministry Victoria Mendez said the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality Institute was looking at strengthening the Tobago campus, and the University of Trinidad and Tobago would ensure that arrangements were made for Tobago. Robinson-Regis also said since tertiary education was a focal point in Trinidad’s education system, arrangements had to be made to ensure the option was available in Tobago, noting that Tobago students must currently come to Trinidad for these programmes.

Asked about the THA’s involvement in these developments, Robinson-Regis said the central Government held discussions with the THA and all other stakeholders with respect to the recommendations. On the issue of unfair food prices in the sister isle, the minister said several initiatives were being put in place, and discussions were underway with merchants in Trinidad and the THA with the aim of bringing down the “unfair food prices” in Tobago. Also addressing reporters was Junior Finance Minister Conrad Enill, who noted that one of the other areas that would be looked at in the Budget was the Value Added Tax. He said while he was not going to divulge any specific details, he would only say improvements would be made to the VAT. Enill also took the opportunity to deny reports that the IMF had made recommendations regarding the devaluation of the TT dollar, stating that recommendations would be presented to the country at the next meeting scheduled for November.