Nicole full of energy

Speaking yesterday after the swearing-in ceremony at the Office of the President, St Ann’s, she said she was pleased to accept the opportunity to work in the ministry because the energy sector was so important to her La Brea constituency.

“I have never really stopped working within the energy industry but my work has been more focused on how it impacts my constituency,” Olivierre said. “So I will certainly get a chance now to have an impact on the continuation of projects that I would have been working on during my tenure.” She said her new role provided her with an excellent opportunity to work with Khan who she described as a very experienced politician.

Olivierre said she will meet Khan on Monday and they will discuss what areas he would need greatest support in.

Also sworn in yesterday was Minister in the Ministry of Finance Allyson West. She told reporters she was excited and hoped to bring her knowledge and experience to do the work she was given.

“I think there is a lot to be done,” West said.

“There’s a lot of opportunity and I really hope I could make a positive difference between now and the end of my term,” she said.

At the post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday, Rowley said West’s experience and expertise will assist the government in its development of the Revenue Authority. “I have been thinking about it and trying to determine how best to approach it,” West said.

“It will not be an easy task but I think the Revenue Authority really would give us the jump start we need to turn around the performance of the tax authority in Trinidad and Tobago and we need to do that.” About her plans to address the issues at the Board of Inland Revenue, West said she first needs to understand what the challenges are so she can come up with a plan to address them.

“I already have ideas because I’ve been working with the Board of Inland Revenue as a tax advisor for some time and I’ve identified some issues so I do have ideas but its important for me to talk to the members of the board and the Ministry of Finance to determine their perspective and then together we could come up with a plan to move it forward.”