The Speaker of the House granted leave of absence to the Member for Chaguanas West (Mr. Ganga Singh, MP), the Member for Chaguanas East (Mr. Fazal Karim, MP) and the Member for Tobago East (Hon. Ayanna Webster-Roy, MP) for today’s sitting.

Correspondence was received from the President of the Senate, Hon. Christine Kangaloo, MP, indicating the members appointed to fourteen (14) Joint Select Committees and to two (2) new Joint Select Committees which were appointed to consider, evaluate and report on the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill and the Whistleblower Protection Bill, 2015.

The Speaker of the House, Hon. Bridgid Annisette-George, appointed members to the Sessional Select Committees to serve during the 1st Session of the 11th Parliament.

Seven papers were laid in the names of the Minister of Finance, Minister of Education, Minister of Labour and Small Enterprise Development and the Deputy Speaker. See the Order Paper for details.
Minister Franklin Khan moved that the Report of Paper (1) be referred to the Public Accounts Committee. This was carried.

Prime Minister’s Question Time took place today, as allowed under the Standing Orders at the second sitting of the House in each calendar month. Questions were posed on the disbursement of funds to scholarship recipients, matters of foreign exchange, VAT Correction, wage freezes and negotiations, completion of the San Fernando to Point Fortin Highway, shortage of CDAP drugs, dismissal of URP workers and termination of contract workers in State Enterprises.

Four (4) Urgent Questions were answered by the Minister of Education, Minister of Health, Minister of Housing and Urban Development and the Minister of Works and Transport respectively.

Three Questions were answered. See the Order Paper.

Two requests were made for leave to move the adjournment of the House on Definite Matters of Urgent Public Importance namely the failure of the Government to adequately address the very serious effects of the closure of sixteen (16) schools on thousands of children, parents and teachers and staff in Trinidad and Tobago and the failure of the Government to announce a clear and cogent economic policy to guide Trinidad and Tobago through the challenges.
The Speaker of the House was not satisfied that these matters qualified under Standing Order 17(3).

The 9th Actuarial Review of the National Insurance Board was recently conducted. The review was conducted in order to evaluate the current condition of the National Insurance System (NIS), assess the long term financial stability of the NIS, analyze the financial impact and modifications to current NIS Provisions and provide recommendations for the continued sustainability of the NIS. The findings and recommendations of the review body were relayed.

Hon. Stuart Young, MP, provided details of the Beetham Waste Water Project contract established between Super Industrial Services Limited (SIS) and the National Gas Company. This contract required that SIS design and build the Beetham Water Recycling Plant, together with the associated pipelines and water storage facilities. SIS was unable to meet their contractual obligation and to date has completed 40%-45% of the work.

Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie and Mr. Prakash Ramadhar were appointed to the Joint Select Committees on the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill, 2015 and the Whistleblower Protection Bill, 2015 respectively.

A private motion was moved by the Member for Caroni East to ask Government to take urgent steps to ensure that all students are provided with textbooks, workbooks and/or other learning material in fulfillment of commitments given for the academic year 2015 to 2016.

The 9th Sitting ended at 4:13 p.m. The House will reconvene on Friday December 4th, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. At this 10th Sitting, the motion to increase the borrowing limits under the Development Loans Act will be moved.