 Thank you Mr. Speaker, thank you colleagues and let me say that I'm extremely happy to stand in this chamber this morning and to make my contribution to brief of course on the estimates of expenditure and revenue but of course I think it would be remiss of me Mr. Speaker if I did not take some time to attend just two important matters firstly Mr. Speaker I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family of Rufus Kodra who passed away a few weeks and was funeral was on Monday he was a celebrated gentleman who served this country for many years as an educator I had a distinct pleasure to visit Mr. Kodra a few months ago where he shared with me his thoughts on many developmental subjects I was also happy and can report how passionately and probably his book of his children and I'm not surprised of the achievement on how well did two are serving in Central Asian people in the education sector as well Mr. Speaker allow me to express gratitude to the many persons who reach out to me and my family during my recent ailment from the minute I felt the discomfort on that faithful Sunday up to now so many persons have prayed for me and continue to pray for me as much as I would like to single out everyone I fear I may unintentionally leave out name or two so just please permit me to thank a few groups of individuals and if in case I left out anyone I do apologize firstly I would like to thank Dr. Daniel and the staff the people at the Tapio Hospital for the effective care my prime minister cabinet colleagues members and staff of the parliament members of the Senbusha Labor Party members of the opposition the many members of the castries office constituency the staff of the Ministry of Equity and its supporting agencies my family my in-laws friends well-wishers and supporters for all the length and breadth of Senbusha and in the diaspora the medical team in Laminate Hospital in Martinique and Professor Dabo I also like to thank the special lady of Miss Allison Joseph our council general in Martinique for support and in a special way whereas I've spoken to my family I would like to single out my sister and her husband in Martinique my cousins and all my friends who reside in Martinique for coming by and supporting in a special way the Petitons SDA church my mother's home church in Martinique as well as some of the churches in Martinique who came by provide support and pray with me the therefore SDA church and all of the churches in castries southeast in particular pray with me and made representation one way or the other Mr. Speaker on assuming responsibility as minister I did not hesitate but to convene meeting with the Christian Council and all of the established religions on this island and I'm happy to report that all of the leaders of these various organizations our faith based organizations reached out and said and gave me the praise and the provided support I wish to thank them my dear wife Marcy and my loving daughters for the unwavering love and support you know I cannot words are not sufficient to speak to the support that I got from them and finally to God the giver of life all praises belong to him and I want to assure the people of castry southeast that I will continue to serve them with what is left of my heart for as long as God determines I will serve the people of castry southeast sometimes mr. Speaker just to reflect and just before the occurrence of what transpired on that Sunday I recall speaking to my wife and I said to her that if I am terminally ill while I am serving this in this parliament it will not be a secret and I do not want it to be anything that is of fear I told I would face the people and tell them exactly what is going on and if the doctor give me days I told her I will communicate to the constituent into solutions on a whole how much time I'm given the end of life is not to be happy nor to achieve pleasure as Martin Luther say but is to do God's will come with me and for this mr. Speaker I thank you for indulging me on the motion before this house mr. Speaker I wish to join this parliament and to register my support for the estimates of revenue and expenditure in the sum of one billion eight hundred and fifty six million seven hundred and nine thousand seven hundred seven hundred and nineteen thousand mr. Speaker I am particularly pleased with the increased I noted in for the ministry of equity social justice and empowerment and I wish to highlight that overall for the period 2020 to 2023 we receive 61 million in the estimates five five hundred and 13,000 dollars this year in the budget presented for 2023 2024 there's an increase to 76 million five hundred and three thousand nine hundred dollars the areas that I need to that is of importance to me and that requires focus as one area and I will speak in details when it gets to the policy debate is a graduation and an allocation for graduation for persons on public assistance mr. Speaker this is very important for the government and for the people of send motion for taxpayers it's important to note mr. Speaker that while we have allocated annually we continue to allocate 20 million dollars to support people on public assistance we do have on a waiting list 1500 persons that was a as of last year but it's not worrying for me but it's important to note that this num this number has increased to 2300 persons on a waiting list the allocation for graduation for graduation or to allow persons to exit public assistance for training for investment would assist significantly in allowing persons who need to be on public assistance get on while we continue to move persons who are able to do otherwise so I support the amount given and it's a new it's new there's not been done in the past and I'm happy that this prime minister is thinking of our vulnerable population by making this allocation the second area of support under the Ministry of Equity though it was a small amount it is for persons with disability I listen to my colleague member who spoke about farmers persons with disability trying to enter the agricultural business but importantly mr. Speaker we have not provided thorough analysis of disability or persons living with disability on this island and I believe that this financial year we will embark to do a thorough study to provide support to the organization with or to work with them so that we can have a database and understand disability in this in the money which it needs to be understood I am extremely happy that this year while I was on the hospital bed in Magnick I noticed that we received a container of wheelchairs from our Taiwanese and I was extremely blessed and I celebrated this a container of wheelchairs is also while while returning here on Sunday a friend a friend provided me with two motorized wheelchair which will be delivered I take them to St. Lucian will be delivered to the Donata school because there are some children there are some children who cannot be in the regular wheelchairs I wasn't working I wasn't working I wasn't working yeah but I'm happy that they would be receiving this two important wheelchairs and of course I was able to risk get some medication which I will hand over to the Minister of Health to provide some support to the senior people of disability again gifts so I welcome gifts that helps to augment the resources that we are receiving in the budget so that we could impact our vulnerable population another area that receives support and I was extremely happy in this estimate is the establishment of a juvenile center mr. Speaker you would have everybody is aware of what is happening at the Boy Street and Center and for the government for the Prime Minister to have allocated resources so that we could commence the designing so that by next year we could realize the implementation of a juvenile detention center for caring and protection of our young people I think is timely and I welcome this tremendously another area of investment that was not supported before community development receiving three quarters of a three quarters of a million dollars for after school program that has not happened in the past it was not funded and I'm happy in the context of what we are faced with that our Prime Minister can find resources so that we can now come back on having after school program in our various communities so that our children are engaged mr. Speaker the estimate reflects a philosophy of our Prime Minister who understands that we are not there to just to respond to crime and violence or to consider that communities are important only when things bad happen but the Prime Minister understand that when our communities are peaceful we need to go in cultivate and courage and consolidate the good things in our community that we do not allow it to become places first with crime and these is so there is investment made in the estimates under the Ministry of Equity I think is very profound it's deep it's timely and will only make contribute significantly to the well-being of all vulnerable population mr. Speaker let me briefly speak of the castry surface constituency and how the estimates will impact them mr. Speaker I'm of the opinion that any constituency can best be served if they are organized and this applies even more in a large or large constituencies the absence of functioning development committees and on selfish community leaders is necessary for effective representation in a people focus development mr. Speaker it happened that I was given oversight of the Ministry of Community Development and of course mr. Speaker I recognize that volunteerism is not as popular as it used to be before this makes community development work difficult and it makes management of a constituency even more difficult I am not and I've said it before I'm not there to compete with those who have served before me but to try to make a contribution to the development of the people that I represent and this means to some extent the completion of projects that are in the best interest of the people this is the context of how we this budget reserve the constituency one must understand what is the situation of castry surface currently I need to report mr. Speaker that following the works of the former MP there are in number of incomplete infrastructural projects in castry service in fact I ask whether it's a blessing or a curse but in the last year of elections road work started in Mark Capitol Hill you had lower belly forest yes and the fee and a lot of those projects were left unfinished and by nature's created a demand to have them completed while there are other needs that needs to be addressed and it is difficult the odd say HR HR DC I'm happy that it is completed now the back so HR DC is still ongoing under the DVRP project and of course you would still have a situation of viewing a series of containers on the banks of the river in Bexar which I have difficulty in completing or doing anything about it I'm hoping that we could find some way to resolve that problem of what the intention of all those containers meant previously additionally I need to inform the minister of housing that the proud project which started previously have left some areas in Bexar in complete some people unhappy some of the designs and it is what it was this was not under the auspices of the of the current minister responsible for proud but he inherited it design and work one going and mr. Speaker if you were to visit some parts of Bexar the incomplete nature of the proud interventions it is really sad what people are enjoying and of course it would make you feel unhappy what we've done mr. Speaker we have established and we have re-energized development committees in Tirochet, Wavin Pwasolabi, Bexar Bele Kulisa, Kulitown and the studies is ahead and efforts have been made to continue in this vein with the assistance from the social transformation officer and part of the development the community development unit of the ministry of equity we have established young leaders clubs in the constituency and of course I'm happy that the allocation on the community development which will be used for re-energizing and getting the after-school program can see these communities active and get our young people participating in developing themselves mr. Speaker the support from the constituency development program provided tremendous support understanding the importance of the future of our people and the contribution to a more equitable society we decided to invest in the development of our children for the engagement of a retired musician and this is going on well and we will continue with the CDP in ensuring that our children at preschools in castry's office are exposed to music at a very early age and this is this is deliberate this is purposeful and of course as I said this I am aware that the dr. Josima Henry foundation musical foundation in therefore is doing extremely well and we have developed quite a bit a few string musicians who are now performing and are making the family members making the churches proud as they continue to serve and develop this case all of these musical talent in the castry's office is being nurtured and I know I know that when as jazz is being funded that the minister responsible for the creative industry will see the need to host jazz in castry's office not to import musicians but to demonstrate the talent that we have in castry's office and we will not call it snow we have enough rivers we have enough rivers we have enough rivers we have enough rivers another area that we will continue to support under the constituency development program is the transportation of our people and of course through the benevolence of the embassy of the Republic of China Taiwan of course we know we have a 40 seater poster thank to the minister of local government for for handing over the kids to me but mr. speaker mr. speaker this poster whereas we smile has provided a service for the people of castry's office in a way that is unprecedented mr. speaker the driver of this bus happily accepted the job and happy that he asked for it but since he has taken that role to be the bus driver I do not think that he has had one day out of work because this bus is on working for the community taking the children across the constituency on every day of the week including Saturday and Sunday without a rootburn and it's the idea recognizing transportation is a public good and I I challenge I challenge other parliamentarians especially constipation constituencies like Schroeser and the other larger constituencies where you need to move your people around where children need to attend to activities within the constituency you know the that coaster has made the people happy they using it it is not color coded it is not in red it will never be an SLP coaster it is castry's surface coaster on the local government and I am really happy that this decision was taken and the transportation services will continue mr. speaker castry's office being the second largest constituency there's a demand for employment and a lot of our people are unemployed while we were able to provide employment for some of our people immediately after elections they are employed through the whole program they are employed on providing support at some statutory organizations some of fun work elsewhere as the economy start to pick up in the tourism I have registered based on my own count that we in castry's office have been able to see critical close to more than 70 persons finding employment after elections but the demands and the needs for employment of our people is significant and that is why I am happy that provision made on the CSME the program on the Ministry of Commerce where small business the idea of having persons to be entrepreneurs young people the youth economy that being finance is significant but of course the strategy to access and to ensure that certain persons you know have access and benefit from these initiatives needs to be it's need to be very strategic and that is why in discussion with the Minister for Commerce I am not just asking for persons from castry's office to go to the Department of Commerce or go to the youth economy but I'm using part of my constituency development program to invest in somebody who has the ability to train those persons beyond what the Ministry of Commerce is doing into small business developing the business plan and have a relationship with the Ministry that it they can receive approval of the business plan in a very critical way and that we do not put them through a bureaucratic process that they give up in actually accessing these things because when you have bureaucracy in place our people are hustlers they need to make some money for the day to care for the kids it's difficult for them to go and sit on a line waiting and therefore the idea of getting them or creating this change we fail because of the bureaucracy and the fact that our people need to continue to provide it for themselves so I have decided to use some of the resources on the CDP and to work with the Ministry of Commerce so that our people the names that I have those persons I see with that are serious about business I can actually provide them with that kind of psychosocial support hold their hands and anchor them and do like the former Minister do hunk of them into the business Minister Frederick did showed me how to do at sometime ensure that they stay and perform and they access the services that is needed Mr. Speaker an area of support that I'm happy that's funded and I know the Minister of Housing is that of housing of course we provided some housing support to our people and I am pleased that we did some housing assistance but of course castry surface if there's you could never have enough to serve castry surface and therefore I'm looking for more resources I'm looking for more support I am happy however on the DSSDF very soon the Minister for the Minister for for infrastructure minister through the the Department of Cronland's the Minister of Local Government will join to have a small ceremony for the opening of a duplex in castry surface because of course it provides a different arrangement with the church a third party Cronland's ensuring that somebody who is disabled will now find a place to rest their head and the church will be maintaining and managing this facility until the person passes on where somebody else will come on board I find this is novel it is a very low-cost intervention and I cannot wait for this ceremony to celebrate this and of course that we could replicate it elsewhere frauds and Lucia once we have a viable third party who is willing to partner with the government and Cronland's and in that case it is the same day Adventist Church who would be participating and of course there would be a formal signing of documents so that we register this in Cronland's to understand that it is the properties developed for the church but it is the government or Cron property and it is intended to be used for persons who would qualify as persons deserving of this so I am looking forward to more of this happening in next year's in this year's budget as it relates to infrastructure Mr. Speaker road safety we are waiting for the sidewalks in Bexor we are waiting for the speed bumps in Odessa, Bexor and in Tuapito we've had the side visits we need we cannot allow for another accident in Bexor again and then respond we must take steps to make this stretch of road coming from the bottom of the bad little it needs to become safer we have lost too many lives there and I'm asking the Ministry of Infrastructure to intervene we have a situation in Tuapito there are two churches and again vehicles going from Tuapito expect to pass there as if they were planes trying to take off the people living across living on the side of the road have asked for speed bumps to slow down traffic visitors been done by the Ministry of Infrastructure we are asking that this be considered in this year's budget as well as the pastor of the Pentecostal Church in Odessa he too have registered his concern for vehicles coming from Odessa onto the highway they have had some serious accidents vehicles do not slow down and sometimes children are coming from church we need to have traffic management signs there as well and I'm happy that the the member for me could spoke about the envelope that he that he has seen that the minutes the minutes the minister for infrastructure he has a special envelope and has spoken to what fraction of that envelope can lend support to me code in terms of roads live for you okay well he said it well he didn't he didn't see them yeah well I pray God that it multiplies because there are some in this again for me the road works in in Laquat to Odessa there was a sign on the the same month of election but of course there was no resources I would like to see this road since it was started by the previous MP I would like to see that it completed I think it's important that we complete projects that are started we need to finish it no no we need to we need to finish it I have no interest in discontinuing anything you know and my recent element tell me that you might as well finish it because you finish yourself so we need to finish the roads that are started there's a massive retaining wall I'm hoping that in Badni that that has collapsed and sex that situation is existing for some time it's really a nice all we need to finish it drainage we did some drainage in in the constituency but mr. speaker a draining castry surface all every dream seem to be a river or a vine and it's not like you could go into a small drain like a in a low-lying area it is massive the nature of the constituency and therefore I'm asking that on the well the disaster vulnerability reduction program I know it's coming to an end but of course we need to consider drainage as a serious on the ticket we need to scientifically look at how the amount of money is that we invest in the silting vis-à-vis what we can do in alleviating some of those problems so I would like to see the um well we embark on the West Coast road that we address the issue of this major culvert passing at the back of the full of the day care center in Kaldisa because it's very narrow and the water backs up into the community of Kaldisa and of course tying that flooding that takes place in the community with the poor sewage system and old sewage system that was given following maybe following emancipation when we started practicing subsistence farming in Kaldisa that sewage system still exists and whenever it rains our people in Kaldisa have to deal with flooding of sewage because the water backs up that cannot allow to exist in castry south-east the flooding in Bekso and Kaldisa of course is something that we we're dealing with for very long time but the idea of having a new bridge I think similar to what the Japanese did I think that is on the table we we need to consider the ferrins bridge and the Cronlands bridge at it as soon as possible because we know that we deal with the issue of of the infrastructure needs of the constituency the other area that I have I think the the prime minister has the prime minister has given me everything that I asked for he's given me everything that I've asked for the prime minister because the prime ministers the prime minister well the prime minister knows one thing in Christian values is better to give them to receive and I need to continue the prime minister to encourage him to continue given because it's the right thing to do but the issue of community centers for for for me so important and when I speak of community centers I'm not talking about HRDCs I personally believe that HRDCs are too lavish they too they too costly to maintain I need a place I need places in the constituency where people can just sit and have a meeting I do not like to sit in mark and have a meeting by a room shop for example or to congregate in a room shop or place where it's not conducive for a mother to come and sit with a child so I'm not asking for HRDCs I'm asking for basic halls centers where persons can have a conversation and there's a demand for it and one the one that was developed by Geese Industries and was handover by Geese Industries in Calisa we need to spend it hundred thousand dollars and retrofit it and give the people a proper place because that's where the after-school program is big is being held that's where they raise in funds for many years we've cleared the site in mark we need a small building that will not take 300 thousand dollars first of all meeting we need to do this and of course anywhere else they can wait down the road so yes community centers are important because community centers makes it possible to organize people engage people so that you could leave development that is people focus recreational facilities also are very important for castry service the minister of sports is not here but apart from the backs of playing field and a small growing belly the second largest constituency on the island has no other plane facilities think of it the second largest population of constituency there's only the backs of playing field and a belly ground and everywhere else forest here no that's saffa louis grounds well fence that's saffa louis that's not so there's only backs of playing field and when it floods backs of playing field is no longer available there's no other playing field abused under the CDP program to light up a small ground in Calisa a community ground where you have people playing sports and mr. speaker just imagine there's a small ground almost half the size of a court in bad and on afternoon you would find a hundred young men playing small bowls you know what they call side out and when it's humbling to see so many young men recreating on a small area like this a private owner called me from Senkwai and said hey I know what's happening on my land that's okay but there's no place for young people to recreate in castry service and it is one of the concerns that I have and it's a matter that I continue to lament assets for constituency where the population is what is needed and I think that needs to be given consideration so I'm expecting in this financial year that we could find a court for cool it down a multipurpose court because the children crossing that highway to go across into the member member for castry soft cut playing field the older ones can do it but it is dangerous to see children crossing that highway in rosa to go across to marigold to recreate there's no place in cool it down for recreation there's no place in bad there's none it in mark my producing cricketers there's none in for club there's none in kubaril there's none in Peru there are 41 communities in castry soft it's big so and belly is the only place you could find playgrounds it is large and it is not served properly so mr. Speaker this is the nature of life in castry soft is and that is why mr. Speaker I will always try my best to do what I can as it relates to livelihood I'm happy that the minister for tourism under the community tourism has now identified laugh what what he's I is not building a hotel but whatever that has been conceptualized I know we'll do well for the community of lack point terms of the improvement of what is happening on this at the junction there and of course it will improve livelihoods yes I want his land yes as it relates to other forms of livelihood mr. Speaker the national abattoir was destroyed or was abundant was abundant castry soft is probably have more butchers than you thought is that the case I do not know but there are many butchers in castry soft is mark in particular new if you travel through back so and the practice for for slaughter is not healthy and in 2023 I think is really back also we need to find place to ensure that these people do not only sell death the the the meets in the central market as to all the operate but we need to create market space for subsistence farming in castry soft is the only land I see available for a market in castry soft is which I hope to pursue is in castry soft when you have a lot of flooding taking place in castry soft is like some mighty countries do what you want conquer land elsewhere you know so I am not looking to go into Ukraine I'm not doing like mr. Putin but I'm going to see if I can get land in castry soft to assist people in castry soft is so any territorial dispute I think the member for castry soft must sit in the context of development land and what is happening in larger countries so so we need to negotiate that and I know the prime minister who gives me everything I ask will give me London castry soft you will give me London castry soft to be the market let me let me not take more time here but to to speak to the issue that mr. speaker the Ministry of Equity and the services that it has provided that it provides to people on the island castry soft is in a serious way as benefitted the burial support that this government has made available to Central Asians has reached support to many persons the medical support that persons receive I see every now and then someone from castry soft is benefit on behalf of the constituency of castry soft is I wish to express my thanks to the prime minister for this budget what he has done in the past and what he continues to do and of course I know that modern food vouchers modern the assessment or the need for a new juvenile and detention center for caring for young people what I see out of this budget is caring and not the occasional attitude towards giving something when there's a problem but in this budget streams a flow of care that is continuous that will outlive this any government that comes into power so the concern and for people in this budget like I said it's not occasional putting people first is not just a doctrine it is what we believe in what we have been doing what we continue to do and what we what our people will experience from henceforth as St. Lucia moved to become a better place for all its citizens thank you very much everyone