 Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Appropriation Bill 2023-2024, otherwise known to many as the budget statement. Mr. Speaker, but before I delve into the substantive matters in my presentation, permit me to express condolences to a few families in my constituency who have in recent times been mourning the loss of loved ones. The family of Mr. Aubrey and Gadeth, Mr. Speaker, who was late to rest last week, Mr. Speaker, the family of Ofina and Gadeth in Olio, and very recently Mr. Speaker, the family of Ms. Tirun, of Olio, who Mr. Speaker passed away a few days ago. Mr. Speaker, I also want to shout out my very good friend and mentor and constituency in the person of Cyprian, but I don't know how to slide. Gregor of January South, who must be listening, Mr. Speaker, to the proceedings in the house. My neighbors Galva from Grand Riviera, the Noel family in New York, and other followers in the diaspora. Mr. Speaker, the presentation of the policy statement of the budget on Tuesday evening by the Honorary Prime Minister was yet another demonstration of a man who is not only ready to lead Mr. Speaker, but has proven in the two years since he assumed office as Prime Minister that he is the man for the job. But Mr. Speaker, before I go further, let me say once again in this honorable chamber that it is both an honor and a privilege to take my place in this August Assembly on behalf of the people of Denver, North. Mr. Speaker, on three different occasions, three general elections, they lined up the polling stations at the following schools, the Grand Riviera Secondary School, the Rich Four Combined School, the January Riviera Combined School, the Larissus Combined School, and the Olio Combined School to repose their confidence in my ability to represent their interest in the parliament of our country and by extension, Mr. Speaker, the widest scheme of government. Mr. Speaker, I do not take my role as parliamentary representative for Denver, North likely, knowing that in the last three general elections, no fewer than seven different individuals have offered themselves to the people of Denver, North to be parliamentary representative. And Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, on every occasion where I presented myself to the people of Denver, North, they have embraced me, Mr. Speaker, and they have given me a mandate to go into the parliament to champion their cause and give expression to their concerns. And so, Mr. Speaker, on three different occasions, I would like to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for voting for me at three elections, and at three elections, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent myself to the parliament. And so, Mr. Speaker, I come here in support of the appropriation bill. This being the 11th time that I have stood in this honorable chamber to debate an appropriation bill. And I do so with the satisfaction of knowing, Mr. Speaker, that the suite of policies espoused by the honorable prime minister will read down to the benefit of the people of Denver, North and the people of St. Lucia in general. Mr. Speaker, the prime minister's presentation on Tuesday night, Mr. Speaker, both in terms of the contents and presentation, was a master class. Mr. Speaker, the prime minister has meticulously apportioned the resources of the state to the various sectors of national development with a great degree of skill. But, Mr. Speaker, what I found most interesting in the days immediately following the presentation by the prime minister was a failed prime minister of a previous era, trying to claim and grab the plaudits and trying to take the credit, Mr. Speaker, for the outstanding performance of our government. But that is him by nature, because that from a prime minister, Mr. Speaker, has a history. Mr. Speaker, when he came into office in 2016, he found that the government of the St. Lucia Labor Party had already secured through the efforts of the member for library a grant of five million U.S. dollars for the dengue of water redevelopment project. And upon realizing that the grant amount, which was secured at the negotiating table at an OAS meeting in Guatemala in 2012, upon realizing that amount was insufficient, we as an administration approached the Caribbean Development Bank for a loan of 22 million EC to complement the five million grant from the Mexicans. And you would have thought, Mr. Speaker, that when the project was being commissioned and the ribbons would be cut, that due credit would have been given to administration. But shamelessly, you should have seen him posture cutting ribbons, claiming what was not rightfully his. And today he comes with the same posture, trying to claim and the accolades, as I said, for the outstanding performance of the economy under our administration. Mr. Speaker, he tries to lay claim for the double digit growth that we are currently experiencing. Mr. Speaker, but not so for the not favorable programs that he implemented. He claims what is good today and say it is as a result of his administration. But he refuses to claim the crime situation that we find ourselves in today because he abandoned a lot of the social programs that he met in trade when he assumed office in 2016. Mr. Speaker, the crime figures are commensurate with the failed social policies of the United Workers Party. They stopped the NICE program. The only component that was retained was the elderly care and program. The farm labor program was stopped. The plane maintenance program was stopped. And almost every other aspect of the NICE program that was providing social relief to people in St. Lucia, that was stopped, Mr. Speaker. And today it could very well mean that some of what we see unfolding in our society, Mr. Speaker, could be as a result of those programs that were cut short. The same man under whose watch $112 million was spent to facilitate horses, Mr. Speaker, while work on St. Jude's top would come here and go elsewhere in the media and try to claim, Mr. Speaker, the accolades for the economy doing well. The same man who allowed, Mr. Speaker, his friends to do whatever they wanted in our country is coming in here today to claim accolades because the economy is growing by a double digit, Mr. Speaker. The same man, Mr. Speaker, who invented Maripuete and plunged our country into unprecedented levels of debt today wants to tell St. Lucia that as a result of the excessive borrowing on his butt, that is why we are doing well today. The same man, Mr. Speaker, who denied opposition parliamentarians state resources because we were members of the St. Lucia Labour Party, he comes into this house and tells us, Mr. Speaker, well he has not spoken yet but he was in the media telling St. Lucia that, Mr. Speaker, he is responsible for the double digit growth. The people of Olio, Despin Lapel, Larisos, Gardett, Denier River, Belmont, Richfort, Grand Revin and Grand River, Mr. Speaker. They suffered, they suffered because I was confined to the opposition benches and today, Mr. Speaker, six million dollars that could have been spent in Dennery North to improve the quality of life of my people, Mr. Speaker, that amount was denied and today, when we should have been building on the successes of the previous term, we have to start from scratch in a number of areas, dilapidated routes, school infrastructure not being up to the mark, Mr. Speaker, and there are so many other examples where my people had to suffer simply because in the majority they had gone into the polling stations on election day to vote for Sean Edward and the St. Lucia Labour Party. Mr. Speaker, the road from Apple to Julian Estefan or Luluy in Belmont could have been completed had I benefited from CDP monies during the reign of the United Workers Party. The roads in Apatat Lapel, the Richfort Ring Road so that people like Pastor Alfred, Lynette, Ezra, Johnson and all the others in that area, Mr. Speaker, they would have had something to shout about but we were denied. The same man who spent $8,000 a night in a hotel room at the expense of taxpayers will come here and go elsewhere and eyeball journalists and tell them that as a result of that kind of spending he is responsible, Mr. Speaker, for 18.1% growth in the economy. Mr. Speaker, the same man who failed as a tourism guru to build a single hotel room in this country and maybe Mr. Speaker, if he was in office now he would have been able to build one because we have removed that on plywood, steel and cement. Mr. Speaker, the same man who paid $6 million to prepare the budget when our civil servants have demonstrated time and again that they have the skills, they have the aptitude and they have the quality, Mr. Speaker, to prepare the budget. The same man, Mr. Speaker, who's responsible for range development being paid $30 million, the same man who's responsible for Lockerbie being paid $32 million, the same man, Mr. Speaker, who squandered $7 million on vaccine, the same man to pay $24 million to Kevin City, Mr. Speaker, the same man who's travel bill in five years amounted to in excess of $1 million and the list goes on and on. He tells the people of St. Lucia that as a result of all this reckless spending he is responsible for the economy growing by 18.1%. So, Mr. Speaker, if he had not wasted the state's money the way he had done, our economy would have been growing by 50% and 60% and 80%. Mr. Speaker, I have full confidence in the Prime Minister and the member for castries east. Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has demonstrated time and again and to use his own words echoed by the member for Heford North. He is not into showmanship. He's not a showman. Mr. Speaker, I sit in the cabinet every Monday and I can tell you the Prime Minister is very thorough. The Prime Minister consults. The Prime Minister has never given the impression that he knows everything and the Prime Minister brings to the Prime Minister ship. A level of compassion and dignity, Mr. Speaker, that we did not see from his predecessor. It is only a compassionate Prime Minister who will eyeball every one of the members in his cabinet and say to us that when the resources in your ministry, resources being distributed, you have to ensure that every opportunity that opposition parliamentarians benefit in much the same way that your colleagues from the Labour Party and in the cabinet benefit. We did not know that, Mr. Speaker. We did not know that in times past. Mr. Speaker, I sat on the other side. The PowerPoint presentations were glaring. The PowerPoint presentations were impressive and were just relegated to bystanders who would just come here to ensure that there is a quorum. More often than not, you would have thought that our presence would have at least, Mr. Speaker, elicited from them some compassion. But instead, Mr. Speaker, it was licks and character assassination. I am not going in the past, but I have said time and again that in order for you to appreciate what is happening now and what will happen to the people of St. Lucia where they will enjoy a better standard of living, you have to revisit the past to put what is about to happen in context. And the member for sure himself talks about every parliament. Every parliament, he spoke with you here. You all revisited Greenberg. You all spoke about Rochamel. You all spoke about ministers' accounts. You all did whatever you wanted here. You said nothing. You sat there for you, Mr. Speaker. But today you want to counsel. I am not going to waste much time on you. I have a lot to say today. Mr. Speaker, on page 44 of the budget address, the Prime Minister spoke passionately about Julian Alfred. Mr. Speaker, he said this country has been witnessing the valiant feats of the breaking of records by Julian Alfred. Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's utterances were specific to the feats of Julian Alfred. But I am sure he was speaking to all elite athletes in this country who have demonstrated them and again, sorry, that they are prepared to go out there and give quality representation to our country. Mr. Speaker, sports is a universally accepted avenue or medium through which the human potential can be realized. And Julian's coaches, Mr. Speaker, saw her potential at a very early age. Her mother saw it. Her school teacher saw it. The Leon S. Comprehensive Secondary School principal in the post, then principal in the post of Mr. LeBord saw it. Mr. Francis A.K. Ibed saw it. Cornelius Brim and the other executive members of the Athletics Association saw it. Kovbut Modest saw it, Mr. Speaker. And when I was approached as the minister at the time. And I was told that we have this young athlete at the Leon S. Comprehensive Secondary School who has demonstrated that she can be a world-class athlete and that certain interventions needed to have been made at the time, Mr. Speaker, to get her to transition from Leon S. Comprehensive Secondary in St. Lucia to St. Catherine High in Jamaica, I wasted no time as the minister to ensure, Mr. Speaker, that we put what was needed in place to give her the support. And Jim Zavie, the current director of sports, will tell you, Mr. Speaker. And Jim has to be credited for persisting, Mr. Speaker, and believing in the process. And under my ministerial watch, Mr. Speaker, I caused the National Lottery Authority at the time to give a stipend of $150 to Julian Alfred monthly, Mr. Speaker. Monthly. And for that, Mr. Speaker, to use a word that the member of UFO itself was not here with us, uses all the time, Mr. Speaker. I was excoriated. I was investigated. I was maligned. I watched MPs, Mr. Speaker, in this chamber ask for extra time to do a number on my character and to refer to me as a thief, as somebody who had interfered in state monies at the National Lottery Authority for what, Mr. Speaker, for causing the NLA to give Julian Alfred $150 a month when she had moved from Leon S. Comprehensive in St. Lucia to St. Catherine High in Jamaica. Mr. Speaker, I watched and I sat across there and, Mr. Speaker, every blow that was landed was celebrated and I can't recall his expression at the time but the member for shows that was there and to the best of my recollection, Mr. Speaker, he was in the chamber, Mr. Speaker, and he was occupying the chair that is currently occupied by the member for Grozile to the best of my recollection. I did not hear him stand up and see that the investment was won, that was worthwhile, but they took turns and you should have seen the memes on social media. You should have heard the names that I was called and one of their surrogates went into the constituency and he told them that they should prepare for a by-election because I, Mr. Speaker, had played in National Lottery Authority money but today I stand here vindicated and the only regret I have, Mr. Speaker, is that instead of $150 a month, I did not cause the lottery to give her $1,500 a month. A big law firm out of Arbados, Mr. Speaker, in June of 2018 was engaged to investigate me for, among other things, allowing the Lottery Authority to give Julian Alfred $150. You know what they did? When they came into office, they stopped the subvention that was being given to Julian Alfred, this government, the same government, that spent $112 million on horses, Mr. Speaker, stopped $150 going to a budding athlete who showed promise, who gave us the impression from very early that she had the potential to be world-class and that is what they did, the United Workers Party administration. But where are they now, Mr. Speaker? All those who are exciting themselves in this chamber, where are they now? They have to tune to the televisions to watch the proceedings in this house. They don't belong here because they were never for the people of this country, Mr. Speaker. Arbados was engaged, as I said, in June of 2018 to investigate me, Mr. Speaker. $50,000 deposit. That is what they were going to settle for. $600 US per hour. Julian was getting $150 US per month living at somebody's home in Jamaica but they were prepared to pay a lawyer $600 US an hour to investigate me, Mr. Speaker. And then the lawyer, Kamenevis Junior counterparts, had settled Mr. Speaker or they had agreed to pay the junior counterparts $400 US an hour on top of the $50,000 US just that he pauses. And today, Mr. Speaker, you want to wonder why they sit in opposition and some of them can never re-enter this chamber. They are not for the people. So, Mr. Speaker, Julian Alfred will continue to make St. Lucia proud. There are a lot of young athletes who will continue to make St. Lucia proud. And I would have said at the time when I was the Minister for Sports that St. Lucia is one of the richest repositories of sporting talent in the entire Caribbean. And I am very much encouraged by the work being done by the member for Grusili as he leads the charge in an area of national development that I would have worked in before, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to disagree. That I need to tell them what they are sitting in opposition. Gov. Flambeau is making it a pleasure to try to do justice here that won't be done by force if we have a minister's account and a barrage like that. And I want to make this decision because I know that there is a lot of difficulty for them to sit in one of them. And I want to make this decision and vote for them to decide that they are going to help me to try to take care of me. Not even a piece of barrage in opposition to make them sit in opposition to make them sit in opposition to make them, Mr. Speaker, to be able to sit in one of them and vote for them to decide that they are going to be elected but they don't want to be done, Mr. Speaker. And I want to say to them that I am going to vote for the minister's account and the barrage like that that I will not be able to do because of the work being done by the national authorities. That I am going to do because of the work being done It was for the U.S.A.F.A. It was for our investigation not just me but even after we started the investigation we were never coming back to the social media to take care of me and try to steal me and all the other people who were there and they didn't want to investigate me for my explanation it's because in the course that I did I paid $450 per month that's what I'm doing here in the United States they want to investigate me for my explanation that's what I'm doing here that's what I'm doing here Mr. Speaker, today we're going to look at a dollar value on the performances in terms of the exposure that she is giving to this country not even the impact of the tourism marketing efforts can compare and she has just started Mr. Speaker but today Mr. Speaker I'm going to ask her I'm going to ask her because I know who I am I know what I stand for I know what it is like Mr. Speaker to cross the boundary road and to take the field with the national flag on my crest Mr. Speaker, representing my country I know what it is like Mr. Speaker to raise my bat in the direction of the dressing room for my country on foreign soil because other than well for my country so once I would have been in the Ministry of Sports any opportunity that presented itself for me to have assisted elite athletes I would have done so but who's the first person Mr. Speaker waiting for the races to be run so they can be an update on his speech the member for Meekood South and there's a shamelessness that characterizes his politics the likes of which Mr. Speaker that we will never see not just in Zanusha but the entire Caribbean in part of Mr. Speaker they call that Panihontes but Mr. Speaker let me move on to a few areas that are not within my portfolio that the Prime Minister mentioned in the budget Mr. Speaker know that on plywood, steel, cement and galvanize Mr. Speaker not everybody in this country can build a two, a three and a four story structure Mr. Speaker when you program as a responsible government you must make provisions for people from all walks of life and I will understand why some people will frown on the removal of that on plywood steel cement because they live in their comfort zones they live in an ivory tower Mr. Speaker and they do not understand the plight of ordinary people but I will tell you one thing I know in those plywood structures you see in our country people work hard to construct those Mr. Speaker and they paint them up nicely Mr. Speaker and they have beautiful flower gardens Mr. Speaker the entrances and inside those plywood houses Mr. Speaker there is an overload of pride and dignity and that matters that matters for the psyche of the nation Mr. Speaker so when the Prime Minister in his wisdom and with his compassion decided that he would take that off Mr. Speaker plywood, steel, cement and galvanize Mr. Speaker I am a happier member of parliament for this because I know that there are many people in this country who want to renovate their homes I know there are several people Mr. Speaker who want to construct a little plywood house but they may not have the means at this particular point in time and so that bit of soul plasma and relief is handy and I know several people in my constituency who will be benefiting from this Mr. Speaker before of the budget address the Prime Minister spoke about sports and more specifically the introduction of a semi-professional football league Mr. Speaker football is the most popular sport in the world football is predominantly a male sport in St. Lucia Mr. Speaker we know the troubles that we are having with young men in our country we cannot be oblivious to that particular problem we cannot be oblivious to that particular problem we cannot be oblivious to that particular problem we cannot be oblivious to that particular problem Festival de Buzpa I made it my business on a Saturday and a Sunday to drive into almost every district to see for myself what was happening at the time there was a heavy emphasis on upgrading facilities and that was nicely complimented by programs that engaged the community when you went into the Rizzo Rizzo you went into the Mabuya valley you fought thousands of congregate on those playing fields to witness a game of football, cricket or what have you. And Mr. Speaker, that creates a social atmosphere and environment that will help with the crime situation. It keeps our young people meaningfully engaged and more than just keeping them meaningfully engaged. This is an avenue that was been provided so that they could have given expression to their skills and several of them were able to secure professional semi-professional contracts in Trinidad, Antigua, in Martinique and other parts of the Caribbean. So when the Prime Minister spoke of the semi-professional football league, Mr. Speaker, I am one who is in full support of this and I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, we in the Denver North Constituency soon from today will be embarking on a massive football revitalization program. I have already secured 200 pairs of quality football boots to develop to distribute sorry, Mr. Speaker, amongst the young footballers of the valley. You're not getting any. Mr. Speaker, uniforms are being procured. Incentives are being finalized and Mr. Speaker, we are already putting things in place to ensure that some of our best players in Constituency will get the opportunity to have trials in all the parts of the Caribbean, Mr. Speaker, and potentially far away. Mr. Speaker, the same will happen for cricket and court games in the coming weeks but a lot of money has been spent to procure football boots that will be distributed to the young men of the Mabuya Valley. There will be a resurgence in football and we will rise again, Mr. Speaker, to our number one position in this country. Mr. Speaker, on page 40, the Prime Minister spoke about land rationalization and resettlement and he mentioned the proud program, the program for the rehabilitation of unplanned development. Proud has been a subject of discussion in this honorable chamber for as long as I can remember. Mr. Speaker, land empowers people, land empowers families. Mr. Speaker, land tenureship can cause a family to go to the bank and be in a position to take a loan so that the children of the parents can go overseas to pursue a Mr. Speaker university education. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of state on lands in the Mabuya Valley and soon from today, Mr. Speaker, I am hoping that the discussions that we have started with Crownlands and investment, Lucia, will result in the people of my constituency being given title to the lands that they currently occupy. Lands, Mr. Speaker, in Lapelle, Grand Reveille, Belmont, and Olio in particular and Mr. Speaker, Tilarisus to a lesser extent. Mr. Speaker, commerce business development on page 42, the micro-small medium enterprises, Mr. Speaker, that is the buzz concept in government business and that buzz is reflected, Mr. Speaker, with a buoyancy that the member for Souffre, Mr. Speaker, carries everywhere she goes and when she speaks, Mr. Speaker, you can tell of the satisfaction that she is enjoying as it relates to that particular program. Mr. Speaker, we heard of a reduction in the unemployment figures. If we can continue to create an environment where small businesses can thrive, there will be less of a reliance on central government for employment and so this particular initiative, I welcome. The Prime Minister said and I quote Mr. Speaker, in this fiscal year, the government is making available 10 million dollars through the San Lucia Development Bank under the MSME Loan Grant facility. I am hoping, Mr. Speaker, that small businesses throughout the country, in particular those from my constituency, will seize the opportunity to give themselves more opportunities for growth and expansion and as I said, those who are struggling, they too, Mr. Speaker, will be able to get some form of support that will help them bolster their own businesses. On page 40, Mr. Speaker of the Budget statement, the Prime Minister said and I quote, St Lucia's housing stock deficit has been worsening by the rising cost of building materials and available and affordable housing lots. Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious national issue. Sometimes I browse through the newspapers or different sites online and when I see the amount that is being quoted per square foot for a piece of land in this country, I ask myself, is there a deliberate scheme at work to price solutions out of earning land in our country? Mr. Speaker, this is a very serious issue. So when the NIC through NIPRO can begin to identify lands in the various constituencies, Mr. Speaker, to have housing programs that will cause young solutions, particularly young professionals, to be able to access land and to build a home, Mr. Speaker, that can only augur well for the viability of our country. And so I welcome this program because in all your, Mr. Speaker, and I've had preliminary discussions with the Minister for Housing, there's an area in all your known as Madua, very picturesque. I'm part of the community, Mr. Speaker. I deal for a housing program. And let me say, Mr. Speaker, in this honorable house that soon from today, the people of Olio and by extension, the people of the Mabuya Valley will begin to see some movement on the part of the government in terms of land acquisition and what else needs to be done to ensure that we develop the Madua area into a viable housing scheme for the people of Olio and other persons within the Mabuya Valley. Our desirous of owning land, Mr. Speaker, and constructing a home within the constituency. Mr. Speaker, I cannot present in this house where bananas have been mentioned and for me not to add my voice to the conversation. Mr. Speaker, on page 47, the Prime Minister gave a commitment. Prime Minister D, let me confer a budget statement now. Mr. Speaker, he's a banana management unit. Mr. Speaker, there is original market for bananas. Very recently, the Minister for Agriculture spoke of an opportunity that is existing as we speak in Trinidad, where they are asking for thousands of boxes of bananas from St. Lucia on a weekly basis. In addition to the demand being there, the Minister also informed the Cabinet and also this house that the potential buyer has agreed to make a vessel available to transport the fruit from St. Lucia to Trinidad. That near market proofing. Maybe Mr. Speaker, we can work here that quality figs that we have before, it's young, kikai, the demand of the buyers and that our farmers will continue to have a livelihood in the banana industry. First day March, government made a link to figs, Mr. Speaker, when it was not possible to take. Passelment piece, we came out of the constituency to figs, but we are open significance contribution figs, I have made a country, the banana industry may not be the greatest contributor to GDP today, but I see first hand, Mr. Speaker, farmers still go to the farms, they sell and that little dollar, Mr. Speaker, pays the utility bill. It sends the children to school, and helps the farmers enjoy a decent standard of living. All set to see kaiwai government make a pretty much to work here. Mr. Speaker, subsidies, the prime minister, Mr. Speaker, spoke to 40 million dollars in subsidies to the people of this country. What some people do not understand, Mr. Speaker, is that when you go to the supermarket or the gas station or wherever in the community, that they sell a gas cylinder, Mr. Speaker, and you pay 40 dollars, 40 dollars for a cylinder, the government has already paid 20 dollars, and if the government had not paid 20 dollars for you, you'd be paying 60 dollars. So, look at them, we can talk about funds, but I can I can't that bakers would be paying a lot more for bag of flour had the government not intervened and subsidized the price of flour so that we can make flour and flour products more of affordable to the average person in society. Mr. Speaker, our government is a compassionate government. Our government gives expression by its programming across sectors to the mantra that we embraced on the campaign trail. Mr. Speaker, ours is a government that puts people first. We put students first. We put the elderly first. We put police officers first. Mr. Speaker, we put nurses and doctors first. Mr. Speaker, we put farmers first. We put the people of St. Lucia first, and that is why Mr. Speaker, the people are so pleased with the performance of this government. Mr. Speaker, on pages 18 and 19 of the budget address, the prime minister set the tune for the discourse on education. Mr. Speaker, education is one of the most critical and most important strategic areas for any small island developing state. Education is like the compass, Mr. Speaker, that tells you or prepares you for what will come in the future. Mr. Speaker, as a country, as our country begins to emerge from COVID, we as a government are hopeful of the strides that we'll make in the education sector. Mr. Speaker, there are a number of areas that we've programmed. We have started to review the Education Act. The Education Act is this piece of legislation. This is the law that governs everything that happens in the education sector. So, sometimes when people come and they tell you the minister can do this, or the minister should do that, or a teacher is not supposed to do this, or seems like they're not teaching after that, Mr. Speaker, they need to be reminded that everything that happens in the education system, the school system, that is guided by legislation. But we have realized, Mr. Speaker, that the Education Act needs to be reviewed. Some of what is in the Education Act today has no relevance and no significance for the times that we are living in. Mr. Speaker alone has been said about hair policy in schools. There was a time when it was downright illegal for a child to have worn his or her hair in a particular style. But as the world evolves, and Mr. Speaker, as we become signatory to conventions, whether it's the right of the child or human rights, Mr. Speaker, we have found out and we are realizing more than ever before that some of what is in the Education Act is adherent to the reality of today. And that is why we have started to review the Education Act. Mr. Speaker, the consultations have happened. It has been massive consultation. And soon enough, I will take to the Cabinet and then the Parliament, the Education Act, for changes that will be debated by members on both sides of this House. Mr. Speaker, school security has been a very topical issue of late. Mr. Speaker, let me say that you cannot look at school security in isolation of national security. And some of what you see in our schools, Mr. Speaker, is as a direct result of children being exposed to things they ought not to be exposed to in the homes and in the wider community. But we will not take comfort from knowing that the children pick up their bad habits from the society. We have a responsibility as educators to ensure, Mr. Speaker, that when we intercept students, Mr. Speaker, exhibiting behaviors that are not in conformity with school rules and what we want of students who become leaders of tomorrow will make the necessary intervention. We will provide the psychosocial support. We will resort to punitive measures when we have to as a last resort, Mr. Speaker. But as I would have said elsewhere, and I am prepared to say here, at every opportunity, we will never give up on the children of this country because of their misdeeds. Mr. Speaker, every child in the school system comes from a home. And some of the homes are broken. And you do not get reinforcement at home of what is being imparted at the school level. We will get tough with students. But at every opportunity, Mr. Speaker, we want to offer psychosocial support, particularly to those children. They are children who live on a morning, Mr. Speaker, without breakfast. They are children who come to school in the morning and in addition to not having breakfast in the morning, they do not have supper the night. And some of them come and they basically, Mr. Speaker, fixing their eyes on the timepiece in the classroom, waiting for 12 o'clock to get a meal because there was no dinner the night before, no supper the night before, no breakfast the morning. And they come to school with all kinds of issues. And all the students are asking for in the absence of proper parenting is for somebody to reach out. And that is what makes the job of the teacher so critical and so important. And I've said before, we can never adequately compensate teachers in terms of dollars and cents for the sacrifices that they make in providing for the children of this country. And so, Mr. Speaker, when the children come and they exhibit, as I said, behaviors that are not in conformity with school rules and what we expect of them, we will provide the support. But we will not allow those who continue to be disruptive to so impact the learning environment that the children of other people who conform get affected. Mr. Speaker, early childhood education is also an important area of programming for us. And even before I go to early childhood, I probably should have placed on the record, in handset, that the Ministry of Education has recruited the services of Mr. Osbert Regis, former police commissioner, who's working very closely with senior management at the Ministry of Education to ensure that we bolster our security apparatus in schools throughout the country. Mr. Speaker, the situation is a very dynamic one. It is a very challenging one, but we are committed to the task. And we, Mr. Speaker, will provide the safest possible environment within which our teachers, our principal students, and Nansilry staff will operate in schools throughout the length and breadth of this country. Mr. Speaker, early childhood education is also a very important area of programming for the Ministry of Education. And under the OECS PUL project, PUL, being the acronym for Program for Educational Advancement and Relevant Learning, Mr. Speaker, the government for the Department of Education commenced delivery on the promise of increased school placements for children in early childhood education. Recognizing the decline in the primary school population, the Ministry is embarking on instituting pre-K into schools. Through this project, the PUL project, the Department of Education has been able to retrofit spaces at three schools, Denver Infant, Moghush Combined, and Viewport Infant, making them better equipped as childhood education spaces, early childhood education spaces. Mr. Speaker, work has commenced on Sufra Infant and will soon commence on the Bokaj Primary School to provide the same service. The total infrastructural investment for these five schools is $370,000. Mr. Speaker, special education, we have a number of differently-abled students in our school system. Mr. Speaker, there was a time in St. Lucia if a child had a disability or was this differently able. You'd have had parents keeping those children at home, Mr. Speaker, lock them away as if they were of no use or significance to society. Mr. Speaker, we are saying that the children who are differently-abled in our school system have a place in society, they have a place in the school system, and they too deserve, Mr. Speaker, for resources to be spent on their education to give them the best possible opportunities in life. And so I must place on the record my admiration and thanks to Mr. Dale Serges who spearheads the special education effort in the Ministry of Education and he has a very competent team of persons working with him, Mr. Speaker, and I can assure the people of this country that in the coming weeks you'll be seeing a lot more happening in the area of special education. Mr. Speaker, the School Feeding Program is also an area of programming for the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education recognizes the role that good nutrition plays in a child's cognitive development. If children are not fed properly, not in terms of quantum or the amount that they eat, but the quality of what they eat, that can adversely affect the development of their brain and their capacity to learn. And we are saying, Mr. Speaker, we are saying that we will be paying very close attention to what our children are fed in this country. Not just in the school system, but we have to be in a position where we can penetrate the homes and begin to sensitize the parents and to implore them that they need to feed the children foods that would nourish them and foods that would result in the children having healthy bodies, bodies resistant, Mr. Speaker, to diseases and ailments. Mr. Speaker, I wish to invoke Standing Order 32. Sorry, to give the honorable member an extra 15 minutes to complete his presentation. On the members, the question is that Standing Order 3210 be invoked to allow the member for then re-north an additional 15 minutes in which to complete his presentation. And I'll put the question as many as of that opinion say aye, as many as of a country opinion say no. The ayes have it, the ayes have it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, colleagues. Mr. Speaker, I was making the point that school feeding is an important area of programming for the Ministry of Education. This is why special attention was paid to enhancing the services of the school feeding program. During the year 2022-2023, the Ministry of Education, Mr. Speaker, agreed with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health to undertake various initiatives to improve the school feeding program and create greater awareness for healthy eating and healthy lifestyle amongst our students. Under this agreement, Mr. Speaker, rehabilitation was done to school feeding kitchens in six schools, namely the Lakwa Mingo combined, the Larissos combined, PI combined, the V4 Infant, Roblo combined, and the River Dury Anglican Primary School. I hope the member for shows us listening. 114 cooks were provided with training and a cookbook, Mr. Speaker, with menus outlined in terms of what we would want to see our children eating during the school day. Health screening for over 300 children, Mr. Speaker, was also carried out with a view to identifying high sugar levels and childhood obesity and other non-communicable diseases. So quite apart, Mr. Speaker, from impressing on the minds of the cooks, the parents, and even the children themselves, we want one step further collaborating with the Ministry of Health to screen children for early detection of chronic non-communicable diseases so that we can make the interventions at the right time to ensure that these children do not grow into adulthood, Mr. Speaker, with those ailments. Mr. Speaker, secondary education is a critical component for the Ministry of Education. Mr. Speaker, we will continue with our one-laptop per child program. And, Mr. Speaker, a lot has been said about the one-laptop per child program versus the e-books program that was rolled out by the previous administration. But before I get into that, Mr. Speaker, let me say that we will continue to pay, as we did last year, CXC fees for every child in Form 5 in the public secondary schools of this country, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has given a commitment that incrementally we will be paying for more subjects and that by the end of this term in government, the government would have absorbed CXC fees for, Mr. Speaker, quite a few of the parents, if not all the students in our secondary school system. Mr. Speaker, I must single out the view for comprehensive secondary school for the outstanding performances that they've registered, I mean recent times, and for many, many years. Mr. Speaker, I know all the principals at the various secondary schools and teachers are giving a hundred percent to the cause. But, Mr. Speaker, when at the Ministry of Education, we examined the performance of the view for comprehensive secondary school results in the CAP program and CAP being the A-level equivalent at CXC. Mr. Speaker, we had to express our satisfaction with the work being done at the view for comprehensive secondary school. The view for comprehensive school, Mr. Speaker, surpassed the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College in the CREP exams and, Mr. Speaker, not only did they do well on a national level, but students from the view for comprehensive did better than students in a number of schools and a number of islands in the Caribbean. Given the capacity of that school, Mr. Speaker, given the enrollment of that school, the Cabinet of Ministers, and I want to thank my colleagues for supporting the memo when I took it to the Cabinet. For us, Mr. Speaker, to on a pilot basis introduce a second vice principal at the view for comprehensive secondary school. So here you have the CAP program, which is our equivalent to the A-level program. Here you have an enrollment, Mr. Speaker, that surpasses a thousand students, over a hundred staff, and the performances that have been registered not just academically, but in extracurricular activities, Mr. Speaker. We believe that we must bolster the administration at view for comprehensive secondary school by giving that school a second vice principal. Mr. Speaker, the terms of reference would be the same as outlined by the Teaching Service Commission, but the actual and Mr. Speaker, workload or the terms of engagement for that principal at the school level, we will determine with the principal in terms of what that second vice principal will be focusing on to help the school, Mr. Speaker, produce even better results and touching even more young lives than they are currently am touching. Mr. Speaker, much has been said about the eBooks versus the one laptop per child program. Upon assuming office in 2021, an immediate act of our administration, Mr. Speaker, was to move away from the disaster of what is commonly referred to as the eBook program and reinstate the well-loved one laptop per child initiative. Mr. Speaker, this action was not taken because we were being spiteful and wish to do away with a project because it was ruled out by the previous administration, but rather, Mr. Speaker, because we are convinced that the current approach is more sustainable and will evoke a greater sense of national pride than the continuous repatriation of funds to foreign companies in the name or under the guise of license fees. And to this, Mr. Speaker, is the fact that the eBooks or LearnBooks, the LearnBooks, Mr. Speaker, were not being utilised and the device itself was not durable. It was faulty. It was flimsy, Mr. Speaker, and permit me to expound Mr. Speaker on this and provide a bit of history. During the academic year 2019-2020, the then administration introduced to the education landscape 3000 tablets called LearnBooks. This was supposed to have been a pilot program, Mr. Speaker, a pilot which commenced in February of 2020 at 13 secondary schools. These 3000 tablets cost the government of St. Lucia $1,050,000 or $2,852,000, EC dollars, Mr. Speaker, and Mr. Speaker, that was for the payment of license fees. License fees, Mr. Speaker, were paid to cover the cost of content for 17 subjects on those devices. Each device would cost the government of St. Lucia $150,000 or $407,000, EC dollars in license fees annually, just for one device. By March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our education system and schools had to engage in distributed learning. The previous administration, Mr. Speaker, decided to flood the system with an additional 5,000 devices. They saw this as a remedy for treating the digital gap that existed then. Mr. Speaker, they had stopped the one laptop child program which they found when they came in and there came COVID and they were scamping looking for solutions so they decided to go and get those notebooks and flood the system. Mr. Speaker, what was detrimental about this was that the then government saw this device with its upload content as the solution to addressing the challenges of teaching and learning in the COVID era. Remember, Mr. Speaker, I said this started off as a pilot, a pilot which never got the benefit of being effectively executed, monitored or evaluated. In the middle of this, content was then being reviewed and was found to be below acceptable standards. The same content that was embedded in those arm devices, our teachers found that the content was substandard. You know what they did, Mr. Speaker? Teachers were paid to review the content developed by an external company. So, you take a company from outside of St. Lucia, outside of the region and you are mandating that company with no cultural sensitivity to the region to develop content for you and every year you are depriving people of St. Lucia basic amenities but you are channeling millions of dollars in license fees. We decided to stop it, Mr. Speaker. We saw it as a waste of government resources and we stopped it. And Mr. Speaker, if that was not bad enough, the tablets distributed in the thousands were not doable. In no time, students were returning their devices to the ministry, citing all kinds of faults and problems. And as Minister of Education, I could never, along with my cabinet colleagues, support this hemorrhaging of funds from our treasury. Mr. Speaker, not when I am fully aware of a system which was tried and tested and worked previously. And so, Mr. Speaker, we are now developing our own content for our secondary school students and the amount that this costiness, Mr. Speaker, is almost insignificant compared to the millions of dollars we will pay in an external entity in the form of license fees. Mr. Speaker, we have been able to redirect some of the monies that were paid as license fees to provide scholarship opportunities for young St. Lucia who are desirous of having a university education. Mr. Speaker, the modern languages program in the Ministry of Education is thriving. We have introduced Mr. Speaker, mandaring as a pilot at two secondary schools. And just if I believe Mr. Speaker, a few solutions have asked, but what is happening to our appeal? And Mr. Speaker, let me say that during this term of government, hopefully during this calendar year, we will see the introduction of Creole at select schools, both primary and secondary in this country, to complement the mandaring and the Spanish and the Portuguese and the other modern languages. For this, Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister has given additional resources to the Ministry of Education and I am as excited as the staff outcome do in relation to rolling out our modern languages and program. Mr. Speaker, it is our desire in the Ministry of Education to establish an association of retired educators. We believe there is a very rich repository of educators who have formally left the system and they are at home, they are in the community. And they still have so much to contribute, Mr. Speaker, to the educational landscape. We are going to bring them together under one umbrella organization. If we have to engage some as consultants, we will. If we have to engage others as volunteers, we will. But Mr. Speaker, it is our desire to tap into those minds, brilliant minds who are at home. And most of those have spoken to, they have expressed a desire to work with the Ministry of Education, to go into the schools, to mentor teachers, mentor principals, mentor students, Mr. Speaker, and even come to the Ministry of Education to impact the wealth of knowledge and experience they would have amassed and acquired over the years. Mr. Speaker, in the interest of time, I want to quickly transition to sustainable development. But before I do so, Mr. Speaker, let me speak to the one university graduate per household that our government has been running out so successfully in recent weeks and in recent months. Mr. Speaker, in recent times, we have provided higher educational opportunities for two approximately 285 solutions in the last year, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, UK Commonwealth Scholarship 2, 80 Taiwan, 29 Taiwan, Mr. Speaker, 17 Monroe, 15 first, 50 first generation, 18 Associate Degree with Monroe College, Partnering with the Sports Academy, Island Scholarships 3, Romania, Mr. Speaker 5, Hungary 4, Morocco 20, Cuba 10, Economic Cost 22, Bursaries at South Africa 120, Serbia, Mr. Speaker 2, and the list goes on in terms of other countries that are offering us scholarship opportunities. As we speak, Mr. Speaker, through the first generation scholarship program, we have a cohort of 50. And let me reiterate that the first generation scholarship program is for individuals who are the first in their families to attend university. Mr. Speaker, there are people in this country. They are brilliant young Saint Lucians, Mr. Speaker, who come from families when nobody has been exposed to university education. And in quite a few instances, the young people are demonstrating that they have the aptitude, they have the intellect, they have the discipline, they have the tenacity, they have what it takes, but because their parents do not own a square foot of land, because they have no surety, they have no collateral, they have no money in the bank, Mr. Speaker, notwithstanding that they would have been topped from kindergarten all the way to secondary school and post-secondary, but because they don't have the means to go to the bank, Mr. Speaker, they languish and they watch children whom they would have beaten and done better than at school, go to university, get big jobs, and because of the circumstances, Mr. Speaker, they are relegated to bystanders in society. This first generation program is correcting that problem in our country. We will go into every pocket community. We will go into every constituency, we will find them, and even when they are reluctant to apply, Mr. Speaker, once we know where they are, we will take the application forms to them, we will sit with them at their homes, we will sit with that they apply, and when the applications get to the ministry of education, Mr. Speaker, we will ensure that when that meritocracy is employed, that they too will get an opportunity to pursue an education. Mr. Speaker, permit me to turn my attention to the Department of Sustainable Development that I also need. I have said time and again that I'm extremely proud of my team in the Department of Sustainable Development. I have said time and again that they are amongst the hardest-working public officers in this country, and Mr. Speaker, their work program is always very robust and you have a team very, very committed and passionate about what they do. Mr. Speaker, for the Department of Sustainable Development, 2022 into 2023 has been a game changer year in ensuring that St. Lucia retains a trajectory, Mr. Speaker, of being one of the leaders in environmental management and climate change in the region. In order to do this, Mr. Speaker, we continue to foster strong strategic collaboration with other stakeholders at all levels. Mr. Speaker, we continue to plan for and manage that problem, that curse that is climate change. Mr. Speaker, we continue to manage biodiversity loss, and Mr. Speaker, we continue to program in a way to ensure that pollution in St. Lucia is minimized as best we can, Mr. Speaker, and we understand how those can impact the development of a smaller island, developing state like ours. Thankfully, Mr. Speaker, the excellent efforts of our dedicated officers at Sustainable Development have been recognized and as such, Mr. Speaker, has been forthcoming from our various partners at the regional and international levels. Mr. Speaker, St. Lucia continues to punch above its width in the climate change discourse, in the biodiversity discourse, Mr. Speaker, and in the pollution discourse. Mr. Speaker, a project like the Montreal Protocol Project, or known as the Ozone Project, we continue, Mr. Speaker, to engage with locals to underscore the importance of following the guidelines that are presented by the Department of Sustainable Development. Mr. Speaker, as a small island developing state, when it comes to fighting the impacts of climate change, we often believe, and rightly so, that action on the ground is what matters most. We go to the international meetings. We state our case, Mr. Speaker. We chronicle the events that we have to fight on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, on a monthly basis, and annually, Mr. Speaker. But we've recognized very critically that we have to engage people on the ground. We live on the frontline of climate change, Mr. Speaker. In the space of two hours, Mr. Speaker, your country can be impacted in such a way that millions of dollars, Mr. Speaker, can just be wiped away in the space of two hours, and there is no better recollection of that than what we witnessed in Grozile, Mr. Speaker, last year. We're just for a little over two hours. A weather system remains stationary above the northern half of the country, Mr. Speaker. And in two or three hours, cars will float in like dry leaves and paper, not in the rivers or the waterways, but in the streets of residential communities in the north. And people lost homes, vehicles, appliances. The schools were impacted. That is what we mean by climate change. And the IPCC, which is the international body, Mr. Speaker, made up of scientists from all over the world. They are the ones who come and they tell us what to expect. They are the ones who monitor the changes in the environment. And they have said that it is as a result, Mr. Speaker, of greenhouse gases being emitted in the atmosphere. It causes the temperature of the globe to rise, and that has given rise to conditions being more favorable for more potent weather systems that usually unleash on small island states like St. Lucia and the Caribbean. We are not member for the end of your five minutes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We are not double betrayters, Mr. Speaker. But, Mr. Speaker, we will continue to give voice to our plight. We will continue to work with AOSIS, which is the Association of Small Island States. We will continue to work with the OECS and CARICOM, Mr. Speaker, to give expression to our plight as it relates to the fight against climate change. Mr. Speaker, there's a lot more I could have said on the MLMAP, the Marine Leader Management Action Plan, the Marine Special Plan. And there's so much more I could have said on our work with the CCAP, Mr. Speaker, the Coalition of Clean Air Policy, which is a non-profit organization based in the U.S., who will be making available to St. Lucia and other Caribbean islands of grant of four million dollars to help us modernize our solid waste management operations. Mr. Speaker, in the interest of time, permit me, as I conclude, Mr. Speaker, to say that our government remains true to our mantra of putting people first. There is something in this budget for every citizen. There is something in this budget for people from all walks of life, the business people, the youth, the elderly, the farmers, the children, the fishers, teachers, Mr. Speaker, the healthcare worker, Toot Munkajrenabagai and Budget Salon. And, Mr. Speaker, in all my years in this honorable chamber, having been here for 11 other appropriation bill debates where budget statement has been presented, detailing policy to impact the country, Mr. Speaker, this one would rank as one of the best ever as we heard it on Tuesday night. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the honorable prime minister for his confidence and belief in my ability to lead two critical areas of national development, education and sustainable development. And I also want to thank him, Mr. Speaker, for having the confidence in me to be the chair for appointing me, Mr. Speaker, as chair of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, the CDMA. I want to thank my cabinet colleagues for their support and their cooperation during the period on the review. I want to thank the parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Education and the person of Dr. Pauline Antoine Prosper for supporting the Ministry of Education. I want to thank my permanent secretary, Ms. Michelle Charles, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr. Kendall Koudra, my office staff in the persons of Hill Drift Charles, whether known as Charlie and Mrs. Santoma Estefan, my secretary. I want to thank the acting Deputy Chief Education Officer Instruction, Ms. Beverly Duny, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank all the district education officers. I want to thank the heads of the various departments, the line staff, the principals, the teachers, the ancillary staff, the students and the parents. I also want to thank my team at the Department of Sustainable Development, P.S. Anita Montu, recently retired Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Silke Tobias, the Chief Sustainable Development Officer in the person of Mrs. Annette Rattigan-Leo, the Deputy Chief Sustainable Development and Environment Officer in the person of Mrs. Donpia Nathaniel and their team, Ms. Justin, Mrs. Sookra Albert, Mrs. Jules, Mrs. Missoul Jabatis, Lavina Jessie Volney and all the other staff, Mr. Speaker, in the Department of Sustainable Development. I must also place on the record my gratitude, Mr. Speaker, to the team at the Solid Waste Management Authority, a statutory agency for which I have ministerial responsibility, the board and staff of the Saafel Waste Community College, Mr. Speaker, the management of the PITOM management area and I want to thank all to the leadership of the National Skills Development Center, NSDC. Mr. Speaker, I cannot forget my support team in Denver enough, in particular those who have stayed with me, not only during the good times, but very importantly, Mr. Speaker, during the trying times. And last, Mr. Speaker, but by no means least, least sorry, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my family and loved ones for their support, their encouragement, their patience and the love that I continue to receive from them as I discharge my duties to my constituency and the people of Senfusion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.