Over CI$58M added to 2021 budget
(CNS): More than CI$58.1 million has been added to government’s 2021 budget after a Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday. There were some very significant increases in the budget, including another $28m to manage the COVID-19 pandemic, over $8m more for scholarships and $4m to help support tourism businesses. Tropical Storm Grace also added another $6m to this year’s budget.
Half of that money will be going to help repair homes and the rest to assist farmers, many of whom have lost their fruit-bearing trees which provided the bulk of their earnings. Alongside the massive boost to scholarships, another $3.2m has been added to the education budget for children’s school meals. $2m has also been set aside to buy beachfront land for both public use and access.
Ministers explained the need for the increases and the plans for spending the cash.
Social Development Minister Andre Ebanks said the money for housing repairs would be added to the existing cash because many of those who will need help to rebuild their homes were already waiting for assistance and the storm has made the situation for them worse.
He said that more than 90 homeowners had been waiting as long as 18 months, because the programme was stalled in 2020, to get their properties fixed. Many needed roof repairs even before Grace arrived but now the need was dire.
Ebanks explained that $140,000 was appropriated to pay additional staff at the Needs Assessment Unit who were needed to meet the increased workload to distribute the cash for the repairs. However, he said the ministry was working on simplifying the application process to get help to those that needed it the most.
He noted that one of the challenges for the Housing Repairs Committee was that some residents living in damaged homes are not named as owners because the properties are in the names of other family members.
However, as local people with knowledge of those in need, the committee members were aware of this issue and would not deny those who were desperate because another member of the family was named on the deed.
Although the previous policy for government support for housing repairs was capped at $25,000 per home, Ebanks said that as minister he had discretion to increase that, which he might need to do in several instances, with so many cases getting more urgent.
Speaking more broadly, Ebanks said that the situation following TS Grace presented an opportunity to “get our arms around the problem of housing in this country”. He said it was time to work with non-profits to deal with the urgent housing problem here that has been exacerbated by the storm.
Education Minister Juliana O’Connor-Connolly explained that the $3.19m was to fund free school meals for students at all government primary schools and at the Lighthouse School, from the beginning of this term until the end of the year. Next year the ministry will roll out the programme for secondary school students as well, which will increase the next annual budget by over $16m.
Justifying the funding, she spoke about providing three meals per day to inmates at HMP Northward while school children are going hungry.
O’Connor-Connolly said kids will now get breakfast, a snack and lunch for free and noted that the nutritional value of the meals will be monitored to make sure the food is healthy. She explained that studies have shown the negative impact on learning, behavioural, physical, psychological and social issues for children who have not been properly fed, as she spoke about the “colossal need within our the society as affluence had not penetrated” all strata of the community.
She said that the significant increase of f $8,071,226 in scholarships on top of the existing $10m budget was because more students were going to college and there had been an increase in the money they received to cover their expenses. The money would partially cover fees for next year as well, she said, explaining that students are expected to pay college fees in advance and have previously encountered problems paying the fees before they get their money from government.
Some of the additional money is to cover students taking A Level courses at local private schools. However, the minister said that the government was looking at reintroducing A Levels to government schools, which were dropped almost two decades ago, and the Education Council was looking at the costs in preparation.
See the appropriations bill in the CNS Library.
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Category: Government Finance, Politics
As for scholarships I recommend that students be encouraged to take up studies in other jurisdictions than the US. The cost of Colleges/Universities in the US for international students continues to increase yearly and no one can argue that the education received is better than in Canada, the UK, UWI, or in other parts of the world.
The government could save money by doing so and thus increasing the number of scholarships awarded.
I wish i could do what Government seems to have just done: voting to allocate more funds to various departments and purposes Without saying a word where this money is going to come from! If an individual handles finances in this manner it usually does not end well!
It is quite disturbing to notice an increase in beggars around supermarket parking lots, gas stations, outside fast food restaurants and other restaurants who approach you asking for a dollar.
CIG’s Finest need to enforce Penal Code Section 158 relating to “Idle and disorderly persons” which section includes
“A person who – (a) wanders abroad or places himself in any public place for the purpose of gathering alms…
…shall be deemed an idle and disorderly person and shall be liable to a fine of two thousand dollars and to imprisonment for four years.”
I was shocked yesterday to see Island Paving sweeping Discover Dr in Lower Valley. The NRA had worked on that road within the past year I’m sure and applied a fresh coat of asphalt and chips right up to peoples driveways. I drove through the road. It is in excellent condition. I didnt even see a drainwell because the area never floods even in heavy rains.
So why is the PACT government about to spend $200-300,000 to hotmix this half-mile of road? It isn’t Christmas and elections are three and a half years away.
Take a drive through and see for yourself. Well, well!!!
The piper must be paid post election.
The UDP is back in power disguised as “Independents”.
Mac calling the shots with his allies Jy, Kenneth and Saunders.
JAY
What they need do is repave Industrial Park road from the Airport Post Office to Ashley Furniture, as water authority has left that in a mess. Also, address the traffic situation in the Eastern Districts.
Import duties, ROC fees, CIMA fees, immigration fees and stamp duty. The usual. All of these revenue streams are up substantially. No one wants to say this because there are people who are struggling and have lost jobs and businesses but having the island closed to tourists basically has no effect on government revenues.
Yes time to pivot away from low wage tourism. There clearly isn’t a hole in the government’s finances. It is reckless to open up to travelers and have us all back in lockdown and with deltas danger fo children.
Never been a better time to spend money you don’t have.
We have it. More than ever. But we’re wasting it more than ever. This is what every government does. Our problem is that we can’t print money. If financial services goes down we’re literally dead in the water. But for now, make hay while the sun shines.
Margret Thacher was correct, “Socialism is great until it runs out of everyone else’s money” This womb to the tomb government mentality must end.
An often Misunderstood quote. She only said that because her and her Tory mates didn’t want be to stopped taking national assets from the people.
Horse manure, 9:21. like many things she said, its blunt, straightforward and easy to understand. Oh…and true. Though it’s not an exact quote of what she said, the poster’s version captures the essence of her meaning.
Mrs Thatcher’s exact quote is: “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money”. Many countries and societies can attest to the truth of this though the principles behind socialism are beguiling.
Looks like hard times coming in the future and lock down again too
As usual the FS industry will have to foot the careless spending bills
And the importation of poverty continues, and is accelerating. Our ability to pay for the consequences diminishes. This does not end well, for anyone.
Cheap labor is a benefit to the rich. It allows them to keep put money in their pockets and after all the poor are just a burden on society. They think of the meager wages they pay a charity to help those poor ignorant folks. Also these are not “our people ” so they don’t count. All the while holding wages down for our people.
All great, but what piece of beach have they decided to buy? The disaster at Boggy Sand would be a good place to start even though it would bail out an ah landowner. Got to take the bad with the good.
Bankrupt by 2023. Heard it here first
I wonder what next the government will be providing for free. My guess is next there will be free food and booze for everyone and while we’re at it just as well add another $25 million for free toilet paper.
I’ll trade my TP for your booze.
Who owns the Governor’s house? How about use the 2M set aside for beach property and build a new compound for the governor and convert the beach property into a public venue.
That has been a topic of discussion for the last 30 years.
It won’t progress until sales commissions are paid to you know who for his real estate consulting skills.
Actually, the Speaker’s wife may be the best. She is so good I understand her company was appointed as the exclusive representative for the development of a very high end resort some years ago in Cayman. Clients even seemed to get status thrown in for free.
What could possibly go wrong?
Where is this money coming from? Many people in Cayman can’t afford any new taxes so the government needs to make it clear how all new expenditure will be paid for.
Financial Services, as usual, will be required to foot this bill…..
No such thing as a free lunch Juliana – but as the “paver in chief” you’re used to steam rolling over inconvenient truths…..
These idiots will have us broke in short order.
Need to have a professionally qualified and experienced accountant as Minister of finance.
Come back Roy, it’s clear now that we need you.
You would swear this Government had a money printing machine in GAB