Politics

Coalition sets out details of portfolio responsibilities
(CNS): Premier AndrĂ© Ebanks said the changes the National Coalition for Caymanians has made to the ministerial areas of responsibility for Cabinet members will help it deliver “meaningful and measurable outcomes”. The Cayman Islands Government published its final organisational chart on Wednesday, showing all the portfolios each minister will manage, as well as the boards, […]

NCFC will address impact of decreasing cruise calls
(CNS): Premier AndrĂ© Ebanks told parliament that when the new administration took up office after the election, they found no plans in place to address issues relating to a decline in cruise ship passengers in the event of a ‘no’ vote — which was the emphatic result. Answering questions from opposition MPs last week about […]

LRC working to deliver on referendum results
(CNS): The Law Reform Commission is examining how the Cayman Islands Government can deliver on the results of the referendum in relation to the ‘yes’ votes for a national lottery and the decriminalisation of consumption and possession of small amounts of ganja. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and other ministries are exploring ways to assist […]

‘Affirmative action’ could get women on ballot
(CNS): Women make up just 26% of Cayman’s MPs, and just 19 of the 58 candidates who ran for office in April were female. The election mission from the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association that watched over the 2025 General Election has suggested introducing affirmative action measures to encourage more women to run for office.

Sargassum plan abandoned by UPM back on table
(CNS): The minority UPM administration appears to have abandoned the development of a plan to deal with the sargassum influx after Kathy Ebanks-Wilks, the sustainability minister, resigned from government in October 2024. However, Ebanks-Wilks, who is back at the helm of the environment and sustainability, has said that this is now a priority. The draft […]

SPS timetable amendment ‘fishy’, says PPM
(CNS): Explaining the need to move the delivery of the Strategic Policy Statement, Finance Minister Rolston Anglin offered parliament several reasons on Friday why the NCFC was changing the law to give it and future administrations more time to develop campaign promises into policies in an election year. The bill passed, but without support from […]

JCPC affirms governor’s power in civil partnership case
(CNS): The passage of the Civil Partnership Act by the previous governor, Martyn Roper, in 2020 was constitutional, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London has found, securing the future of the law and the hundreds of partnerships that now exist. The ruling also clarifies the governor’s use of section 81 of the […]

CIG to roll out $8.75/hour basic wage in New Year
(CNS): The new government will be rolling out the minimum wage as recommended by the Minimum Wage Advisory Committee in a comprehensive 2023 report that was rejected by the former administration. Answering questions in parliament on Friday, Labour Minister Michael Myles said the new basic wage will be implemented from 1 January, and during the […]

Minister says NiCE is a failure as he rejects expansion
(CNS): Labour Minister Michael Myles told parliament yesterday that the National Community Enhancement (NiCE) programme has been a waste of 15 years and that the government could have used the time and resources to create far more meaningful initiatives to get those with genuine barriers to work into full-time jobs.

EWA progress depends on solving fiscal challenges
(CNS): The minister responsible for roads has said the start date for the East-West Arterial Road extension depends on how the government resolves the public finance crisis, as he doesn’t know what funds will be available for the work in the next budget. But Jay Ebanks told Dwayne Seymour, his former Cabinet colleague in the […]

Anglin confirms deficit in face of Bryan’s scepticism
(CNS): Finance Minister Rolston Anglin has again warned that unless the Cayman Islands Government can reverse the trend of growing monthly operational deficits for the remainder of the year, it will face a significant deficit. Answering the first question in this new parliamentary session, he explained to Deputy Opposition Leader Kenneth Bryan that the larger […]