Chief Minister, Osbourne Fleming, prefaced his press conference on Tuesday this week by encouraging citizens to join in the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 7, stating that it was an important religious indulgence in these days of global difficulty.

L-R Chief Minister Osbourne Fleming, Hon. Victor Banks and Hon. Evans Rogers

Joined in these expressions by Minister of Finance, Victor Banks, he also saluted the women of Anguilla on the observance of Mothers’ Day on Sunday, May10, and reminded them of their vital role in family life and, by extension, the island.

The Chief Minister spoke about a situation in which nationals from the Dominican Republic were circumventing the island’s immigration regulations which require them to obtain visas to travel to Anguilla. He reported that they were now travelling to the island via Venezuela after obtaining a passport there, having discovered that there was no visa requirement in Anguilla for travellers from that South American Republic. Mr. Fleming said that four such persons were caught and arrested.
As a result of the situation, he had decided to take a document to the Executive Council on Thursday to make it mandatory for persons to have a visa before they could be admitted to the island from Venezuela.

He stated that his Ministry was now taking some very strong measures regarding work permits for certain categories of employees. “In spite of the fact that there is a downturn in the construction industry in Anguilla, there is still a great demand from Anguillian contractors for labourers, masons and other such persons, when there are so many people walking the streets with those skills,” he stated. “We are not going to accept that any more. We are going to look at making sure that people in Anguilla, who are out of work, find employment. There is no sense bringing in people when so many here are unemployed…There is however a serious slowdown in the construction business and in the hotel and tourism business and to, that end, we are going to be very cautious in bringing in persons when we have so many persons out of work.” He noted that no action had been taken to deny work permits to persons already employed and in particular in certain categories of employment.

The Chief Minister spoke at length on the golf course project, reported on elsewhere in this edition of The Anguillian.

Mr. Fleming was pleased with the progress of work at the Viceroy project notwithstanding certain difficulties being experienced there. He disclosed that his Office had requested the Carillion Construction Company to supply a schedule of the repatriation plans for the Indian workers. “It looks like in the month of August that the repatriation of the Indians will start and by the end of October they all should be put off Anguilla as long as the project continues as it is going,” he stated. He added that the Government had been told that there were funds for the repatriation. “The Government is clear on the matter. Once the project is finished, they must go back home,” he added.

Minister of Health, Evans Rogers, said his Ministry was continuing, in cooperation with regional experts, to take measures against the H1N1 virus causing the swine flu. He gave the following information on the surveillance activities being carried out on the island. “To date, 43 samples were sent to CAREC for tests for the H1N1. Thirty tests were completed. There were no positive results. Two individuals who had travelled to Mexico within the last two weeks came to Anguilla. I am glad to say that as a result of the vigilance and concerns, we were able to track down one of those individuals who was A-symptomatic. That particular person came into the hospital…spent a couple of days and then left the island. The other individual showed up with some symptoms. Some specimens were taken and were sent to CAREC as was required and that test was negative.”

Mr. Rogers said it was comforting that there were no problems of swine flu arising from the tests and he congratulated all the stakeholders in the Ministries of Health, Immigration and Labour, and the Department of Disaster Preparedness, for their coordinated work.

The Minister referred to the current working visit of Dr. Roy Schneider, an Oncologist in St. Thomas US Virgin Islands, who will be holding a number of clinic sessions on cancer illnesses. Mr. Rogers said it was observed that there were a growing number of cancer cases in Anguilla and that the Government and the Health Authority had decided to bring in the former USVI Governor to conduct the sessions with health professions and members of the public.

Minister of Finance, Victor Banks, took the opportunity to congratulate Vida C. Lloyd-Richardson and her brother, Mr. David Lloyd, for their new Da’Vida Restaurant at Crocus Bay. He described the soft opening as a wonderful event at a location where he was a frequent visitor and grew up.

Mr. Banks disclosed that work was continuing on the drafting of the Government’s Fiscal Recovery Plan and that representatives from the Caribbean Tax Administration Agency in Barbados, associated with the Caribbean Development Bank, as well as representatives of CIDA and the British Government, were coming to Anguilla to work on the final aspects of that plan.

He said it was important to get the plan completed because an Anguillian Government delegation would be visiting the United Kingdom in July to discuss the document, an advanced copy of which should be sent there before the team’s arrival.

Mr. Banks spoke on other matters relating to measures to control public spending. As a move in that direction, departments have been requested to make cuts in expenditure. Government Ministers have agreed to dispense with constituency, travel, telephone and other allowances. Some steps have also been taken in the public service. The Minister reported that there was a continuing deficit of 15 million dollars in Government’s finances as a result of the economic and financial situation.

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