MLA BRYAN TO QUIZ MINISTERS ON RANGE OF ISSUES

MLA BRYAN TO QUIZ MINISTERS ON RANGE OF ISSUES

MLA for George Town Central, Kenneth Bryan, has submitted a battery of questions for the upcoming meeting of the Legislative Assembly on a range of pressing issues for which he is seeking answers from the government.

The 2020/2021 session of the Legislative Assembly starts on Wednesday, October 14th.

Among the questions being raised by MLA Bryan is an update from the Premier on the setting up of Advisory District Councils. That is framed in a question asking when the Advisory District Law 2011 will come into force.

Hon. Premier Alden McLaughlin had championed the District Council concept for the jurisdiction and their establishment was enshrined in the 2009 constitution. However, they have not yet been formally set up.

Mr Bryan is also seeking an update from the Premier on a review of the minimum wage. He is also fielding a question along similar lines to the Hon. Minister of Education Julianna O’Connor-Connolly regarding teachers employed by the government.

That question is: “When will all government teachers in Cayman receive the increase to their salaries to meet the promised minimum wage of CI$5,000 in accordance with government announcements?”

Two other questions for Premier McLaughlin from MLA Bryan deal with whether non-profit organisations are subject to the Labour Law (2011) Revision and if not, why not?

And, he is also asking whether the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has acquired the necessary equipment to monitor music levels to enforce the Music and Dancing Control Law 2019 Revision?

Another question for Min. O'Connor-Connolly who is also holds the Lands portfolio, is “whether the Executor of a will is allowed to take a loan or charge against a property for which they are responsible, and if so, what are the restrictions or limitations for doing so?”

From the Hon. Minister for Infrastructure, Joey Hew, MLA Bryan wants to know “if a flood management assessment was undertaken on the possibility of flooding of the adjacent roads as the result of the extension of the Owen Robert International airports runway?”

The George Town Central MLA is also asking Mr Hew about decision-making in the National Roads Authority over whether to use ‘chip and spray' as opposed to tarmac to cover a road?

Questions for the Hon. Minister of Health Dwayne Seymour address issues concerning Health City Hospital and the Mosquito Research and Control Unit.

“Can the Hon. Minister say whether Heath City Hospital has been allowed to practice additional areas of medical practice beyond that which was agreed upon when it was granted it licence and concessions?” MLA Bryan asks in one question.

He is also seeking an update on the investigations into the vote of no-confidence in the Director Mosquito Research and Control Unit prepared by the staff.

That matter stems from a disagreement within the MCRU over strategies used to control the spread of mosquitoes.

The government stipend for tourism workers forced out of work due to the COVID pandemic is also being queried by the independent MLA.

He pits that in a question to the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Moses Kirkconnell, asking how many people have received the payment to date.

The government launched the stipend for displaced tourism-sector workers in May with an initial payment of CI$600.

That was increased to CI$1,000 paid out from July to September.

The government recently reported that over 2,000 persons have benefited from the scheme which it has now extended for another three months from October to the end of the year.

In addition to the main questions, MLAs are allowed to ask relevant supplementary questions on the issues they are probing.