Speeches in the National Assembly

Speech for Hon. Volda Lawrence., M.P., Minister of Social Protection For Presentation of 2017 B udget – December 6, 2016 Mr. Speaker, Mr. Speak er, Please allow me to extend congratulat ions to the Hon. Minister of Finance, Mr. Winston Jordan, and his committed staf f not only for his presentation of the 2017 Budget to this Honorable House on Nove mber 28, 2016 in advance of the fiscal year, but also for its timeliness in outl ining Government’s policies, projects and programme s to facilitate effective imple mentation.

Sir, the 2017 Budget, under the theme: Building a Diversified G reen Economy: Delivering the Good Life to All Guyanese, captures all aspects of the vision of His Excellency, President David Granger who, in his address at the Opening Session of Parliament stated and I quote “t he economy remains undiversifie d and incapable of withstanding even small shocks. .... What we need is a growth str ategy that is broader in scope and more diver sified in its outlook.” His Exc ellency, further advocated the adoption of a Green Agenda aimed at promoting gre en economic sectors such as the development of climate-resilient agricultur e, eco-tourism and information, communications tec hnology with the overarching obj ective of ensuring a good life for all its citizens.

The 2017 Budget, with its focus on development of new, green t echnologies and processes, creation of more gr een job opportunities and support of the Government’s drive towards the achievement of the Green Agenda defines a sustainable pathway to the happi ness and prosperity of all Guya nese and paves the way for enhancing the quality of life of all our citizens. Let me also indicate to the opposition members that this budget contains some 102 pages of diverse information and measures, not merely Value Added Tax; my advice is to READ the budget.

Further, I wish to compliment the Hon. Minister for incorporati ng in the Budget the Sustainable Development Goals which all the Governments of the Caribbean have endorsed. In Paragraph 4: 6, the Hon. Minister states: “The Green Agenda encompasses environmental prot ection, citizen security, educati on, social protection and resilience agains t climate change. It is about sustainable development, embracing a broad range of SDGs and aligning perfe ctly with multi- dimensional progress. In fact, Sir, National, Regional and Inte rnational Governments have all affirmed the ir commitment to the realisati on of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda of which the Sustainable Develop ment Goals are an integral part. In examining the Budget, all 17 Sustainable D evelopment Goals are reflected therein, but I wish now in this Honorable House to highlight a few of them which are crucial for ensuring ‘the good life” and the eco nomic sustainability of the Guyanese people.

Mr. Speaker, I refer to

SDG #1 which targets Ending Poverty in all its forms everywhere and by 2030 reducing at l east by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty.

SDG #2 focusing on ending hunger, achieving food security and i mproved nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture;

SDG # 8 promoting sustained, inclusive and sustainable economi c growth, full and productive em ployment and decent work for all,

SDG #6 ensuring availability and sustainable management of wa ter and sanitation for all.

SDG #4 which stipulates ensuring inclusive and equitable quali ty education and promoting lifelong learning;

SDG # 5 which stipulates achie vement of gender equality and emp owerment of all women and girls.

I wish to reiterate. Mr. Speake r, the importance of these SDGS and the others and I would like to again commend the Hon. Minister for his foresig ht in crafting the Budget, cognisant of the 2030 targ et of these Development Goals .

Mr. Speaker, in my last Budget presentation, I indicated to thi s House and the nation that our Government will continue to put in place measur es to improve the effectiveness of our social we lfare programs that will enhance the quality of life for all especially our vulnerable groups. I am therefore very pleas ed to report on what transpired in 2016 and to share with you some of the projection s for 2017. However, before I do so, I would like to say thanks to the UNFP A, UNICEF, UNDP, FAO for their tremendous contribution and collaboration w ith the Ministry of Social Protection over the past eighteen months. I wish this Honorable House to know that various initiatives have been implemented an d are expected to continue in 2017 with the support of these Organisations and ot her Agencies to boost the programmes of capacity -building of our most vulnerabl e groups.

Sir, I wish to report on anothe r development which will certain ly enhance our effectiveness. From the inception we realized that one of the i ssues hampering the MOSP from providing an interconnected service to our clients is the fact that the Ministry is housed in 5 locations. This contributes to the los s in working hours, lack of co-ordination of our programs and in many instances fru stration for the persons whom we serve. The staff and I are extremely grateful that this will soon  come to an end with the provision of some 200M$ to begin work on the High Street building.

In 2016, Sir, the Ministry of Social Protection framed its obje ctives and shaped its policies within the parameters of equitable distribution for th e benefits for all Guyanese as extracted from the Su stainable Development Goals (S DGs) of ending poverty (Goal 1); achieving gende r equity and empowerment of wo men and girls (Goal 5); and ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-bei ng for all at all ages. The Ministry’s thrust in 2016 as it executed its four (4) programs namely: Administration, Social Services, Labour and Child Care Protecti on took Guyanese and more particularly our vulnerable groups much closer to the vision adumbrated by these laudable goals.

Mr. Speaker, I will speak on three of the programs as the Hon. Keith Scott, Minister within the Ministry of Labour, has already spoken on t he Labour Programme. I will begin with Programme 1 which deals with Polic y Development and Administration. Sir, despite the efforts by this and the previous government to have a Strategic Plan, we are not better off. Hence, the al location of 10M$ provided for in the Budget for St rategic Planning will greatly assist the Ministry in formulating programs and strate gies and facilitate the executio n of our tasks. In paragraph 4.37, the Hon. Winston Jordan speaks about the Govern ment’s plan to engage the Caribbean Development Bank to rebuild our capacity t o plan and this coupled with the coming into being of the Poverty Measurement a nd Analysis Unit indicated in paragraph 4.47 s hould strengthen our capacity and ensure more effective management and results

Mr. Speaker, let me share some of our successes. In 2016, under the Financial Support for Disadvantaged Persons and Persons in Difficult Circ umstances, the Women of Worth Loans Programs resuscitated in 2015, continued i ts programme in collaboration with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry. S everal single females from several of our Administrative Regions benefitted f rom loans ranging from $100,000 - $250,000. Likewise th e People of Worth Entrepre neurial Resources (POWER) Loans Programme, which provides loans to male single parents and couples already engage d in business ventures in col laboration with Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry, was implemented in September 2016. To date, several persons have been screened and recommendations ha ve been made to the Bank for the processing of loans. We are also aware that ma ny of these persons will not be able to repay a loan. Thus, the Ministry provided small grants to about 151 persons, mainly women, from all the Administrative Regions. Activities include vending, poultry rearing, cosmetology and purchase of s ewing machines for a women’s group in St. Igna tius, Region 9. However, the ma jority are engaged in vending of groceries, clothes , confectionery and food/snacks . Mr. Speaker, it is the Ministry’s view that a little goes a long way in transformi ng the lives of individuals and it is in this regard that the small grants are being provided. It is projected that in 2017, efforts will continue and the Ministry will explore other initiatives which will allow for e xpansion of geographic coverage.
 

Sir, the Ministry is committed to transforming the lives of our Guyanese people, encouraging self- sufficiency thr ough entrepreneurship, thus pa ving the way for the achievement of Goal # 1, the er adication of poverty. This under scores, Mr Speaker, the unrelenting efforts initiated in the area of training, whic h is critical to the successful management of any business venture and the Ministry is certainly pleased to announce the inroads th at have been realised. I wish to report, first of all on the First Lady Capacity Building Initiative which seeks to e mpower beneficiaries through training on managing and sustaining small entrepreneurial ventures. Mr. Speaker, training was conducted in all ten Admini strative Regions and approximately three hundred and ninety (390) female single parents have been recipients of training in self-reliance and success in business . In 2017, Sir, this training will continue in new locations in the Regions and thos e who have been already trained in “Success in B usiness” will be provided with linkages to markets.

Mr. Speaker, the Hon. Minister of Finance, in paragraph 4.37 st ated that strategic planning for this nation is a key priority of the Government. H e continued: We will be embarking also, on the process of developing a multitude of sector-specific strategic plans, including in the areas of social protection. I n 2017, Mr. Speaker, the Ministry will effect its strategic planning in launching a project to extract oil from lemon grass in Buxton, the output of which will be sold to the “Rupununi Essence’ Project. In Regions 5 and 10, technical assistance wil l be provided for the rearing of pigs. In the long-term, this training will expand to include production of the by-products, utilising it for bio digester towards the prov ision of green energy, as well as ham and bacon with small farmers in several communit ies. (This was a thriving business venture under the PNC, for which Vashti Warne r was responsible).

 You can well appreciate, Mr. Sp eaker, the avenues for sustaina ble employment and economic self-sufficiency that will be generated through th is initiative. Sir, the Ministry is planning to engage our young adults and to a large extent, offer support both with business skills and financial grants to realise their business goals. Towards this end in the first quarter, there will be the hostin g of 3 business fairs where these young adults can make their proposals. Moreover, we will be focusing on implementing the Sustainable Livelihoods and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) program for which there h as been an injection of $100M$. (Par 4.143)

Mr. Speaker, the SLED program h as a 3-pronged approach. Firstly , the objective is to encourage young people to come up with innovative ideas afte r which the intention is seek Technical assistance from IAST, GSA to test t hem and once they are feasible, make provision to implement and bring to fruition . The Ministry wants to assist groups of young people to form Coops and establ ish business ventures and partnerships to de velop their potential and become self-sufficient. The vision is also to empower women through Agri and Agro processin g and the Ministry is considering entering into partnership with the Mini stry of Business to take this venture to the next level and facilitate exportation of the produce, fostering entrepreneurial activ ity, self-confidence and self-esteem

Sir, the emphasis will be on ear ning and generating income and the Ministry will encourage persons to go back to the land and use local material s to ensure level of self-sufficiency. In Region 2, production of peas will be encou raged and appropriate markets will be sought; pig-rearing in the communit ies will also be encouraged, and processing is e nvisaged. Corn production in the Berbice River will be stimulated and the Mini stry will approach NARI to assis t with small machinery to boost the initiative so that food for the pigs cou ld come from this Region. In Region 1, the green house program will extend to inc lude ginger and turmeric production. Mr. Speaker , Regions 1, 2, 6, 10 will be s pecifically targeted and with the introduction of the Youth Entrepreneur Skills Trai ning (YEST) program as well, these commun ities should become fully engaged in generating their own incomes. Sir, the second aspect of the Mini stry’s Training programme is focused on this initiative for female single pare nt households; the building of Green Houses for the cultivation of cash crops. I am happy to inform this Honora ble House that several female single parent families in East Bank Berbice, Region 6 were trained in green/shade house agriculture . Similar projects are earmarke d for Regions 1 and 10 in 2017and this augurs well for providing more opportunities for vulnerable residents in these Regions to become more financially independent.

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