CHAIRPERSON of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services, Ms. Gail Teixeira, on Thursday moved a Motion for the adoption of the Committee’s fifth periodic report, which was carried.
During the deliberations, the Committee gave priority to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and its turnaround plan, the Skeldon Estate, the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), issues relating to CLICO, and the mid-year reports of the Finance Ministry.
Teixeira said that in dealing with GuySuCo, the Committee members were able to ask many questions about the viability of the sugar industry, problems encountered, and issues relating to the Skeldon factory including industrial relations.
In terms of the NIS, which falls under both social and economic services, the Committee focused on its policies, and the viability and efficiency of its performance.
With respect to the mid-year financial reports for the period 2007, 2008, and 2009, the Committee was focused on the reports being submitted in conformity with Section 67 of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, which requires the Finance Minister to table the reports annually and specifically what the reports should contain.
Ms. Teixeira said: “As a Committee, we were of the view that the mid-year reports were an important gauge of the way in which the projections that were made in the annual budget speeches, and the way in which the country and the economy was performing.”
Since this intervention has been made, the Finance Ministry has submitted the reports each year.
Committee member, Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj in supporting the report and the recommendations enshrined in it, expressed his appreciation for the guidance provided by senior members of the Committee.
Seeraj responded to comments by another Committee member from the Main Opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Mr. Winston Murray in relation to the composition of the workforce at the Skeldon factory.
Murray contention was that 99.9 per cent of the workforce at the factory at reference was of a particular ethnic group.
“In different sectors of the economy and different parts of the country, the composition of the workforce and, by extension, the composition of the population itself, is not being reflective of the overall composition of the country,” Seeraj said.
He added that the farming sector traditionally, has always had the overwhelming being of a particular ethnic group, whose name he was careful not to call.
With regards to CLICO, the Government side of the Committee, in its report, maintained that it is bound to await the rulings of the court and provide a report subsequently.