Changes in the Composition of Cabinet Portfolios

Contact: Rose Marie Harris

Tuesday, December 11, 2001 - A new Cabinet of Ministers has been sworn in to manage the affairs of the country for the next five years.  The Ministers took their oath of office on Tuesday December 11, 2001, at a short ceremony at the House of Assembly.

In this term of office a number of changes have taken place within the various portfolios.  The  tourism portfolio has been moved to the Ministry of Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Investment under the leadership of Hon. Phillip H. Pierre. This ministry will also oversee local and foreign investment.

There have also be changes within the Ministry of Community Development.  “You will note that I have opted to rename the Ministry of Community Development, the Ministry of Social Transformation, Culture and Local Government.  This is more than a mere change of name – it comes out of our commitment to putting in place a workable system of local government and of ensuring that the empowerment of communities becomes a primary focus for development at the local level.   All poverty mitigation and reduction mechanisms such as the Poverty Reduction fund, the Basic Needs Trust Fund and the Belfund will be assigned under this portfolio.  By doing so we expect that communities will have more direct access to resources for development iniatives conceived at the local level and for addressing poverty issues at the grassroots,” the Prime Minister said.

The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labour have also been shuffled, now making them the Ministry of External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation, and the Ministry of Labour Relations, Public Service and Cooperatives respectively.

Gender Relations has been shifted from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Home Affairs and Gender Relations under the leadership of Hon. Sarah Flood Beaurbrun. According to the Prime Minister “Immigration, Correctional Facilities, Probation, and Youth delinquency will fall under the Ministry of Home Affairs”.

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice Hon. Senator Petrus Compton will oversee the reform of the island’s legal system, the preparation of new streamlined laws and the reform of the Police Service.

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