Mister Speaker, I am grateful for this opportunity to share in this Honourable House and with the entire community, updates on education and progress over the last month as we approach the final term of the 2020/2021 school year.  Many costly adjustments had to be made in all schools in the Territory to ensure safety and to instill the COVID-19 protocols established by the Ministry of Health, which includes social distancing, extra wash stations for the washing of hands and classrooms equipped with sanitisation stations for students.  Hybrid/online learning was implemented and has been utilised for the last two terms while we sought to ensure that the best possible pedagogical practices were enforced.

Mister Speaker, I take this opportunity to update this Honourable House on the Ministry’s efforts in youth and sports development in the Territory.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be able to provide an update on the work being done by the Recreation Trust to ensure the fullest and most beneficial use of all public recreation grounds and other recreational facilities throughout the Territory. 

​Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to provide a brief statement on the upcoming Farmers and Fishers’ Week planned for the week of 25th April to 1st May, 2021.  The Week will be celebrated under the theme “Restore, Increase, Sustain and Educate” or simply abbreviated as “RISE”. 

Good day and GOD's BLESSINGS to all the people of the Virgin Islands.

Mister Speaker, I rise to provide an update to this Honourable House and the citizenry of this Territory on important infrastructure projects affecting the entire Territory.

update to the existing Work Permit Exemption Policy

Our corals provide vital ecosystem services in the form of food, shoreline protection against wave action, which would erode our beaches and shores and are main attractions to residents and tourists alike. 

Mr. Speaker, on 10th July, 2020, I announced that all renewal work permit applications submitted to the Department of Labour and Workforce Development are to be accompanied by Certificates of Good Standing from the Social Security Board, National Health Insurance and the Inland Revenue Department on behalf of the businesses, as well as Certificates of Earnings on behalf of the employees from the aforementioned agencies, since no applications would be accepted without these documents.

Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to share with this Honourable House and the people of the Virgin Islands an update on the Joe’s Hill Housing Development being carried out by the Social Security Board.