Mister Speaker, I will now update this Honourable House on the investigation into BVI Airways Project.

Mister Speaker, I would like to provide Honourable Members, and by extension the public, with an update on the work being done by your Virgin Islands Government to access the offer by the UK Government of Guarantees for Loans to facilitate recovery and development work following the devastating hurricanes of 2017.

Mister Speaker, I will now speak on moving forward with medical school in this Territory.

Mister Speaker, I now will make a statement on Black History Month because though it is most recognised in the United States, I am very well aware that we are a people of the African Diaspora.

Mister Speaker, I would like to make this statement by way of an update on the French listing of BVI on its list of non-cooperative states and territories in tax matters.

Mister Speaker, I am pleased to inform this honourable house that the Taxi and Livery Commission has been making steady progress towards regulating the transportation-for-hire industry since the new Board was appointed in October 2019.

Mister Speaker, everyone would be aware that the catastrophic hurricanes of 2017, namely Irma & Maria exacted billions of dollars in damages to public and private infrastructures, buildings and livelihoods -- the effects of which the BVI and other regional Island-Nations are still experiencing. 

Mister Speaker, placing Virgin Islanders at the centre of development activities through expanding access to educational opportunities continues to be a central focus of this Government’s agenda. The H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) continues to expand its offerings through various Memoranda of Understanding. Today I am pleased to give a statement on three recent programmes in which the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College (HLSCC) has been engaged.

Mr. Speaker, last year, I announced my intention to examine the additional year of instruction in our public secondary schools, with the intention of deciding whether it would continue.  Mr. Speaker, I held public meetings, which yielded useful feedback on the topic.  I was able to confirm that, indeed, there were students in the system who benefitted from the additional year as well as students who were being held back by the additional year.

Minister Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to provide an update on some education matters. The main areas of focus during our professional development sessions is physical literacy for all and critical literacy.  To promote physical literacy, Sports for Life Team and the BVI Olympic Committee graciously donated physical education equipment to the schools. I express my sincere appreciation to their generous donations.  In addition to the training that took place in August and November 2019, the final training is scheduled for 4^th – 15^th May, 2020. We also held our annual Excellence in Teaching workshops for teachers on Tortola and Virgin Gorda also as a part of on-going professional development.