Honourable Leader of the Opposition and Representative for the 3^rd District, Honourable Julian Fraser. Mrs. Lisa Penn-Lettsome, Chair of the Constitutional Review Commission.

Commissioners Dr. Charles Wheatley and Dr. Reverand Melvin Turnbull, we are grateful for your presence here. And I am also grateful to the media for being here to capture this important event.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to report to this Honourable House that the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) new driver’s license software is up and running.

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to speak about the issue most affecting the youth of my Territory.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) notes with disappointment the statement issued today by the Accused Myron Walwyn. 

Good morning to the people of the Virgin Islands and members of the media.

Madam Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to update this Honourable House on the Secondary Summer School Initiative, 2022.  Before giving the results, I would like to give a brief background. There was a total of two hundred and twenty-two (224) students enrolled in Grade 12 at public secondary schools. Of the total, one hundred and sixty-eight (168) students or seventy-give percent (75%) were successful and fifty-six (56) or twenty-five percent (25%) were unsuccessful in completing their secondary level graduation requirements.

Madame Speaker, lands have always been central to the economic and social development of the Virgin Islands.  Ownership of our land has enabled greater prosperity and opportunities for homeownership, commercial development and recreation to name a few.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to provide the House of Assembly with an update on the development of the Beach Management Plan for Long Bay, Beef Island, being led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour.  Since the first round of public consultations in March when the Conceptual Plan was presented for feedback, the Ministry has been working towards drafting the Detailed Beach Management Plan, taking into consideration feedback received during the consultations.

Madame Speaker, I am pleased to share recent advancements in ensuring greater awareness of the availability of lands for first-time land and property owners, as well as those who are seeking to increase their stake in the economic and social development of our beautiful islands. 

Madame Speaker, on 18^th March 2022, the OECS Assembly, during its sixth sitting, approved the establishment of a Regional Conservation Caucus in the Eastern Caribbean, which will be commonly known as the Conservation Caucus.  The Conservation Caucus is intended to be a vehicle for advocacy, engagement, and action on international commitments and agreements and will hence: