Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Before I begin my remarks I want to welcome you all here today. This is my fifth visit to Hong Kong.  Between 2004 when I first visited and now our relationship has reached a new dimension.  I would like to especially commend Russell Harrigan for bringing together the Hong Kong business community in this fashion to facilitate discussion of critical developments in the BVI of relevance to industry here.  Each time I come I am reminded of the camaraderie that exists between many of you and those of us in the BVI and of the friends we have made here over the years.  

Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to present our Government's Energy Policy of the Virgin Islands to this Honourable House.

Madam Speaker, this Minister for Communications and Works, is on record as being very vocal about the need for our telecommunications providers, to urgently upgrade the service they offer here in the Virgin Islands.

Madam Speaker, three years ago we introduced Financial Services as a compulsory subject into the curriculum of our secondary schools in the latter part of 2012 to ensure the sustainability of our financial services industry. By doing so, we were ensuring that the interests, minds and talents of our students are developed to maintain our leadership position in the sector and our territory’s global competitiveness.

Madam Speaker thank you for allowing me to give an update on the rehabilitation programme at Her Majesty’s Prison with specific reference to the education programme. Madam Speaker in 2013 I issued a mandate for rehabilitation to become the core of activities at Her Majesty’s Prison as we seek to reduce repeat offending as well as prepare inmates to be in a position to reintegrate into the community.

Madam Speaker thank you for the opportunity to update this Honourable House on an initiative on which the H Lavity Stoutt Community College is about to embark. It is nothing new to hear about the development of Centres of Excellence around the region.  In fact Madam Speaker, it was an initiative for the development of such a facility that the Marine Studies Centre at the College was built. However Madam Speaker, that initiative was not fully realised and programmes in the area never fully materialized.

Madam Speaker the Territory of the Virgin Islands has entrusted the Ministry of Education and Culture with the responsibility to educate our youth and prepare them to be model citizens who will in turn, work and advance the Virgin Islands.  Within the Ministry we have realized that to effectively do this, we must pivot when necessary to ensure that we are providing our students with a quality education, fitting the times, opportunities and circumstances of this modern age.

I am very pleased that you are able to join us this evening as we continue on our journey to strengthen our financial services sector.

The main objective of this mission is to maintain the BVI’s position as the leading offshore jurisdiction in the Asia Pacific region and gain support for the continued use of BVI offshore structures in Asia.

The Leader of the Opposition and Member for the Third District to ask the Minister for Communications and Works the following questions: