Mr. Speaker, I wish to update this Honourable House on my trip to the United Kingdom from 11^th to 13^th September 2019 where I led the delegation to discuss the conditions of the United Kingdom Loan Guarantee and other matters.

Mr. Speaker, I will now speak on the Oracle JD Edwards (JDE) software.

Mr. Speaker, I am in a good place this morning because finally the Members of the opposition agree that questions and answering the questions asked is critically important in strengthening our democracy, transparency and accountability, especially if we are on our way to becoming self-reliant. I commend them for these questions.

Mr. Speaker, my Government continues to put the necessary structures in place to restore hope and prosperity for all of the people of the Virgin Islands.

My people of the Virgin Islands Good day and God’s blessings to you.  You would recall that approximately two weeks ago I led a delegation to London to discuss with the United Kingdom Government, its offer of a Loan Guarantee for Recovery and Development projects in response to the damage arising from Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.  Please note that the discussions were not about a loan, but rather about the conditions around the loan guarantee.

The following is an excerpt from the statement given by Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie during the Press Conference on the Report to the People On the Official Visit to the UK.

Fellow Virgin Islanders and Residents, A pleasant Good Day and God’s Blessings to you.

In keeping with my pledge to keep you informed of all matters that are likely to have significant impact on your lives and interests as citizens, I wish to say that today I will be leading a delegation of officials of the Government of the Virgin Islands to the United Kingdom (UK) to discuss the conditions of the loan guarantee, among other areas. 

De-risking continues to place excessive burdens on the region’s financial infrastructure and impedes our countries’ and territories’ abilities to effectively engage in global business and have sustainable economic growth. 

Virgin Islands Financial Institutions (VIFIs) are notified that the filing deadline for US FATCA and Common Reporting Standards for the 2018 reporting financial year has been extended to Wednesday July 31.

The Government of the Virgin Islands is on a mission to transition the Territory towards sustainable growth, according to Premier and Minister of Finance, Honourable Andrew A. Fahie.