TTPost has had to hire security for postal workers, after some of them were attacked last month while delivering mail in Beetham, Barataria, Laventille and Morvant, Public Utilities Minister Ancil Antoine has confirmed. He did so in Parliament on Friday in reply to a question from Opposition MP Ganga Singh.
Antoine said following the attacks, TTPost employed additional security to accompany its workers when they go to these areas and mail to those communities “continues uninterrupted.”
Finance Minister Colm Imbert, also replying to Singh, declined to say when the report of the Colman Commission of Enquiry (CoE) into Clico and the Hindu Credit Union—submitted last week to the Government—will be laid in Parliament.
Imbert said: “The report wil be dealt with in a responsible manner by a responsible Government at the appropriate time.” He repeated that when Singh asked the date that he would give the document to the responsible institution—Parliament—Singh then asked what time would be appropriate.
Imbert said in any CoE there are issues to consider and the Government would “consider all relevant factors” concerning the report and “it will be dealt with in an appropriate time by a responsible government.”
Replying to Opposition MP David Lee, Imbert said the issue of Central Bank’s deficient regulatory control of insurance companies (cited in the report by sole commissioner Sir Anthony Colman) was known before 2010 and a draft Insurance Bill had been completed.
Imbert accused the People’s Partnership government of “fooling around with it” and allowing it to lapse. He said notwithstanding the fact that the bill has a few weaknesses, the Government would bring it to Parliament unchanged on Friday, to strengthen the insurance industry.
Works Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, replying to Opposition MP Suruj Rambachan, said Construtora OAS had abandoned the Point Fortin Highway project site and its contract is being reviewed. Nidco will conduct an open tender process for other contractors to complete the remaining work necessary, he said.
Hinds said OAS, up to the end of 2015, had settled some US$47 million (TT$305 million) of its local commitments with workers receiving outstanding amounts of US$4.9 million, small creditors, US$5.11 million and larger providers US$37 million. In May, a US$17 million (TT$113 million) debt to 40 local contractors was settled via use of equipment.
Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, replying to MP Singh, said the Finance Ministry and the judiciary will also meet soon to discuss funding for the Chaguanas court and a timeframe for resolution on the accommodation matter will then be had.
Energy Minister Nicole Olivierre also told Singh no move has been made to restart the Alutech aluminium project. She said the standing energy committee had decided that its three members on the Alutech board would review the project.
Sports Minister Darryl Smith told Parliament that all remaining work on the Brian Lara Stadium will be completed by December 31, 2016. The total spent on this since September 8, 2015, is $5.5 million.