ZJB News Monday Oct, 1 2001

The Honourable Minister of Education, Health, and Community Services Idabelle Meade has announced that the Government is developing a national policy and action plan on ageing.
She made the announcement on International Day for the Elderly, which was observed today.
Mrs. Meade reported that the aim of the policy is to promote effective ways of working with and for older people.
The minister said another aim is to ensure that ageing issues and the needs of older people are included in the broader health and development projects.
According to her the government has already demonstrated this. hot key: duration: The Honourable Minister of Education, Health, and Community Services Idabelle Meade
The Royal Montserrat Police Force has completed another successful training programme.
Eight members from the RMPF, the Fire and Rescue Services, the Montserrat Port Authority, the Prison staff and Customs completed a three week Training of Trainers exercise.
Superintendent Paul Morris is responsible for training within the Royal Montserrat Police Force.
hot key: duration: 57 seconds Police Superintendent Paul Morris.
The regulations governing co-operatives have been amended through out the Caribbean region and Montserrat is also going to undertake the redrafting of its co-operative legislation.
This will be of enormous benefit to the credit union institution in Montserrat as well as the shareholders.
The new laws will also assist in the monitoring of management and activities of the credit union.
In short the credit union and its members will have the instrument it needs to assist in providing a service with even greater transparency, effectiveness and clarity.
Mr. Ian Hunter, the facilitator for the training exercise, explains that the participants were exposed to a wide range of issues. Hot key: duration: 56 Mr. Ian Hunter .
Thirty-nine middle managers in the Public Service have completed a supervisory management course.
The Training Division organised the exercise. Head of that division Daphane Cassell says given the changing environment staff training and development must become more systematic.
This is important as the public service is faced with low staff numbers, high customer expectations, and rapid changes in technology.
Mrs. Cassell says the training division is working diligently to address the key areas identified in the training needs assessment.
As a result courses are being planned in areas such as public finance, writing executive Council documents and information technology. Hot key: duration: 52 seconds Chief Training Officer Daphne Cassell.
The facilitator for the programme was Ermine Spence, a management training consultant, wh0 is based in Antigua.
Although the participants regard the training as a success, Ms. Spence says it would not be so until they are given a chance to implement what they have learned.
Hot key: duration: 49 secs Ermine Spence of Integrated Management Services.
Chief Minister John Osborne met Britain’s minister for overseas development Clare Short on Wednesday.
The Chief Minister requested the meeting to clear snags in the system that have led to delay the approval of several projects on the island.
According to officials Mr. Osborne received a commitment from Ms. Short to speed up the projects.
Britain has committed itself to spending forty million dollars over the next few years to assist Montserrat recover from the ongoing volcanic crisis.
Montserrat has proven to be good training ground for many professionals.
None more so than young Anglican female priest Clare Dowdy.
Ms. Dowdy has just completed a six-week attachment to the Anglican Church here.
During that time she has worked with young persons in the church and the elderly.
Before leaving the island spoke to Herman Sargeant about how much her stay in Montserrat has prepared her for the priesthood.
Eleven new members of the Rainbow Guides were enrolled this week.
The Rainbow Guides is the youngest group in the girl guides movement, with ages ranging from five to seven.
Commissioner Anjela Skerritt says one of the aims is to help develop behaviour patterns at an early age.
Another is to help members work together and to make simple decisions.
However she says the overall aim is to ensure the members have fun.
Mrs. Skerritt has praised the role the St. Augustine School has played in help forming the Rainbow Guides.
Minister of Communications and Works Lowel Lewis met with residents of Isles Bay and the Belham valley area to discuss concerns about sand mining operations.
The residents were requesting an end to the activity, which they say are uncontrolled destructive.
They are concerned that the mining operations will reduce the value of their properties and businesses in the area, and that the company, Selsie Limited, should find an alternative location for the barge shipments.
The management of Selsie Limited used the opportunity to explain to residents why he invested almost three million EC dollars in the screening plant.
He said it was intended to restore the original course and level of the river bed, assist in maintaining access to the south of Belham and create the chance of recovering the golf course.
Mr. Lewis assured all present that the government will take whatever measures are necessary to protect the interest of all concerned.
The Court House in Montserrat is to become fully computerized.
That’s the word from Chief Justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Sir Dennis Byron.
This is part of efforts to reform the judicial system in the sub-region, and Sir Dennis announced that soon Montserrat and St. Vincent and the Grenadines would be brought in line with other islands.
As we hear in this Winston Cabey report the reforms have already started to bear fruit.
Hot key: duration: According to Sir Dennis the most significant achievement of ever the past year has been the implementation of the Eastern Caribbean civil procedure rules, which came into effect on the first of July.
He said the addition of the Supreme Court masters, which have been added to the judiciary, has made a tremendous impact on the civil justice reform package throughout the region.
Sir Dennis says members of the public and the commercial sector have voiced great satisfaction with the new legal culture and the imperative is to maintain the momentum.
This, he said required the institution of a system that monitors and rationalizes the civil justice reform process.
To this end a task force on civil justice reform has been instituted, the objective of which is to monitor the performance of the programme of civil justice reforms introduced under the new rules.
The Chief Justice announced that the reform includes computerization of all court offices with the exception of Montserrat and Anguilla.
The Credit Union recognised several persons at its annual general meeting.
Most valued member Annette Phillip received a certificate of appreciation and a share certificate.
The organization showed its appreciation to schoolteacher Inez Fenton, who it said went beyond and above the call of volunteer duty in working with the children in the thrift clubs.
Since 1994, when the thrift clubs were introduced in the primary schools Misses Inez Fenton has willingly encouraged the children to save.
Two thrift club savers – Clarence Yearwood of the St. Augustine school and Phillip Brade of the Brades school were also presented with certificates.
The importance of St. Patrick’s Co-operative Credit Union in Montserrat’s financial sector was highlighted in a recent speech by the Honourable Minister responsible for Co-operatives.
Speaking to members of the credit union Minister Margaret Dyer Howe praised the role of the organization in helping people recover and in rebuilding the economy shattered by the volcanic crisis.
She said the government is actively seeking creative ways to assist indigenous institutions such as the Credit Union and the Montserrat Building society for un-lending to its members.
She also had a few suggestions on how the credit union can even do more to help rebuild the island. Hot key: duration:
Mrs. Dyer-Howe also recommended the use of e-commerce business strategies as another way the Credit union can expand its services and offer more assistance.
A new feature has been added to the festival calendar this year.
For the first time a soca monarch competition is being planned. This will be in addition to traditional calypso contest.
Co-ordinator of Culture Shauna Harley says it has already started to generate some interest among calypsonians.
Hot key: duration: Co-ordinator of Culture Shauna Harley.
Calypsonians interested in both the soca and calypso contests, along with the national queen show are encouraged to register early with the department of culture.
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