Introduction

Mr. Speaker:

I am again privileged to address this august body as the Member of Parliament for the Yamacraw Constituency and Minister of Social Services & Community Development as I make a contribution to the 2014/2015 Mid -Year Budget Statement.

Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I wish to publicly express condolences to a few families:

1. Mr. Maurice Tynes and family on the passing of his wife Paula, a wonderful woman, loved by all;

2. The Turnquest-Garcia Family of Eastern Estates on the passing of their matriarch Mrs. Nathalie Rachel Turnquest-Garcia, a woman of humble beginnings who became not only a trailblazer in the field of fashion and hat designing, but was also well known for the tasty Bahamian cuisine she provided at the Original Souse House;

3. The Darling family of Colony Village on the passing of their patriarch, Mr. Carlton Darling, himself a giant in the Hospitality Industry.

4. Mrs. Perry and family and the family of Grace & Peace Wesleyan Methodist Church in Yamacraw on the passing of Revd. Henley Birthwick Perry, a fine Pastor and community person.

5. To the family of Mr. Othniel ‘Nick’ Lightbourne, formerly of Yamacraw Beach Estates, a committed Clerk of the Court of Appeal and also a strong community person.

6. Finally, Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the staff of the Ministry and Department of Social Services I wish to also express my deepest sympathy to the family of Mr. James Carey who passed away last week-end, particularly our Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Barbara Burrows.

Mr. Speaker, our prayers are indeed with all these families that God will comfort them during this difficult time in their lives.

Mr. Speaker,

As I move to the business at hand, I must salute the Rt. Hon Prime Minister, Perry Gladstone Christie, Minister of Finance, the Hon. Michael Halkitis, Minister of State for Finance, and the team of the Ministry of Finance for the excellent work they continue to do in managing the finances of our country. I also wish to congratulate them on the successful implementation of Value Added Tax. While there have been some issues, as is usually the case with the introduction of new initiatives, the transition, from the reports that I have received, is going well and Bahamians are continuing to make their purchases, conduct business as usual and pay the required value added tax. Bahamians for the most part, Mr. Speaker, understand that VAT is very necessary, if we are to pay the country’s debts, maintain our communities, develop our human capital and provide and maintain our infrastructure and social and healthcare services.

Mr. Speaker,

In the opening paragraph of the 2014/2015 budget statement, the Rt. Hon. Member for Centreville boldly proclaimed that "Things are looking good” and that "We are on the move." Mr. Speaker, members opposite don’t want to hear that. Those words Mr. Speaker sound a death knell in their ears. So they are very methodically trying to beat this country and our people down with their message of doom and gloom; even with the numbers in their face, showing that their assertions are false, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, good news for the Bahamian people is bad news for them. The strategy for them then is to trot out the same old talking points they have been going with for the last two years and what is even more incredible, they just decide, “let’s erase 2007 to 2012”. So with their loud talk they try to make you forget that in 2002 we met a broken economy, we fixed it! In 2007 they met a strong economy, they squandered it! They squandered it with bad decisions which exacerbated the impact of the recession. Decisions that saw them take monies from everywhere they could find it and put it into bricks and mortar - huge buildings for which they had no plans or funding to furnish and staff and a road improvement project that led to a whopping $100M in cost overruns while the unemployment figures skyrocketed and the discouraged workers numbers grew and the lines at Social Services lengthened and the homeless numbers increased and crime escalated and thousands of people lost their homes and thousands of people had their electricity cut off and the lines for food assistance lengthened. Members opposite would have us all forget the economy they squandered between 2007 and 2012 and the fact that as we address the hurt, pain and hopelessness of the devastation in which they left the Bahamian people and the economy, Mr. Speaker, we also had to bring back the sound fiscal management that grew the economy between 2002 and 2007 so that we could be where we are today, with God’s help having weathered the global economic downturn and grown the economy by 6.2% since taking office.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, we are set to reduce the deficit this fiscal year by $160M, with economic growth forecasted for 8% by 2017. Mr. Speaker, the previous FNM administration could not and did not provide the prudent and efficient management of our economy; their policies led to a loss of $239M of our hard earned money. We dare not go down that road again! We must reject their message of gloom, doom and hopelessness and embrace the message of hope and a brighter future for all Bahamians that this Government offers, not just in words, but in the numbers and as someone said last week, “the numbers don’t lie”. Not only that, Mr. Speaker, many are encouraged by the many opportunities that are already opening up for so many of our people. The best is yet to come!

Mr. Speaker, by no means are we saying that we have arrived, there is still much work to be done and we are committed to getting it done. When the Rt. Hon Member for Centreville speaks of his “enormous confidence in our nation’s economic future” and notes that “Things are looking good! We are on the move!” I can certainly attest to the fact that this is the case with the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development. The first six months of the 2014/2015 fiscal year (July - December 2014) were extremely exciting and productive for the Ministry as we continued to strengthen our social safety net.

Firstly, through a united effort, the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Act, 2014, was passed by Parliament in July 2014. It was assented to by the Governor General on August, 12, 2014, and several parts and sections came into force with effect from November 3, 2014. The fifteen-member Commission, comprised of representatives from the public and private sectors, was appointed with effect from December 15, 2014, for a period of three years.

In September, 2014, Mr. Speaker, the Department of Social Services observed its 50th Anniversary and in November 2014, we launched the reloadable prepaid card for beneficiaries of food assistance at the Wulff Road Centre and in so doing The Bahamas joined many other countries around the world in the use of electronics for the delivery of social assistance.

Disability Matters

Mr. Speaker,

With the enactment of and coming into force of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities) Act, 2014, we can stamp "mission accomplished" to another of the commitments made to the community of persons with disabilities and in our Charter for Governance. We recognize however that the implementation and enforcement of this legislation must be given paramount attention if it is to meet its intended purpose and the work of the National Commission is crucial. I can confirm that the Commission, under the chairmanship of Mr. Charles DaCosta Bethel, has commenced regular meetings and has compiled an initial list of priority issues and to date, three sub-committees have been formed to consider some specific aspects of the legislation so that consultations with the various governmental agencies for the further enactment of certain critical provisions of the legislation can be implemented. The Commission is also planning to meet with the organizations for persons with disabilities in short order.

Mr. Speaker.

I can also advise members of this honourable place that accelerated focus is being given to the proposed facility for post school-age children with developmental disabilities. A Project Manager and Consultant were brought on board in September, and a new architectural team was put in place in December. The team has produced a Conceptual Site Plan that shows the general arrangement of the components for the facility which I thought I would share with you today. (share conceptual site plan) This plan is based on the design brief prepared by the Task Force which is made up of members from several organizations for PWD. I anticipate receiving the preliminary architectural drawings for this facility by the end of March, with groundbreaking for the facility set for April 2015.

In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, the Project Office Team will implement some community-based programmes and activities in the pre-construction and construction period. In this regard, I am very pleased to announce that the Ministry of Social Services & Community Development will host a three day training programme at the end of this month – February 25th, 26th and 27^th. The programme is designed for teachers, students from the College of The Bahamas parents, guardians, caregivers, representatives from non-governmental organizations who provide care to persons with developmental disorders such as Autism and Down Syndrome and others interested in working with this group. Three experts from New York who have a vast range of experience in this area have volunteered their services to conduct this training. Training sessions include:

Ø Day 1

Philosophy of working with People with IDD

Traits of the Population

Adult to Adult Relationships

Human Rights, Choice & Inclusion

Care Giving vs Active Treatment

Ø Day 2

Communication Styles

Teaching Styles

Negotiation

Working as a Team

Developing & Following a Clinical Plan

Ø Day 3

Special Session: Behavioral Intervention

Special Session: Managing Programmes for Adults with IDD

Special Session: Self Advocacy

We also expect to pilot week-end respite care and day habilitation programmes before the end of the current fiscal year.

Mr. Speaker, I can also advise that we are exploring steps to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. You will be hearing more of this as time progresses.

50^th Anniversary of the Department of Social Services

Mr. Speaker, 2014 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Social services and September was proclaimed as Social Services Month by the Rt. Hon. Prime Minister.

The 50th Anniversary activities included an exhibition, a church service and a luncheon at which, the Rt. Hon. Member for Centreville, himself a former Minister for Social Services, was the guest speaker. The celebration clearly showed the tremendous growth of the Department of Social Services over the fifty years; from a staff of one in 1964 to just over three hundred in 2014 and from one office to the head office and four outreach Centres in New Providence, and offices in Grand Bahama and twelve other Family Islands.

I can truly attest to the fact that the Department offers assistance from the cradle to the grave, considering that we provide programmes that assist pregnant women, we provide food assistance for the benefit of all ages, uniform assistance for school aged children and where necessary assistance to families to ensure a decent burial for their loved ones.

This current range of programmes were introduced over the past fifty years to meet the growing and changing needs of the population and no doubt this will also be the case in the fifty years to come. During my first tenure in office I am proud that I was able to add to the array of assistance programmes the Assistance for Special Needs Children, certified disabled and based on assessment for children who are unable to access benefit from National Insurance until age 16. For the first six months of the current fiscal year there were 226 children on this particular programme at a cost of $161,280.00

Mr. Speaker,

I consider it a singular honor to have been the Minister of Social Services during the 50th Anniversary Year as it provided me with a better appreciation of how far we have progressed and given me even greater impetus to build on the foundation laid by the pioneers in the field. It is incumbent upon us however, to remember that the foundation upon which Social Services is built is not made of blocks, cement and steel. It is built upon people, indeed truly exceptional people who are willing to engage bringing relief to the most vulnerable among us. I speak of the staff of the Department who, though often criticized, is indeed our greatest asset.

At the special anniversary luncheon, I indicated that there is no denying that the growth of the Department has been tremendous and while the political directorate would have fostered this, the Department has been headed by extremely competent and committed directors whose vision and determination also helped to bring about its growth over the years attracting a cadre of highly trained, committed staff. Such persons should be given abundant opportunities to advance in their field, and, to be financially compensated according to their levels of experience and quality of work. To this end, a number of outstanding promotions, reclassifications and confirmations were completed by the end of December, 2014 and hopefully the remaining pending matters will be completed shortly.

Social Safety Net Reform & Reloadable Prepaid Card

Mr. Speaker, I have in several communications, spoken to the Social Safety Net Reform Programme, which will result in the consolidation of a number of existing programmes into a Conditional Cash Programme. A major part of this reform will be the implementation of a new payment method for the delivery of assistance to beneficiaries. The new payment method identified by the government is a reloadable prepaid card. (show sample of card) As a part of the first phase of the CCT this card was launched in November 2014 at the Wulff Road Centre and it has proven to be a tremendous success. In January 2015 the card was introduced at the Fox Hill Centre. By the end of this month, 699 food assistance recipients at the Wulff Road Centre and 733 at the Fox Hill Centre will be utilizing the prepaid card.

While we experienced some minor challenges that come with any new initiative, the introduction of the reloadable card has many advantages. The first and immediate advantage is that persons no longer have to come to the Centres at the end of each month and stand on a line sometimes for hours, to collect a paper coupon. Secondly, the card can be used in any food store that accepts prepaid cards. Thirdly, the full value does not have to be utilized at one time, it allows for purchases to be spread out over the month and then there is the anonymity with the card so that beneficiaries are not readily identified and stigmatized.

The card will be introduced next at the Robinson Road Centre and the necessary work to facilitate this has commenced after which the Nassau Street Centre will be done. Ground work has also commenced in Grand Bahama for the introduction of the card and the process will continue on a gradual basis throughout The Bahamas.

We acknowledge that due to the demands for services at the Outreach Centres, there were challenges in completing assessments of food recipients. All current recipients however must be verified and reassessed before approval for the pre paid card. We soon realized that this was not an easy task and difficult to complete during regular work hours. A number of staff members agreed to work after hours, on weekends and even on the holiday to conduct the reassessments. The exercise really brought out the importance of the reassessment process which once the programme is in place, Social Workers will now have more time to do. Some issues of concern discovered:

Ø Visits were made to the stated addresses and it was discovered that a good number of recipients did not live at the noted residences, but had either recently relocated or relocated for a number of months and even years;

Ø Some addresses listed by clients were actually vacant lots and some homes were inhabitable or destroyed by fire;

Ø Authorized relatives/persons collecting coupons in cases where the recipient was deceased for up to at least four months.

While we have to pay close attention to abuse of the new card system, Mr. Speaker, and the necessary checks are in place, as well as training given to the recipients, I can tell you we have already been able to reduce the abuses in the current paper-intensive food coupon system.

I wish to thank all of the staff involved with the implementation of this revolutionary programme our partner The Bank of The Bahamas for the tremendous support they continue to give us during this exercise and the vendors who are now able to receive their payments within 48 hours.

Mr. Speaker, members would be aware that the Government increased the food assistance rates by 5% at the end of January 2015, to help cushion the impact of the value added tax on food assistance recipients. Many have indicated their gratitude for this increase and their excitement over the introduction of the reloadable prepaid card system.

I also wish to commend Mrs. Marva Russell-Minns and Ms. Kim Sawyer and the team of the Social Safety Net Reform Unit who are working diligently with Inter-American Development Bank and our partners at the Ministries of Health and Education, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Finance, Departments of Information Technology and Statistics. All are to be commended. We will hear more of this Programme during the Budget Debate.

Accommodations

Mr. Speaker, The Ministry relocated from the Post Office Building to new accommodations in Aventura Plaza on John F. Kennedy Drive and Bethel Avenue in August 2014.

Plans are underway for the relocation of the Department from the Clarence Bain Building to the Penn Building on Tonique Williams-Darling Highway and extensive renovations are expected to commence shortly.

Additional spaces have also been obtained for the expansion of the Fox Hill Road and Horseshoe Drive Centers to ease the space challenges at those locations.

The Department's Freeport office moved to new and more spacious accommodations in the first half of the current fiscal year. We were also able to secure extra spaces at the same location to, Mr. Speaker, for the first time in Grand Bahama, establish Senior Citizens’ and Disability Units. Please stay tuned for the opening date.

Approval has been received for renovations to the Department of Rehabilitative Welfare Services office in Freeport, Grand Bahama. I expect that this work will commence shortly.

Renovations at Willie Mae Pratt Centre

Mr. Speaker, renovations at a cost of $573, 784.00 are currently underway at the Willie Mae Pratt Centre for girls which include:

Ø Repairs to the roof of the visiting room/kitchen building

Ø Replacement and repairs of existing awning windows

Ø Construction of new timber base and wall cabinets in the Kitchen

Ø Repairs and painting of covered walkway

Ø Repairs to dormitories at the old site which include cosmetology room, painting, isolation room, doctor’s office, library and sewing room

Ø Upgrade to all three cottages – removal and replacement of bathroom fixtures with industrialized materials and

Ø Construction of new security booth with visitors’ waiting area

(show photos of work in progress)

Approval has also been obtained through the tenders for the purchase of institutional beds like those installed at the Simpson Penn Centre for Boys.

I am also pleased to report the re-instatement of a dedicated Psychologist on contract at the WPC since August 2014. Mr. Speaker this has indeed made a world of difference at that Center.

Social Assistance

Mr. Speaker, for the six month period June 2014 to December 2014 the Department recorded the following level of assistance in New Providence:

Food Assistance (actual food store payments):

Permanent Food Assistance (PFA) & Temporary Food Assistance (TFA) - 5,181 persons - $2,220,906.47

Financial Assistance:

BEC – 769 persons - $425,041.89

Water & Sewerage – 150 persons - $68,321.16

Rental Assistance – 632 persons - $682,560.00

Temporary Accommodations – 64 persons - $58,530.00

Burial Assistance – 97 persons - $72,383.00

Medical Assistance – 87 persons - $174,550.00

Child Protection

Mr. Speaker, the protection of children continues to be a priority for the Department and we are grateful for the funding provided by the ongoing Cookies for Kids drive sponsored by Ms. Elaine Pinder and partners of Bamboo Shack. Ongoing public service announcements, posters boards, coloring book publications; awareness sessions for children funded by this programme continue to raise the level of public awareness.

The total reported cases of child abuse for New Providence for the six months ending December 2014 are as follows:

Physical Abuse – 59

Sexual Abuse – 28

Incest – 17

Verbal Abuse – 4

Emotional Abuse – 3

Abandonment – 4

Neglect – 86

Total: 201

Figures for the entire Bahamas will be provided in the upcoming Budget.

Women’s Bureau

Mr. Speaker I am still confident that the Bahamian people will have the opportunity to settle the issue of equality for women and men in our Constitution as planned. During National Women’s Week in November of last year consultations held in partnership with the Constitutional Reform Commission in New Providence, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera and Abaco were well-attended and fruitful. School students also got in on the programme with screenings of the documentary Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights and Democracy: The Women’s Suffrage Movement in The Bahamas: 1948 - 1962. The students displayed a keen interest in the film and discussions afterward, particularly their interaction with the writer and producer, Mrs. Marion Bethel-Sears, Recipient of the 11^th Annual Caricom Triennial Award for Women in July of last year.

The Constitutional Reform Commission’s consultations are ongoing in New Providence and the Family Islands and the media reports provide good public education. I wish to reiterate my support and join my voice with those who are encouraging support for the amendment bills.

Mr. Speaker from March 8^th to 13^th I will head a delegation of some 70 plus women from various organizations and walks of life to the 59^th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women which is held in New York annually. This year’s session will give consideration to the achievements and challenges of countries in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Delegates will be celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration at the 59^th Session, Beijing + 20. The Hon. Janet Bostwick, former Minister who would have signed the document has accepted an invitation by the Government to attend, as well as Mrs. Phedra Rahming, Deputy Permanent Secretary, who was the officer in charge of the Women’s Bureau at the time. Other members of the delegation include, wife of the Deputy Prime Minister and advocate for women, Mrs. Anne Davis, Mrs. Loretta Butler-Turner, former Minister of State with responsibility for the Women’s Bureau, Senator Tanisha Tynes, former Senator Heather Hunt, Mrs. Marisa Mason-Smith, Chairman of the Women’s Advisory Council and representatives from female organizations from the legal, financial, civic and political arenas.

Conclusion

Mr. Speaker, this Government is committed to ensuring the health and welfare of all Bahamians and never has nor will it ever take a complacent attitude to the less fortunate among us. Indeed, we have re-doubled our efforts to ensure that everyone, no matter their circumstance has access to the basic necessities of life and are afforded the opportunity to become productive citizens in the land of their birth.

Mr. Speaker, I have listened to members opposite and some have painted a dark and gloomy picture of where we are now as a people and have gone to great lengths to point out all the negatives they could find about what has not been done by the Government, and that is fine, Mr. Speaker, that is the role that they have and that is the role that some have taken for themselves. They have gone so far as to call our Rt. Hon. Prime Minister “a dreamer”, they have advised him not to give our people “too much hope” and while unable to outright discount the numbers, they have attributed the upward trends in the economy to “luck”.

Mr. Speaker, I draw the line when you start messing with my dreams. I draw the line when you fool with my faith and I certainly draw the line when you start messing with my hope. Mr. Speaker, if it were not for dreams, faith and hope, we would never have a spot on the map called, “The Bahamas”.

If it were not for dreams, faith and hope, the founders and builders of this nation would never have dared to fight against the odds to bring us where we are today, a little speck in the ocean, impacting the world on so many stages, in so many ways.

If it were not for dreams, faith, not luck, and hope, Mr. Speaker, there would have been no Roland Symonette, no Lynden Pindling, no Hubert Ingraham, no Perry Christie, no you and no me!

So, Mr. Speaker, like Joseph, let us continue to dream – dream of a better day for all Bahamians. Like Job, let us hold to our faith – faith in a God who delivers on dreams and hope. Like our ancestors, let us continue to live in hope and to encourage our people to have hope, because hope gives us the courage to ride out any storm.

So, Mr. Speaker, I am on board with the Rt. Hon. Member for Centreville and Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I trust in an all-powerful God who promised never to leave or forsake His people and I re-affirm along with the Rt. Hon Member my faith in the future of our nation. Together we will meet the challenges head on and overcome them one by one by one as we embrace sound fiscal governance and a better Bahamas for all.

I close with the New Living Bible translation of Hebrews 11: 1 and commend it to us all:

“Faith is the confidence that what

we hope for will actually happen,

it gives us assurance about things

we cannot see.”

Mr. Speaker, Yamacraw supports this Resolution.