News
House Administration Committee recommends haste for license plates by prisoners
#TurksandCaicos, November 24, 2021 – Constitutionally charged through Section 64 with ensuring government departments deliver services efficiently to the general public, the Administration Committee of the House of Assembly is activated and turned in a report to parliament which should bring about more proficiency and expediency in several key offices.
From the report, findings revealed proactive interventions and recommendations which are already reaping returns said Alvin Garland, Opposition Appointed member who is Chairman of the Administration Committee.
Garland laid the report on Monday (November 22) and elaborated on its findings.
“The committee was concerned with the joint venture between Citizenship, Naturalization and Customer Service departments,” said the Chairman, who continued with, “It was noted that after the appearance by the Director of Citizenship & Naturalisation and the Registrar General, on the 11 June 2021, the Committee recalled the Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs department of citizenship and naturalization in the register general office on 3 August 2021 to conduct a walk-through of the various departments and discovered that there were apparent deficiencies in the various departments after the new system was implemented.
Mr. Speaker, the Committee then informed the Permanent Secretary of its concerns with their findings. That the software shown was not sufficient and was not satisfactory,” said Hon Garland.
A staff training exercise took place in September and daily reports are being produced in an effort to ensure there is close monitoring – by the Administration Committee – for at least the next three months.
“Hence the productivity of the staff has increased and the staff now feels more at ease with the new system.”
Another recommendation was for Road Safety Department to complete by next week, a draft Memorandum of Understanding which will accelerate the plan for license plates to be produced in-country by inmates at the Department of Corrections.
“The Committee encouraged the department of Motor Vehicles on having the policy finalised and presented to Cabinet for final approval to eliminate the challenges experienced in obtaining a drivers license and license plates etc. Mr. Speaker the Committee recommends that the draft memorandum of understanding be made available by next week to allow prisoners to begin printing license plates. The Superintendent of prisons is tasked with finding individuals who can be trusted.”
It is a solution which should end the issue of license plates being unavailable for months at a time to motorists. The lag time in vehicle owners receiving license plates has also been categorized as a national security threat.
The Committee, also staffed with John Malcolm, South Caicos Member; Harold Charles, Governor’s Appointed member; Jameka Williams, Government’s Appointed Member and Kyle Knowles, Wheeland district Member, also determined that the deputy director of road safety department position needs to be filled urgently.
“Due to workload of responsibility for the Department of Road Safety, that the positon of Deputy Director – if not filled – needs to be filled urgently and immediately.”
The group put forward that the community cabs program should be broadened to include work permit holders and limit cabs to 10 maximum, per operator.
“The Committee recommends that the regulations as it relates to Community Cabs be amended to allow work permit holders to have drivers’ license of the Community Cabs, the Committee also recommends that person with Community Cabs business license be allowed to have a maximum of ten cars.
While South Caicos was approved for equipment support for water production for its islanders there, Salt Cay was not “at this time”.
It was also determined, Permanent Residency Certificate applicants – at submission – should pay a non-refundable $1,000 deposit, which can be deducted from their final charge if approved for PRC status.
The findings were concluded through sessions spanning June to October and involved department heads and the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Transportation, Broadcasting, Energy & Utilities and Telecommunications Commission.
The report was approved as accepted by House of Assembly members, within the same sitting on Monday November 22, 2021.
TCIG knew from April that fuel factor could surge almost 80%; Minister says $500 cost-of-living payment was part of Government’s response
PROVIDENCIALES — The Turks and Caicos Government knew months before July’s shocking electricity bills that consumers faced a potentially massive increase in the fuel factor.
Minister of Information Technology and Energy E. Jay Saunders revealed Friday that Pelican Energy warned his Ministry in April that generation fuel costs were projected to rise from $3.09 per gallon in May to $4.79 in June and July.
That translated into a projected fuel factor jump from about 17.5 cents to 31 cents per kilowatt-hour — an increase of almost 80%.
Saunders said he personally advised Cabinet of the projected increase and presented options for cushioning the impact.
He characterised Government’s $500 cost-of-living payment as its “initial response” to rising fuel costs, before a separate fuel-factor subsidy was approved.
Cabinet records show Government agreed on June 24 to provide funding to mitigate the fuel-factor impact, with the relief programme approved July 8.
Eligible residential customers — those averaging less than $1,500 monthly over the previous three bills — are capped at 22 cents per kWh from July through October.
Pelican confirmed Friday that Government’s contribution was already applied to July bills, meaning the bills now triggering widespread public outrage would have been even higher without the subsidy.
Saunders did not disclose the programme’s total cost.
His admission that Government knew since April, however, raises another question amid the backlash: why were consumers not directly warned by Government about the scale of the approaching increase?
NASSAU, Bahamas — More Bahamians are accessing HIV and sexually transmitted infection-related healthcare through National Health Insurance, a trend the NHI Authority says should be viewed positively.
NHIA stressed in an August 6 statement that its 2025 figures measure healthcare utilisation, not newly diagnosed infections. They include beneficiaries screened, treated, monitored or receiving follow-up care, including people diagnosed previously.
“Increased utilisation of these services should be viewed as a positive development,” NHIA said.
The Authority pointed to “greater enrolment and use of NHI, improved access to screening and testing, continued treatment and monitoring of existing conditions, and increased willingness to seek medical care.”
The development comes amid a mixed three-year HIV picture. New diagnoses rose from 130 in 2023 to 156 in 2024, before declining to 142 in 2025.
NHIA said increased utilisation demonstrates that more beneficiaries are accessing needed healthcare and actively managing their health, reinforcing the importance of screening, early diagnosis and continued treatment.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Americas has recorded 47,459 confirmed measles cases and 44 deaths in 2026, the region’s highest case count in 22 years, prompting the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to urge stronger vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.
As of July 18, cases were already more than triple the 15,011 recorded during all of 2025. Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Peru
account for 95% of confirmed cases. Guatemala leads with 30,371 cases and 26 deaths, followed by Mexico with 12,255 cases and 17 deaths.
PAHO classifies the regional public health risk as very high, citing active outbreaks, immunity gaps, international travel and populations with inadequate vaccination coverage.
The organization says prevention starts with vaccination. Countries are being urged to achieve and maintain at least 95% coverage with two doses of measles-containing vaccine, particularly protecting children and under-vaccinated communities.
Measles spreads through the air when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. Symptoms can include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash.
PAHO is urging health authorities to detect suspected cases early and respond rapidly to stop transmission. Unvaccinated and under-vaccinated people, young children and communities with limited healthcare access face increased risk of severe illness and death.
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