President Danny Faure chaired a meeting of the Cabinet this morning at State House, which discussed a number of policy and project memoranda.
Cabinet decided that the allocation of land in the Industrial Estates will henceforth be made by the Board of the Industrial Estates Authority, and not by the Ministry responsible for land. In addition, the Office of the Attorney General would review the conditions of lease with a view to greater transparency in the true ownership of the leases.
Cabinet approved amendments to the NDEA Act and the Anti-Money Laundering Act to strengthen the power of the Auditor General to conduct financial audits in those institutions and to report on the audits in accordance with the law.
Cabinet approved recommendations for reviewing the processes involved in Government expenditure and payments, so as to address concerns that payments from Government to suppliers sometimes took too long.
Cabinet approved the revised Budget preparation calendar to ensure the smooth and timely completion of the process, so that estimates of the budget could be presented to the National Assembly by October.
Cabinet also approved for the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Economic Planning to engage in consultations with relevant bodies on the proposed framework for financial autonomy for independent institutions.
The Cabinet was updated on the status of legal action being pursued against persons found to have embezzled public funds.
Cabinet was appraised of a mission undertaken by World Bank in April to support the implementation of the Government’s Programme Performance Based Budgeting.
Cabinet approved amendments to the Pension fund statutory instruments to allow for the gradual increase in the members’ contribution rates. The new sub-regulation will come into effect on the 1st of July 2017.
Cabinet approved for the setting up of a Regional Centre for Operational Coordination (RCOC) in Seychelles. The Centre will play an active role in preventing criminal activities at sea and implementing the law in incidences of such activities. The Centre will be led by a Seychellois Director. Member countries (Mauritius, France/Reunion, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, Djibouti) will nominate liaison officers to work in the Centre.
Cabinet considered a report from the Development Committee, responsible for capital project approval, on the status of capital projects by Ministries, Departments and Agencies. Cabinet advised on the way forward to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in project implementation.
