 1. Cabinet has agreed to the setting up of a Commission of Constitutional Experts, as announced in the President’s Address, to review our electoral processes and make recommendations on electoral reforms including additional powers to the President. The Commission will be chaired by a Judge from the Commonwealth and will have as members a retired Mauritian Judge and an expert in electoral matters. The Commonwealth Secretariat will be approached for the services of a Judge._______________________________ 2. Cabinet has considered and approved The Constitution of Mauritius (Amendment) Bill and The Dangerous Drugs Bill. The amendment to the Constitution is meant to step up the fight against drug dealing by providing for more strict conditions for detention by the police. The new Dangerous Drugs Bill prepared with the assistance of the United Nations Drugs Control Programme (UNDCP) is designed to consolidate the legal provisions relating to dangerous drugs and bring the laws in conformity with the 1998 UN Convention against illicit traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic substances.
_______________________________ 3. Cabinet has been apprised of the setting up of a Child Care Accreditation Bureau under the aegis of the Ministry of Women’s Rights, Child Development & Family Welfare with Miss M. Moti as Chairperson. UNICEF has made available the services of Professor Ebbeck, Australian Expert, to set up an accreditation system and assist in its implementation. The purpose of the accreditation system is to improve the services offered by Child Care Centres. In a pilot phase, fifteen day care centres will be accredited.
_______________________________ 4. Cabinet has taken cognizance of a report of a Criminological Study on Domestic Violence conducted by a team of consultants from KPMG and has agreed to release it to the public and to the implementation of the recommendations therein. These include, inter alia, the rationalisation and computerisation of data collection, training and counselling, review and restructure of the system for approaching and dealing with victims and a review of the Protection from Domestic Violence Act.
_______________________________ 5. Cabinet has agreed to the recommendation of the Ministerial Committee set up to look into the problem associated with hawking activities along the roads. Measures that will be taken to alleviate the problem for this end-of-year period include clearing of main roads and passageways, provision of specific areas for hawking activities and ensuring convenience and security of the public.
_______________________________ 6. Cabinet has agreed to the setting up of a Ministerial Committee under the chairmanship of the Minister of Education and Scientific Research to look into global reforms that need to be undertaken in our educational system and professional training including the implementation of 11 year schooling, relevance of school curricula to the employment sector, determination of training needs and elaboration of a National Qualification Framework and the role of information technology within education and training.
_______________________________ 7. Cabinet has agreed to a cash allowance of Rs 120 being paid to recipients of Basic Retirement Pension and to beneficiaries of other social benefits instead of blankets every alternate year.
_______________________________ 8. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications will hold an Information Communication Technology Stakeholders Summit on 27 November. The aim is to impart to stakeholders the government’s willingness to establish Mauritius as an information, knowledge-based economy and society and consolidate the achievements of similar initiatives undertaken through the ICT week and Infotech 2000.
_______________________________ 9. Cabinet has agreed to the naming of the newly constructed children’s traffic playground at Camp de Masque Pavé after late Mr. Zeel Peerun, in recognition of his efforts to uplift the conditions of life of Mauritians in general and the inhabitants of that region in particular. The traffic playground will be inaugurated on 1 December.
_______________________________ 10. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal with Mr. Harris Dut Balgobin as President.
_______________________________ 11. Cabinet has taken note of the participation of the Minister of Tourism in the World Travel Market, the biggest event of the travel trade industry, held in UK in mid-November each year. The Minister took the opportunity to launch a new brochure produced by AHRIM entitled ‘Destination Mauritius’.
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