1. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius signing, during the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (SARPCCO), an Agreement in respect of Co-operation and Mutual Assistance in the field of Crime Combating. The Agreement provides inter alia for the exchange among member States of crime-related information on a regular basis and for the planning, co-ordination and execution of joint operations including under-cover operations.
______________________________
2. Cabinet has agreed to–
(a) the construction of a modern Police Headquarters at Line Barracks to house the various units of the Police Department; and
(b) the setting up of a modern Police Training Centre at La Vigie which would be equipped with all the necessary facilities to enhance both academic training and the professional standards of Police Officers.
______________________________
3. Cabinet has taken note of the National Policy Paper on pig farming prepared by the Ministry of Environment and has agreed to the setting up of a High Powered Committee to carry out an in-depth study of all issues pertaining to pig farming activities in Mauritius and in Rodrigues.
______________________________
4. Cabinet has agreed to possibilities of bilateral co-operation being explored with the Sultanate of Oman in various fields, including education at tertiary level and IT.
______________________________
5. Cabinet has decided that a Committee be set up under the chairmanship of the Minister of Health and Quality of Life and comprising the Minister of Economic Development, Financial Services and Corporate Affairs, the Minister of Social Security, National Solidarity & Senior Citizen Welfare and Reform Institutions, the Financial Secretary and other senior officials, to carry out an in-depth review of the organisational structure and of the activities of the Trust Fund for Specialised Medical Care since it became operational in June 1998 and to make recommendations regarding its future.
Pending the recommendations of the Committee, Cabinet has also decided to maintain the status quo in regard to the employment of the existing staff of the Trust Fund for Specialised Medical Care.
______________________________
6. Given that non-communicable diseases, especially hypertension and diabetes, are taking alarming proportions in Mauritius, Cabinet has agreed to the construction of a National Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Institute with a view to reinforcing the preventive and curative aspects of such diseases. The new NCD Institute will be located in the vicinity of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute on the site initially earmarked for the construction of a National Children Hospital and an Institute of Neurology and Cardiology.
______________________________
7. Cabinet has taken note of the contents of the Inception Report on the "Study on the ACP/EU Economic Partnership Agreement for Mauritius" outlining the main issues to be considered during the ACP/EU negotiations on a new trade regime. The study was entrusted to Prof. C. Stevens, Consultant from the Institute of Development Studies of Sussex.
______________________________
8. Cabinet has agreed to the registration of applications from very low income groups for housing assistance. The exercise aims at assessing the number of households who are in need of a housing unit or of some other form of assistance to build their home. Only applicants who are not owners of a plot of land or of a housing unit and whose total household income does not exceed Rs 5,000 will be registered.
______________________________
9. Cabinet has agreed to the proposals contained in the Master Plan for an Integrated Hotel and Leisure Development at Bel Ombre, which will provide for four sites for hotel development. The main components of the Master Plan also include –
(a) an enlarged open space by the sea for the local residents
(b) land for community facilities, like Police Station, Coast Guard Offices, public beaches, etc.; and
(c) a public road.
______________________________
10. Cabinet has taken note of the setting up of a Special Expatriate Squad in the Ministry of Labour and Industrial Relations which, in addition to conducting investigations into complaints made against employers by expatriate workers, will ensure that within the first month of his arrival an expatriate is aware of the terms and conditions of his employment, his responsibilities whilst in employment, the grievance handling mechanisms as well as the various welfare facilities to which he is entitled.
______________________________
11. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of –
(i) the Minister of Industry, Commerce and International Trade to Tunis, from 5 to 6 April, 2001, where he participated in the High Level Meeting on Globalisation and Africa; and
(ii) the Minister of Environment to New York from 18 to 20 April 2001, where he participated in the Ninth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
______________________________
12. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority Board for the year 2001/2002 under the chairmanship of Mr Guy Hugnin.
______________________________
13. In a spirit of African solidarity, Cabinet has agreed to a contribution of US$ 10,000, i.e. Rs 285,000, being made to the Government of the Republic of Malawi to assist victims of floods which recently hit the country.
______________________________