1. Cabinet has taken note that following the resignation of Dr Mohummud Siddick Chady as Member of the National Assembly, it has become necessary, under the Representation of the People Act to fill the vacancy in Constituency No 3 – Port Louis Maritime and Port Louis East, and that acting on the recommendation made by the Electoral Commissioner, the Prime Minister was proposing to advise the President to have the Writ of Election for the purpose of filling of the vacancy issued on Friday 3 December, appointing 31 January 2005 as Nomination Day and 29 April 2005 as Poll Day. _______________________________
2. Cabinet has taken note of the recommendations of the Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Sale by Levy chaired by Sir V. Glover, K.T., G.O.S.K., former Chief justice, and has agreed to release the report and to invite the public to submit their comments thereon.
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3. Cabinet has reviewed the situation with regard to the candidature of Hon J Cuttaree to the post of Director-General of the World Trade Organisation and has taken note that following the decision of Kenya to present a candidate to that post, the Prime Minister had in a telephone conversation raised the matter with the Kenyan President, HE Mr Mwai Kibaki.
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4. Cabinet has agreed to the revised planning proposals for Pas Géométriques Anna (Flic en Flac) and Pas Géométriques Melville, following the inter ministerial site visit led by the Prime Minister on 6 November 2004 and consultative meetings held by the Ministry of Housing and Lands with authorities concerned. Cabinet has also agreed that a paper on the revised proposals would be circulated to all stakeholders.
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5. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of the Republic of Seychelles on Air Services. The MoU provides for the enhancement of air services between Mauritius and Seychelles for closer collaboration between the designated airlines of the two countries namely, Air Mauritius and Air Seychelles. The MoU would be signed by Hon A Navarre Marie during the official visit of the Prime Minister and his delegation to Seychelles from 7 to 11 December 2004.
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6. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of the Prime Minister to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 26 to 27 November 2004 where he attended the “Xe Sommet de la Francophonie”. The summit inter alia reviewed the situation in conflict areas namely in Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the region of the Great lakes, Haiti and the Comoros and adopted the “Declaration de Ouagadougou” reaffirming the importance of equitable sustainable development based on five pillars, namely environment, economy, democracy, social development and cultural diversity.
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7. Cabinet has taken note of the activities to be organized to mark the International Day of Disabled Persons on 3 December 2004 and having as theme “Nothing about us without us’. Activities will include sensitisation campaigns, open-days at the Loïs Lagesse Trust Fund and the society for the Welfare of the Deaf, sales exhibition by the National Council for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (NRCD) at Trianon Shopping Park and a special circus show for some 1,500 disabled children.
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8. Cabinet has agreed to the setting-up of a National Committee on the “Slave Route Project” which is an intercultural project administered, coordinated and monitored by the Department of intercultural Dialogue and Pluralism for a Culture of Peace of UNESCO. The National Committee will be chaired by the Minister of Arts and Culture and will be responsible
inter alia to mobilize and ensure the participation of the population as well as intellectuals, researchers, artists and scientific institutions in the project.
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9. Cabinet has agreed to the setting-up of a Conservation laboratory at the National History Museum, Mahebourg for the preservation of artefacts of ‘Le Sirius’ and of the newly discovered wreck at Pointe-aux-Feuilles on 10 October 2004, which it is presumed could be that of the slave ship “Le Coureur” which sunk during the night of 3 to 4 March 1821.
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10. Cabinet has reviewed hotel projects at St Félix, Bel Ombre, Les Salines – Rivière Noire and Balaclava and has taken note of progress in the implementation of these projects.
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11. Cabinet has reviewed the situation regarding the illegal exportation of tuna loins to Italy and has taken note that the enquiry was ongoing and the Police would be ruthless in tracking down those involved.
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12. Cabinet has reviewed the issue regarding the inscription of the Aapravasi Ghat and Le Morne on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and has taken note that the dossiers in respect of both projects were progressing satisfactorily. Cabinet has further noted that Le Morne Site and Les Gorges de la Rivière Noire will be submitted as a cluster.
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13. Cabinet has reviewed the situation of squatters of La Ferme and has taken note that the NHDC would soon embark on a project for the construction of 1,000 housing units (Firinga type) islandwide and that land has been identified for the construction of about 100 of such units at Bambous for the relocation of squatters at La Ferme. Further, the Ministry of Housing and Lands and the Trust Fund for the Social Integration of Vulnerable Groups was working on a scheme for the construction of very low housing units for persons who could not afford to pay the rental for the Firinga type houses.
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14. Cabinet has taken note of the Regulations made under section 96 of the Environment Protection Act (EPA) 2002 to regulate the collection, storage, treatment, use and disposal of used oil.
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15. Cabinet has taken note of the job canvassing survey carried out by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment during the month of November 2004 and statistics compiled on job seekers for the month of October 2004. A total of 3,797 vacancies in various sectors have been identified.
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16. Cabinet has taken note of measures taken by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment to improve enforcement and inspection with regard to working and living conditions of migrant workers. Cabinet has also taken note of the outcome of the programme for redeployment of redundant workers of the EPZ Sector.
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17. Cabinet has taken note of the recommendations of a tripartite seminar on migrant labour in Mauritius, organized by the Ministry Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment with the collaboration with the International Labour Office from 8 to 10 November 2004 in Mauritius.
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18. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the mission of -
(i) the Minister of Health and Quality of Life to Mexico from 16 to 20 November 2004 where he attended the Ministerial Summit on Health Research; and
(ii) the Minister of Education and Scientific Research to Kigali, Rwanda, from 16 to 19 November 2004, where he attended the Steering Committee Meeting of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA).
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19. Cabinet has taken note of:
(i) the Health Statistics annual Report for Mauritius for 2003; and
(ii) the Digest of Vital and Health Statistics for Rodrigues for 2003.
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20. Cabinet has taken note of the proposal to amend the Export to the United States of America (AGOA) Regulations 2000 to provide for the issue of post-shipment visa in respect of export under the AGOA regime.
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