1. Cabinet has taken note that following the meeting of the Committee on the Chagos Archipelago issue under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister held on Thursday 22 July 2004, procedures are being initiated to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice through the UN General Assembly.
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2. Cabinet has taken note of the position of the President of the EU Council of Agriculture Ministers (the Minister of Agriculture of Netherlands) on the Fischler's communication on the reform of the Sugar Regime. He has pointed out to the necessity to take into account the needs of developing countries.
Cabinet has also taken note of the proposed visit of Mr Hervé Gaymard, the French Minister for Agriculture to Mauritius from 17 to 19 September and of the proposal for an EU/ACP Agriculture and International Trade Ministers' Meeting to be held Brussels in the margin of the regular Council Meeting in October 2004.
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3. Cabinet has reviewed developments regarding the situation with regard to the WTO Meeting to be held in Geneva from 27 to 30 July and has taken note of the objections raised by the G20 to the General Council Draft Text.
Cabinet has also taken note of a communication sent to the Director-General of the WTO by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Regional Cooperation on the negative consequences for vulnerable economies caused by the impending phase-out of the Multi-Fibre Arrangements quotas on textiles and apparel, as from 1 January 2005, and has requested the WTO to convene an emergency meeting of the Council on Goods, preferably in August, to explore ways to protect the LDCs and other vulnerable economies.
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4. Cabinet has taken note that a Committee chaired by the Prime Minister will meet on Wednesday 20 July to discuss eventual amendments to be brought to the Prevention of Corruption Act in relation to the ICAC.
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5. Cabinet has taken note of an artificial shortage of 6mm iron bars on the local market and has decided that the situation will be closely monitored and severe action will be taken against any reported hoarding by traders. The situation will be reviewed next week.
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6. Cabinet has taken note that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Fisheries will hold a meeting with Fishers' Unions and NGO's on Friday 23 July in the afternoon to review the situation with regard to bank fisheries operation and to propose solutions to the various problems in that sector. A meeting with the operators will be held at a later date.
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7. Cabinet has reviewed the situation regarding pig breeding and has taken note that there are 44 regular pig breeders and 28 squatters at Saint Martin and 65 pig breeders at Roche Bois. Various solutions have been proposed regarding the environmental and health risks associated with that activity, including the pollution of the aquifer at Saint Martin, and these are being examined.
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8. Cabinet has taken note of the inconvenience caused to the public in general and to inhabitants of Camp Chapelon in particular, following the closure of the central reservation at Saint Louis on motorway M1 in the context of the review of the speed limit from 80 to 90 km per hour and has agreed that a Committee comprising the Police, the Road Development Authority and the Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit would reexamine the matter.
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9. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction into the National Assembly of:
(i) the Finance Bill 2004; and
(ii) the Mauritius Revenue Authority Bill.
The Finance Bill provides inter alia for the implementation of measures announced in the Budget speech and for the strengthening and streamlining of certain provisions related to revenue and public finance and the Mauritius Revenue Bill provides for the establishment as a body corporate of the Mauritius Revenue Authority, which will be responsible inter alia for the assessment of liability, collection of and accountability for any taxes, duties, fees and charges and for the management, operation and enforcement of the Revenue Laws.
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10. Cabinet has agreed, in principle, to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on co-operation in the water and wastewater sectors between the Government of Mauritius and the Government of the State of Western Australia.
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11. Cabinet has agreed to the creation of a health track (Parcours de Santé) at Candos Hill, Quatre Bornes. The health track will be of a total length of 1,106m and will have wooden railings and flower plants on both sides for security reasons and for embellishment purposes.
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12. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction into the National Assembly of the Islamic Cultural Centre Trust Fund (Amendment) Bill 2004, which provides for the Director of Audit to audit the accounts of the Islamic Cultural Centre Trust Fund and to report thereon.
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13.Cabinet has taken note of the visits of:
(i) a delegation from the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives of the People's Republic of China from 21 to 25 August 2004; and
(ii) a seven-member delegation team of the Local Authorities Provident Fund of Tanzania.
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14. Cabinet has taken note of measures envisaged to implement -
(i) the training programmes for the 5,000 SC and HSC holders in ICT; and
(ii) the training programmes for 3,010 long term unemployed persons registered with Employment Service in Mauritius and in Rodrigues.
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