1.Cabinet has taken note that Comair Ltd which has a British Airways Franchise, would operate 13 special flights on the route Johannesburg/Mauritius during the peak period December 2005/January 2006._______________________________
2.Cabinet has agreed to the introduction into the National Assembly of the Child Protection (Amendment) Bill which makes better provision for the prevention, suppression and punishment of trafficking in children and for their protection generally. The Bill provides for severe penalties for child trafficking, and for sexual offences and indecent photographs of children, particularly mentally handicapped victims.
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3.In line with Government Programme 2005-2010 to promote the development of an export-oriented non-sugar cane agriculture and an agro-industry, Cabinet has agreed to a revised Freight Rebate Scheme (FRS) aiming at reorienting exports from fresh agricultural to minimally processed fresh/dried horticultural produce to a diversified market, including the Middle East. Under the revised Scheme, a 50% freight refund would be applicable on the exports of peeled, sliced and packed fresh pineapples and other processed products for long-haul destinations.
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4.Cabinet has agreed to a revised system of payment for green leaf to small tea planters as from crop year ending 30 June 2006 with a view to alleviating the problems faced by them. A monthly payment based on around 50% of the expected final price would continue to be made to the planters during the crop year, a partial payment of at least one rupee per kilo of leaf supplied in the previous contractual year would be made in August following the end of the crop year and a second partial payment would be made in December. The final price would be determined as soon as possible after the tea manufactured is sold in the following contractual year.
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5.Cabinet has agreed to the Ministry of Education & Human Resources signing a Memorandum of Understanding on the NEPAD e-Schools Demonstration Project. The objective of the project is to impart ICT skills to students of primary and secondary schools and to promote the use of ICT as a tool to improve the teaching/learning process. The ultimate goal of the project is to bridge the digital divide between Africa and the developed world and to provide ICT facilities within a 10-year period to about half a million schools in the African Continent.
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6.Cabinet has agreed to a Code of Practice on Employees’ Participation designed to sensitise employers and employees on a new employment relationship pattern with a view to enhancing industrial democracy at the workplace, and to its release to all stakeholders. The Code of Practice, conceived to be a voluntary initiative between employers and employees is meant for all enterprises employing at least 50 full-time employees. The Code proposes the establishment of a Joint Consultative Council to involve employees at all levels in the decision making process and provides practical guidance for the setting up of employee’s financial participation schemes at the enterprise.
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7. Cabinet has taken note of arrangements made for all refugee centres to be well-equipped and properly staffed with a view to providing adequate service and safety to cyclone refugees during the forthcoming cyclonic season.
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8. Cabinet has taken note of activities being organized to mark the International Civil Aviation Day on 7 December 2005. The theme for the current year and throughout 2006 is “The Greening of Flight – Maximizing Compatibility Between Safe and Orderly Development of Civil Aviation and the Quality of the Environment”. To mark the International Civil Aviation Day, the Department of Civil Aviation will organize a series of activities, including the holding of a Seminar and the broadcast of a message of ICAO.
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9. Cabinet has taken note of the reviewed role of the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations & Employment as facilitator in the recruitment exercise of Mauritian nationals for employment in the Gulf Countries and that a special cell in the Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade & Cooperation and our Embassy in Egypt, would examine each contract of employment to see whether there are abusive clauses detrimental to the worker and provide such advice and assistance as appropriate to the workers and their families. Cabinet has also agreed to potential employers in the Gulf countries being invited to have recourse to the services of private recruitment agencies based in Mauritius for such recruitment.
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10.Cabinet has taken note that an Extraordinary Meeting of the “Commission de la Jeunesse et de Sports de l’Ocean Indien” (CJSOI) would be held in Mauritius in December 2005.
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11.Cabinet has taken note that the Industrial and Vocational Training Regulations 1994 would be amended to bring them in line with the provisions of the Education (Amendment) Act 2004, i.e., any person may, as from the end of the academic year in the course of which he attains the age of 16, bind himself as an apprentice in a designated trade.
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12. In line with Government’s initiative for quality standards, Cabinet has taken note that the State Trading Corporation has been ISO certified on 26 October 2005 and the Legal Metrology Services Division of the Ministry of Industry, Small & Medium Enterprises, Commerce & Cooperatives has been recommended for ISO Certification.
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13. Cabinet has taken note of the discovery of tombstones and remains of human bones during excavation works at the site of the Hawkers’ Palace at La Poudrière Street, Port Louis. The tombstones, the loose and scattered bones and other artefacts have been removed from the site and transferred temporarily to the Mauritius Museums Council. A research would be commissioned on the history of the site.
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14. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the missions of –
(i) the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Leisure & External Communications to London from 12 to 17 November 2005 where he attended the World Travel Market 2005. During his mission, he established contacts and had discussions with various personalities and stakeholders of the travel trade and tourism industry with a view to examining ways of enhancing the visibility of Mauritius as a tourist destination and encouraging and motivating the tour operators to further promote Mauritius;
(ii) the Minister of Local Government to Antananarivo, Madagascar from 22 to 23 November 2005 where he participated in the 21st Session of the Ministerial Conference on Francophonie. The Conference approved the “Charte de la Francophonie” which inter alia establishes a permanent Council of Francophonie to be responsible for the preparation of the Summit Conference and the implementation of decisions;
(iii) the Minister of Agro Industry & Fisheries to Rome, Italy from 16 to 26 November 2005 where he attended the 33rd Session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the 129th Session of the FAO Council. He had meetings with Agriculture Ministers of some EU countries and India, and with Dr A. Diouf, Director General of FAO; and
(iv) the Minister of Information Technology & Telecommunications to Tunisia where he attended the African Group Ministerial Meeting from 11 to 12 November, the Resumed Session of the Third Preparatory Committee of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) (Prep Com 3) from 13 to 15 November and the Second Phase of the World Summit on WSIS from 16 to 18 November and to Paris where he had bilateral meetings with France Telecom, Syntec Informatique and Coriolis Service.