CABINET DECISIONS – 13 AUGUST 2010 |
 1. Cabinet has taken note of the setting up of a Planning and Implementation Unit in all Ministries, as announced in Government Programme 2010-2015, with a view to strengthening the capacity of Ministries to plan, prepare and implement projects under the Programme Based Budgeting. The Planning and Implementation Unit would assist Supervising Officers of Ministries and other managers to perform their planning, budgeting, delivery, reporting and monitoring duties more effectively.
2. Cabinet has taken note of the status in the implementation of the recommendations of the Presidential Commission chaired by Lord Mackay of Clashfern on the reform of the Judicial System. In line with the recommendations of the Commission, it is proposed to amend the Constitution to provide, inter alia, for the Supreme Court to consist of a separate Court of Appeal and a High Court, which would comprise a Civil Division, a Commercial Division, a Criminal Division and a Family Division and to permit any person aggrieved by a decision of the Court of Appeal to appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council; the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a separate Department; and modification in the composition of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission. A number of enactments are also being amended to give effect to the proposed changes in the Constitution. Cabinet has agreed to the draft Constitution (Amendment) Bill and the draft Judicial and Legal Provisions Bill, incorporating the above proposals, being circulated for public consultation.
3. Taking into consideration the psychological and emotional distress caused to parents, the delay in processing payment of compensation/pensions to eligible heirs and the opening of succession, Cabinet has agreed to the Code Civil Mauricien being amended to reduce the time limit applicable to declare a person absent, i.e., from 5 years to 3 years in case of a judicial decision and from 10 years to 5 years in case there is no judicial decision.
4. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade to Washington DC, where he attended the 9th AGOA Forum. Discussions focused, amongst others, on -
(a) New strategies to expand the US-Sub Saharan Africa Trade;
(b) Supporting US Trade and Investment in Africa;
(c) Strategies for Improving AGOA Business Opportunities; and
(d) Unlocking Productivity and Attracting Investment.
In the margins of the Forum, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade had meetings with, amongst others, Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative, on trade issues and Ambassador Jonnie Calson, Deputy Secretary of State for Africa, on the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago and piracy in the Indian Ocean.
5. Cabinet has taken note that, on a proposal of Dr the Hon Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP, Prime Minister, the University of Mauritius has decided to name the New Engineering Tower of the University after Sir Edouard Lim Fat in recognition of his contribution to knowledge creation and dissemination as an academic and the setting up of the Export Processing Zone.
6. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions would launch an Elder Abuse Awareness Campaign on 19 August 2010, with a view to, inter alia, sensitizing the public on the need to report any form of abuse to the elderly and creating greater awareness of the different forms of abuse, such as financial, physical, emotional, sexual, psychological or neglect, which the elderly are often subjected to.
7 Cabinet has taken note of the status in the setting up of an Observatory on Ageing in Mauritius, which aims at studying the various dimensions of ageing, its general impact on the different sectors of the economy and its implications on the quality of life of the elderly.
8. Cabinet has agreed to Mauritius ratifying the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement, which aims at ensuring the long term conservation and sustainable use of the fishery resources of the high seas of the Southern Indian Ocean through cooperation among the Contracting Parties and at promoting the sustainable development of fishery resources in the area of application of the Agreement, taking into account the needs of the developing States that are Contracting Parties and border the area, in particular, the least developed and small islands developing states.
9. Cabinet has taken note that a Regional Meeting on Mainstreaming Biodiversity in National and Regional Fisheries Management would be held in Mauritius on 18 and 19 August 2010. The objective of the Meeting is to discuss, among others, the work plan and budget of the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Project, training workshops on the tagging and monitoring of marine turtles, identification of marine mammals species and assessing genetic stock structure identification of marine mammals migration routes.
10. Cabinet has taken note of the good performance of the Mauritian athletes at the Seventh Edition of the "Commission de la Jeunesse et des Sports de l’Océan Indien” (CJSOI) Games held in Reunion Island from 30 July to 06 August 2010. Mauritius participated in all the five sports disciplines, namely Athletics, Handisports, Football, Tennis and Volleyball and in four disciplines in the youth component, namely Music, Journalism, “Spectacle Vivant” and “Assemblée des Jeunes". Mauritius ranked second in the Games with 19 gold medals, 28 silver medals and 26 bronze medals.
11. Cabinet has taken note of recent development with regard to the political situation in Madagascar and expects that ongoing discussions and consultations being carried out by the Group of Civil Societies in Madagascar would lead to the early signing of the “Accord Politique”.
12. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Minister of Tourism and Leisure to the People’s Republic of China, where he attended the Ministerial Seminar on Investment Promotion for French-speaking African Countries. The Seminar aimed at promoting greater trade exchange and investments between China and the French-speaking African countries.
In the margins of the Seminar, the Minister of Tourism and Leisure met –
(a) Mr Zhu Shanzhong, Vice-Chairperson of the China National Tourism Administration, with whom he spoke of direct air service from the mainland of China to Mauritius, greater visibility of Mauritius in China and the twinning of the destination with Reunion Island and other African destinations; and
(b) Mr Sun Haitao, Specialist, Network Planning and Government Affairs of the Hainan Airlines Co. Ltd., with whom he discussed the possibility of direct flights between Mauritius and China.
13. Cabinet has taken note of the campaign, including the production of pamphlets and posters, launched by the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life to sensitize the public on precautionary measures to be taken to prevent the spread of scabies. The public is advised to maintain a good level of hygiene and sanitation, as well as a clean environment.
14 Cabinet has taken note that Mr Balraj Narroo, MSK, has been nominated Chairperson of the Mauritius Marathi Cultural Centre Trust.
15. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Executive Committee of the National Women Entrepreneur Council with Mrs Rooba Devi Chetty as Chairperson.
16. Cabinet has taken note that, on the invitation of the Minister of Education and Human Resources, Mrs Shakuntala Devi, world renowned Indian Mathematician and Mathematical Genius, would visit Mauritius from 18 to 23 August 2010. During her stay, she would hold a number of interactive sessions in each school zone for the benefit of Mauritian students. Mrs Shakuntala Devi entered the Guiness World Records in the year 1980 when she improved upon her own record at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, London, by beating their best computer by 30 seconds.
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