1. Cabinet has taken note that the Protection from Domestic Violence (Amendment) Act would be proclaimed to take effect on 26 September 2011. The Act, as amended, gives to the Honourable Chief Justice the power to make rules for the purposes of the Protection from Domestic Violence Act, including rules for the hearing of applications for occupation and tenancy orders.
2. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Health and Quality of Life would promulgate the Clinical Trials Regulations to provide for the payment of fees in respect of an application for a trial licence, an amendment to a trial licence and the issue of a clinical trial licence.
3. Cabinet has taken note that a delegation of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China, led by Mr Sun Qian, Deputy Procurator-General, would visit Mauritius in November 2011. During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the legal field would be signed between the Attorney General’s Office and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate of the People’s Republic of China. The Memorandum of Understanding aims at assisting in strengthening cooperation and links in law, legal institutions, legal education and training, legislative drafting and legal services between the two countries, promoting the open exchange of information on legal cooperation activities by providing a forum through which officials of both Parties could meet to identify challenges, opportunities and impediments to legal cooperation activities in each country, and to cooperate to identify solutions.
4. Cabinet has taken note of the setting up of an Industrial Advisory and Monitoring Committee, chaired by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection, to –
(a) monitor the performance of the manufacturing sector and foster greater synergy among public and private sector stakeholders;
(b) follow up on the situation at the level of export-oriented and domestic-oriented enterprises and advise on timely measures to be advocated to mitigate any adverse impact of the global crisis on the Mauritian economy;
(c) look into non-factory competitiveness factors, such as logistics, capacity building, business facilitation, finance and utilities, for the manufacturing sector;
(d) advise on measures to stimulate exports and diversify our products and markets; and
(e) explore ways and means to improve the delivery and efficiency of services.
5. Cabinet has taken note that, in the context of the sensitization programme on Diabetic Retinopathy, the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life would distribute pamphlets providing information on the importance of retinal screening. Diabetes is recognized as the hidden epidemic of the 21st century. A survey carried out in 2009 has revealed that, in Mauritius, about 23.6% of the population aged between 25 to 74 years have diabetes and some 24% have impaired glucose tolerance and are, therefore, prone to have diabetes.
6. Cabinet has taken note that the Minister of Health and Quality of Life would promulgate the Medical Council (Medical Institutions) (Amendment) Regulations to provide for the inclusion of the Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates, in the list of medical institutions recognized by the Medical Council of Mauritius for the purpose of registration.
7. Cabinet has taken note of the outcome of the recent mission of the Attorney General to Zambia where he participated in the Fifteenth Meeting of Ministers of Justice and Attorneys General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). The Meeting considered the following issues pertaining to the COMESA Integration Agenda, -
(a) the draft revised Charter of the COMESA Regional Investment Agency;
(b) the report of the assessment of the Permanent Court Facilities of the COMESA Course for Justice; and
(c) the report of the Technical Committee of Procurement Experts.