Archive for July, 2009
MLAs ignore OCC reports
(CNS): The Office of the Complaints Commissioner tabled five reports in the Legislative Assembly last week, including the office’s 2006/07 annual report. However, not one of the reports was debated in the Assembly despite the revelations in them that many government departments have inadequate complaints procedures in place; that government entities have no procedures for disposing of sensitive information; that the immigration department is failing to refund deposit to customers in a reasonable time frame and that the public service pensions board is failing to comply with its statutory obligations.
Since Cayman’s first Complaints Commissioner Dr John Epp laid his first report on the table of the Legislative Assembly in 2005, members of the House have rarely debated the content of any of the office’s special reports or own motion investigations. The OCC has the power to instigate investigations where appropriate, and while the office has submitted a dozen Own Motion Reports and around eight Special Reports since it opened, Epp said he was disappointed with the response. Epp who steps down from the post next week, handing the reins to Nicola Williams, lamented the lack of attention by members of the LA to the work of his office during his five year tenure as ombudsman. He said recently that while he and his team have won many battles engaging the Legislative Assembly was not one of them.
“The Legislative Assembly has received the reports of investigations completed on my own initiative, which have resulted in some important changes within the relevant departments, but almost no debate has taken place about any of them,” Epp said. “I am disappointed and I encourage members of both sides of the House to debate the issues and points raised in the reports.”
Alongside the 2005/06 annual report the latest batch includes three own motion investigations and one special report detailing the failure of the immigration Department to follow OCC recommendations after a complaint was upheld against it. Based on a complaint filed in September 2007 by an employer who was waiting for the refund of his repatriation deposit of $2000 given to immigration for an expatriate worker who had since left the island of his own accord, the report found the Immigration Department had failed to comply with OCC recommendations made as a result of the complaint.
The OCC had carried out an investigation found in favour of the complainant and asked immigration to refund the money as quickly as possible but also advised the department to introduce a proper process for returning deposits and recommend that the department introduce a thirty day maximum period for the refunds. However, as the department had still not complied with this by the end of 2008, Epp, under powers bestowed on him by the Complaints Commissioner’s Law, undertook the special report which is now before the Assembly.
Two of the three Own Motion Reports highlight a number of significant concerns for all government entities and the third reveals serious shortcomings with the Public Service Pension Board which the OCC said amounted to maladministration. In Own Motion Investigation No #12 Epp found that not only had the board failed to produce timely reports, certaindirectors and trustees had failed to attend regular meetings of the board; there was inadequate training of trustees; administration of the plan was poor and members of the PSPB were spending a large proportion of their time chasing contributions form government entities and they had not revealed the failure of departments to contribute. Epp also found that having the Financial Secretary as Chair of the PSPB was a potential conflict of interest.
All of these reports are now public documents and the people of the Cayman Islands have the right to read for themselves the findings of the OCC and form their own opinions. Constituents also have the right to contact their MLA and enquire why they have opted not to debate the content of these and other past reports.
The OCC team is made up of Susan Duguay, Scott Swing, Barrie Quappe, Bridgette von Gerhardt and Claudine Williams-Simons and the office is located on the 2nd floor, 202 Piccadilly Centre, Georgetown, Grand Cayman, phone number (345) 943 2220. The website is www.occ.gov.ky.
PAC vows to catch-up
(CNS): Speaking in the Legislative Assembly last week the newly elected chair of the PublicAccounts Committee, Ezzard Miller, said that members have committed to catching up as quickly as possible on some ten outstanding reports from the auditor general. The seriousness of the current backlog was demonstrated when the chair placed before the House a report conducted by the Auditor General’s Office back in 2003 on CUC. Despite raising some serious concerns that should have been revealed to the public, the report has remained secret for over five years because of the failings of the PAC.
Prior to a change in the law, before a report from the AG’s office could be made public the PAC was supposed to examine the content, call witnesses and submit its own comments back to the AG. However, because the committee failed in this regard, the 2003 CUC report has had to wait until now to see the light of day. Miller told the house that there were several more reports including the final Special Report on the Affordable Housing Initiative, which has not yet been seen by the public (although some of the content in that report was revealed recently by CNS as a result of an FOI request).
Until last month it was some 12 months since the public accounts committee had met, and while many of the AGs reports have now become public documents, the PAC has yet to examine a further eight reports including the Special Report on the State of Financial Accountability Reporting, which first revealed the alarming extent of government departments and agencies’ failure to account for public spending.
Tabling the PAC’s first report to the LA, Miller said that from now on the PAC would meet regularly on a monthly basis, and that he aimed to tackle all of the outstanding reports before September. He noted that since the election of the new committee it had already met four times, and once the backlog was addressed the committee intended to keep current.
With regards to the 2003 CUC report, he explained that, although no written submissions had been made or witnesses been called, due to the passage of time and the fact that CUC’s licence had been renewed, the committee had decided to simply release the report into the public domain without specific recommendations.
Miller noted that the committee had, however, noted the concerns in the report raised by the AG’s office and therefore had suggested that those involved in future negotiations with CUC need to be aware of the report’s concerns and that the AG should now review the new licence with CUC to ensure it adequately addresses the issues he had raised in this report.
The chairman also told the LA that the committee had agreed to hold further meetings in public except for housekeeping meetings and where sensitive or confidential issues were being raised.
During the committee’s recent meetings, the chair impressed upon the financial secretary the need to clear the backlog of government’s financial reports and that the financial years from 04/05 to 08/09 should be concluded by April 2010 and that ministries and portfolios should not allow this year’s financial reports to fall behind.
Probe ID’s offshore trusts
(Irish Times): Ireland’s Revenue Commissioners’ special inquiry into trusts has already identified 200 trusts and offshore structures that it intends to examine closely. The structures were identified through the examination of banking and other financial information relating to clearing accounts held here by foreign banks, and received as a result of High Court orders. The Revenue said the identified structures are located in Guernsey, Jersey, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Cyprus, the Isle of Man and the Cayman Islands.
Creationism question ‘misleading’
(BBC): An exam board has scrapped a GCSE biology question about creationism after admitting it could be misleading. The Assessment and Qualifications Alliance paper asked pupils how the Bible’s theory of creation seeks to explain the origins of life. AQA stressed that pupils taking its biology GCSE were not required to study creationism as a scientific theory. But it admitted that describing it as a "theory" could be misleading, and said it would review the wording of papers. The review was prompted by a complaint from teachers and a university lecturer.
US, Russia agree nuclear cuts
(BBC): US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev have reached an outline agreement to cut back their nations’ stockpiles of nuclear weapons. The "joint understanding" signed in Moscow would see reductions of deployed nuclear warheads to below 1,700 each within seven years of a new treaty. The accord would replace the 1991 Start I treaty, which expires in December. Mr Obama said the two countries were both "committed to leaving behind the suspicion and the rivalry of the past".
Warring judges create chaos in the Cayman Islands
(The Guardian): As a cruise destination, it’s one of the most glamorous around. The Cayman Islands are a byword for Caribbean luxury, and one of the City of London’s favourite tax havens. Yet the British territory, only 20 miles long, is currently embroiled in a scandal that could have come straight from the pages of a comic novel. All the island’s judges have, at some point, been arrested, suspended, or mired in controversy. The police chief has been sacked, and one of Scotland Yard’s most senior officers – John Yates – has flown out to try to sort out the mess. He couldn’t.
The Guardian is one of the UK’s leading quality newspapers, with more than 1.2 million well educated daily readers, according to the most recent National Readership Survey. Guardian readers take a total of 2.6 million holidays per year and spend on average just under £1,000 each time. The NRS reveals that they are 135% more likely than the average adult to earn £40,000 or more and have, on average, £40,000 worth of savings and investments. UK survey’s also reveal more than seven in ten Guardian readers don’t read any other quality daily newspaper.
Honduran army foils Zelaya’s bid to return
(The Guardian): Honduras was in turmoil last night as President Manuel Zelaya attempted to return and topple coup leaders who ousted him, prompting deadly clashes between his supporters and security forces. The president flew from Washington towards home in a high-stakes effort to reclaim power, sparking dramatic scenes at the airport in the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, where soldiers and police squared off against thousands of demonstrators. After the interim government refused Zelaya permission to land and parked military vehicles on the runway, he was forced to divert the plane to the Nicaraguan capital, Managua, where it later landed.
Cops investigate teenage rape
(CNS): Police said today (Sunday 5 July) that they have begun an investigation into a reported rape which took place during the early morning hours of Saturday, 4 July at a house in the Red Bay area. The mother of the 16 year old victim contacted the police at about 5:50 am shortly after her daughter came home and related the attack to her in which a weapon was believed to have been used.
Although police have offered few details on the reported attack, CNS understands that the victim may have been forced to the location where the rape took place.
Police did say that officers have been working with the victim and her family and counseling has been offered. “This young lady has gone through a terrible experience and we are following up all leads to ensure that the perpetrator is brought to justice,” said Detective Sergeant Winsome Prendergast.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Detective Sergeant Prendergast on 516-5241.
Anyone with information about any crime taking place in the Cayman Islands should contact their local police station or Crime Stoppers on 800-8477 (TIPS). All persons calling Crime Stoppers remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward of up to $1000 should their information lead to an arrest or recovery of property/drugs.
Bank backs Lions work
(CNS): Local bank FirstCaribbean has donated an undisclosed sum to the Lions Club to help in their campaign to promote quality eye care and fund eye checks for local students. White Canes Week is an annual educational and fundraising campaign conducted by the Lions Club in order to promote quality eye care and the early treatment of serious eye disease. Deborah Ebanks Lions Club VP said every year the programme provides test to around 4500 children.
Through the Lion’s Eye Clinic young students at Cayman public schools, many of whom may not receive regular vision checkups, have eye examinations performed and receive proper care for any issues that may be discovered.
Paul Stoll, Manager of Operations at FirstCaribbean explained why the bank was supporting the programme. “FirstCaribbean International Bank which has a long history of involvement with Lions Club and the Lions Eye Clinic and serving the needs of children in our communities is extremely important to us at FirstCaribbean,” he said. “The opportunity to help save the sight of a young person by funding medical screening and treatment really means a great deal to everyone involved with the bank. FirstCaribbean is very proud to be working with Lions Club on this important cause.”
Ebanks, 1st Vice President of the Lions Club applauded FirstCaribbean for its long-time support of community causes such as Lions Eye Clinic. “All kindergarten students and year 6 in Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac, which equates to approximately 4,500 school aged children each year, are tested for various eye diseases through this program, and receive the treatments necessary to correct any vision problems that are encountered, “ Ebanks said.
“We have had some tremendous success stories over the years. It is hard to describe the emotions you go through when you first realize that a young child might lose their sight and then are able to provide the treatment necessary to save that child’s sight. It is through the support of both individuals and corporate partnerships with firms like FirstCaribbean that Lions Club will achieve our goal of eliminating preventable and reversible blindness.”
For some 84 years the Lions Club have been the “knights of the blind in the crusade against darkness” and today Lions are recognized worldwide for their service to the visually impaired.
H1N1 tally grows in Cayman
(CNS): Although the Cayman Islands’ now has some 22 documented cases of H1N1 flu (swine flu) following confirmation of eight more cases by CAREC this past week, health officials say that all local cases have been mild to moderate. While patients are contracting the virus over seas the flu is also being transmitted locally. Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Anna Matthews said that although three of the latest confirmed cases had a travel history to an H1N1 infected community, the latest figures confirm that Cayman has sustained local transmission.
“We should expect to see the numbers continue to climb,” she said. “However, all the cases so far have been mild to moderate and our strategy and message remain the same. We will continue to keep track of the H1N1 prevalence, and we ask people who are sick to stay at home and minimize contact with other people as far as possible.”
Public Health’s robust surveillance and testing programme has also identified the presence of other seasonal flu strains, including Influenza B and C strains. “Our proximity to the US and the fact that most of our residents are frequent travelers makes the presence of H1N1 in our country inevitable. We continue to monitor the H1N1 flu pandemic closely and will adjust our health response to fit any changes in the nature of this flu virus,” Dr. Matthews added.