Budget board appointed
(CNS): Government has appointed a supermarket boss and an accountant from the private sector to the Budget Delivery Committee (BDC), which has been created as part of the Cayman government’s commitment made to the Overseas Territories Minister in connection with this year’s budget approval. Premier and Finance Minister McKeeva Bush said he supported the request for the committee and hoped that the members would keep him informed about the situation with public spending. The committee, at the request of the FCO, is headed up by the deputy governor as head of the civil service and it will be responsible for monitoring and driving the operational delivery of the budget and the fiscal framework. (Left: Committee member Woody Foster)
Although made up mostly of civil servants, the board includes Dan Scott of Ernst & Young and Woody Foster of the Fosters Group, which the premier said he was very pleased about.
“I fully support the request by the Overseas Territories Minister that a Budget Delivery Committee be established,” Bush said in a release from the finance ministry.
“I am concerned to ensure that the civil service is able to properly coordinate the operational delivery of the budgeet. My government delivered a bare bones budget within a very tight fiscal frame which calls for significant administrative change in the civil service.”
He said that the BDC would keep him informed of the performance of the budget on a monthly basis. “I have asked for an economist and an accountant to perform similar functions for the past three years,” the premier added.
The BDC will meet monthly and its terms of reference will be published on the government’s website shortly, the release stated. Deputy Governor Franz Manderson, the BDC chair, said he would now be accountable for the delivery of the budgetary commitments made by the premier and approved by the Legislative Assembly.
“The purpose of the BDC is to assist me in carrying out this function. I am committed to ensuring that the BDC supports the Hon Premier in his role as minister of finance by keeping him fully informed of progress in the delivery of the budget and by giving him and his ministerial colleagues early warning of any significant changes to allow him and his ministers to make any necessary policy changes,” the deputy governor said, noting that the BDC is an advisory body which is accountable to the government of the day to assist with budget plans.
Governor Duncan Taylor also welcomed the announcement of the Committee.
“The 2012/13 budget, approved by the minister for the Overseas Territories and passed by the Legislative Assembly, aims to bring Cayman’s public finances back onto a credible and sustainable track. I am confident that the Committee, under the able chairmanship of the deputy governor and with the valuable input of respected senior members of the public and private sectors, will help drive the civil service’s operational delivery of the important demands which the budget have placed on it,” he said.
Taylor added that by providing timely and clear advice it will ensure that the Cabinet is fully informed so any policy adjustments to keep the budget on track can be made when necessary.
Working with the deputy governor and the two private sector members on the committee will be Financial Secretary Ken Jefferson, the Premier’s Chief of Staff Leonard Dilbert, Chief Officer of the Financial Services Ministry Dax Basdeo, Chief Officer of the Portfolio of the Civil Service Gloria McField-Nixon and Chief Officer Public Finance Sonia McLaughlin.
Serving as an ex-officio member of the committee is UK Economic Advisor Richard Holmwood.
Category: Politics
Anyone from Tourism on this Budget Board? Unlikely, as this part of the economy normally gets excluded from consultation. Tourism sector was NOT consulted about the increase in Hotel Tax to 13%. Who is going to pay the extra 3% on all the bookings that were made before this increase- the businesses that are already struggling to stay alive.
Foks are you all really reading and thinking straight? This is exactly what the FCO wanted. Do we really believe the Governor would have commented in the press release if the FCO did not agree? Please understand how the Government works the MInisters sets the policies the civil service carries out the polices. I am shocked that CNS readers still don’t get this. The BDC will do it’s job wait and see.
CFO's are no help. They should be the first in government cuts. They cant even produce the Financial Reports for the Auditor General. Don't bother to get them involved. Put the out and out now.
Praise The Lord
D-day 13 November 2012, this is the perfect day forCayman, the budget will be fixed and all the nay sayers will shut their mouths then.
what a joke…. the reps from finance got us into this mess!!
Classic case of the fox watching the henhouse.
One more expensive but powerless commission to act as window dressing and which will increase the expense of goverrment.
What we need is commission with the power to dictate to government agencies. Tell them what to do. Not pussyfoor around and charging expenses
And while we are at it, let's have that commission evaluate all the other government commissions.
I can hear Big Mac now, "The Budget Board caused the Deficit" by making him spend money we didn't have. They are almost as bad as that Jefferson kid.
all they have to do is read the miller shaw report and follow its recommendations….job done….
I hope these people know they are being set up to take the fall for the next budget deficit! What control to they actually have other than to review and inform? Do they have the power to do anything to stop the looting by the MLAs and civil service? And why is the Auditor General not on the committee??
Looki ya "you hope these peope know what they are doing" you are siply outa ya league. These people as you call them are trying to make things right ehh head, why are you so critical without basis, and why are you so ignorant that you dont understand teh Auditor Genral's role. He has made submissions on the problems of our Finances, and teh "people" that you talk about their job is to seek ways to improve and avoid the same oit falls. Their decisions and eventual process will then be subject to Audit. So you who hope these people know, keep ya trap shut for now, let them do their work then we will see.
eh?
in response to your question, it is very simple, the auditor general must maintain his independence. He or any member of his office sitting on this board would be a conflict of interest..
The Caymankind way of spending more money on makeing it look as if they are working. Truley pathitic and foolish way to get around the rules that would MAKE them actually work on a problem and fix it.
Learn to spell before you go hissing "Caymankind".
"Caymunkind"?
The Budget Director is missing. I would have thought that the Budget director would be a excellent addition to this board being a practising and qualified Certified Public Accountant. He/She has intimate knowledge of the of the accounts of the government.
They should just pay Dan Scott to do it all, the rest of them can go back to whatever it is theydo (and by the rest I meant everyone except Woody cause we all know the Fosters)
The Governor should have selected the committee and based it on a broad spectrum of interests, both political and commercial. This committee is a UDP rubber stamping joke.
Are you kidding me? Is this for real? How come no CFOs there from gov’t or gov’t persons with solid experience for getting things done!
Because “CFOs there from gov’t or gov’t persons with solid experience for getting things done!” are as rare as chicken teeth and the ones who do exist are too busy getting things done to waste time sitting on political boards.
"solid experience for getting things done"
He foo-fool, yeah you 23:14, unless you are being sarcastic……..go look up Dan Scott's credentials….I think you will find that the managing partner / consultant to Ernst & Young is a pretty solid qualification to sorting out a budget and getting things done….PROPERLY.
Lets see how long Woody stays before he resigns due to politial interference.
Since all of Macs responsibilities have been taken from him his salary shold be cut also.
As a civil servant, I was going to post an analysis of these people, then I thought what is the point. CNS might not publish it and maybe we should just wait until the next election. Let me just say, though, a lot of us are just saying "whatever" – the usual suspects.
Or you might be calling the kettle black?
I can safely predict that the first big surprise, at the very first meeting of the budget board, will be that the travel budget has already been overspent.
although it's not really a surprise 😉
"He [McKeeva] said that the BDC would keep him informed of the performance of the budget on a monthly basis."
Hahahahahaha, keep him informed, only as a courtesy. In truth, the responsibility was taken away from him due to incompetence.
Oh Lawd, you want to see a bunch of udp cronies! Same old story!
I would not put the Chief Officer from the Civil Service Portfolio and one of the private sector members into the “croonies” category but certainly the rest of the bunch all fit very nicely into that slot.. SMH
nice one….. a very public humiliation for mac!
I know that this is a order/request by the FCO but what exactly is the point of this board? Please look closely at the members, all of them, from the deputy governor right down! The board may just as well have been comprised of Chairman: McKeeva Bush, Deputy Chairman: McKeeva Bush, Secretary: McKeeva Bush, Member: McKeeva Bush, Member: McKeeva Bush, Member: McKeeva Bush, & finally representing the private sector: McKeeva Bush.
The appointments to this board by the premier defeats the purpose intended by the FCO. It is quite simply a waste of time, & a mockery of the FCO, but I would expect nothing less from McKeeva Bush.
It is a watered down Committee, the private sector members I think will add value, but with the exception of one member from the public service side, the others are known bench warmers who will simply brown nose and nod their head to everything the Premier says, but add nothing of substance.
I thought this was going to be a Board that "delivers" the Budget, in other words, they would ensure that the plans in the budget were carried out. Now, they are going to tell the Premier when things are going wrong? so who is actually going to do something about what is going wrong when it inevitably goes wrong? Another Committee? This is just a complete waste of time and a complete mockery of what the FCO intended.
To: Born Free, I could not have said it better!