The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

WITH past complaints from Speaker of the House Halson Moultrie concerning the state of his office, Works Minister Desmond Bannister revealed his team has met with the president of the Senate as well as the Nassau Village MP about repairs.

Mr Moultrie has previously expressed his dissatisfaction in Parliament regarding the fitness of his office and bathroom facilities. He complained that there was no running water in the bathroom, causing him to have to wash his hands in a bucket, and also complained of mould and a leaky roof. Mr Moultrie eventually turned in his keys to the government over his dissatisfaction over the matter.

When asked if repairs should be anticipated, Mr Bannister told reporters outside of Cabinet yesterday: “We have met with the president of the Senate. We’ve met with the Speaker. My architectural team, my engineering team – we met with them.

“We showed them what our plans are for those areas and what we intend to do in the budget period. The only thing they would’ve liked for us to do in the last budget period but we don’t (have) the money for it. Every year we have to budget and plan for it. I think y’all see that my budget is considerably smaller than it was last year.”

Meanwhile, with major cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Crystal Cruises set to home port in the country this summer, the minister noted the Straw Market Authority is speaking with health officials to ensure safety in the Straw Market when it reopens.

“In my portfolio I have the Straw Market Authority and my duty is going to be to ensure that those Bahamians vendors are safe when they go to work,” he said.

“We are talking about people coming to the country vaccinated. . .What the vaccine does is ensure that if you get COVID you do not get it as seriously because you’re not hospitalised. That doesn’t mean you’re not going to get it. So I have to protect the vendors and we have to do whatever we can to ensure that the Bahamian people are protected.”