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by pltm
(PLTM) - Following concerns that the Recovery and Development Agency (RDA) is operating without regulations, a decision has been taken that the House of Assembly (HoA) will be more actively involved in the supervision of the Agency, following a Cabinet Decision on the regulations contained in the Recovery and Development Act, 2018.
During an October 10 meeting of the Cabinet Counsel of Ministers, it was decided, “The Lead Minister may convene a committee of the whole House of Assembly to discuss and agree any aspects of the RDA’s implementation schedule, work plan and budget.”
It was also agreed that the RDA will consult with the relevant ministries to develop an implementation schedule that will set out the manner of implementing the Recovery and Development Plan (RDP)—which will be based on priorities outlined by the Cabinet.
Framework with provisions for the exchange of information between ministries will also be instituted.
The principles for the regulations will “provide for Cabinet Ministries to set out its three year priorities (consistent with the plan) and an annual letter of expectations for RDA’s implementation,” a missive from the Cabinet Secretary stated.
It was further indicated that guidelines to ensure the territory benefits will be set out, with instructions that “the threshold for international bidding be set at two million dollars ($2M).”
The completed regulations will be submitted to Cabinet on November 30, for consideration and decision.
This development comes after issues were raised in the House of Assembly over the lack of regulations to govern the agency. The Recovery and Development Plan had to be withdrawn and amended to provide the guidelines for the RDA to implement the RDP.
This amended plan is yet to be passed in the House, as during the last debate, escalating tempers over the plan resulted in a recess of the HoA.
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