centralizing the Defence Force to increase
its overall efficacy.
This investment -- the largest capital outlay
of its kind in the history of The Bahamas
-- was necessary in light of the myriad of
threats confronting our nation. These security threats are compounded by an aging
fleet, shortage of personnel, and limited
bases, to name but a few. To resolve these
issues that dilute the effectiveness of the
Force’s efforts, major changes are being
implemented within the Defence Force.
These changes include:
• the decentralization of the Defence Force;
• the augmentation and modernization of
the Force’s fleet and bases under the Sandy Bottom Project; and
• and the accelerated rate of recruitment
of personnel.
The final two (2) of nine (9) patrol crafts
are slated to arrive in The Bahamas in August of this year, and the agreed completion date for all civil works, including the
construction of buildings and quay walls in
Coral Harbour, Inagua and Ragged Island, is
scheduled for October 2016.
The people of The Bahamas are reaping
positive returns on this sizeable investment.
HMBS Lignum Vitae and HMBS Lawrence
Major have both intercepted and apprehended undocumented migrants and have
provided vital assistance in bringing relief
to persons affected by Hurricane Joaquin
in the Family Islands.
More specifically, Her Majesty’s Bahamian
Ship Lawrence Major, for example, apprehended over forty undocumented migrants in February of this year. This 185foot vessel has also assisted with disaster
management efforts in delivering relief
supplies and reconstruction materials to
islands that were adversely impacted by
Hurricane Joaquin. The 17- container Mobile Base with disaster relief equipment
was also deployed to Crooked Island
where it provided food, water, technical
and medical support to residents on that
island for a four-month period.
The strategic deployment of the new patrol crafts has seen the significant reduction in poaching incidents. Indeed, our
fishermen have reported increases in their
catch/ harvesting.
Finally, the Defence Force has implemented Operation Secure Shores with
increased patrols of the borders of New
Providence such that there has been the
detection and apprehension of persons
suspected of planning criminal activities
and / or criminals have been apprehended
with the assistance of the Police Force.
NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Mr. Speaker,
I now turn to the third key pillar of development, namely the Natural and Built
Environment. The health and sustainability
of the natural environment are critical to
the physical well-being of individuals and
the support system for a modern economy. Of a number of initiatives in this area,
I would signal efforts to reserve Marine
Protected Areas which have resulted in
our meeting the target of 10 per cent reservation of the marine and coastal areas
as protected zones. Efforts continue to
identify the near shore and marine areas
for the next 10 per cent of the 2020 Challenge for The Bahamas to protect 20 per
cent of its near shore and marine environment. We are as well developing an Environmental Youth Corps that will employ
our youth and prepare them for so-called
green jobs within the National Park and
protected area system.
In the area of oil exploration, the new Petroleum Regulations include an expanded
emphasis on environmental protection.
As for the built environment, I have of
course spoken at length in the recent past
about the important role to be played in
this area by Public-Private Sector Partnerships. In the last Budget, we provided seed
capital to support up to $200 million in
such new projects across the breadth of
the nation. These will cover roads and
bridges; airports; new and refurbished
Government buildings and repairs of existing Government buildings; and health care
infrastructure and schools.
In this vein, I would note that Grand Bahama Power has embarked on an ambitious programme to s witch all of their
streetlights to LED bulbs. This both saves
in power consumption and improves
road and public safety. The Government
will seek to do the same within this fiscal
year for public buildings and all streetlights
in New Providence, through a public-private partnership. The financial savings from
lower power consumption will be used to
expand street lighting in major Family Island thoroughfares through the fiscal year.
We have also endeavoured to modernize
our nation’s aviation system with significant investments in the upgrading of our
aviation infrastructure in both New Providence and the Family Islands and with an
investment of over $100 million in the
re-fleeting of Bahamasair.
THE ECONOMY
Mr. Speaker,
As for the fourth pillar of development, a
dynamic and vibrant economy supports
the creation of employment opportunities
and the generation of wealth for our citizens. To that end, my Government has, as I
mentioned earlier, implemented significant
budgetary and fiscal reforms to redress
the nation’s public finances and enhance
confidence in The Bahamas as an attractive
location for investment. The myriad new
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2016/2017
DRAFT
ESTIMATES
OF REVENUE &
EXPENDITURE