Closing of Sectoral Debate – Hon. Karl Samuda

1. Introductory Remarks 

• Speaker, it is my task today to close the Sectoral Debate for the Fiscal Year 2016-2017, and the first for this new administration.
• I am, indeed, honoured to do so.
• On behalf of the Government, I applaud everyone who took the time and effort to make a meaningful contribution to the Debate.
• While we won’t be able to highlight all, we certainly appreciate the quality of the presentations, and the sincerity and maturity with which they were delivered.

 BREXIT

Mr. Speaker, there have been several developments internationally since we opened the Debates just over a month ago.

Most notably, the world has been shocked by the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union, which has had a tremendous impact, as uncertainty about the future crept into various trading markets.

Within a day of the announcement, the British pound fell to historic lows, wiping billions of pounds off global markets. It’s no surprise that BREXIT has dominated discussions on the world stage.

As a government, we are watching the developments closely. Concerns have been raised by members of the private sector and the matter was also discussed at a CARICOM Heads of Government meeting last week in Guyana.

Mr. Speaker, we remain in close contact with the British High Commissioner in Kingston on the matter and are monitoring the situation to determine the possible ramifications.

We are on the eve of the appointment of the new Prime Minister of England, Mrs. Theresa May.

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