Finance Minister Says Government Will Continue to Protect the Poor

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, says the Government remains committed to protecting the poor and vulnerable in the society.

Opening the 2018/19 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 8, the Minister said social programmes for protected groups will continue to receive priority with respect to the allocation of resources, to ensure that overall spending in these areas is not eroded by inflation.

Included are programmes for youth employment, poor relief, children’s homes and places of safety, school feeding, the elderly, and pregnant and lactating women.

“We will continue, in fiscal year 2018/19, to strengthen the social safety net to ensure that these vulnerable persons are not left behind,” Mr. Shaw said.

He noted that special attention is being placed on the Programme of Advancment Through Health and Education (PATH), which targets some of the most vulnerable segments of the population – children and students aged zero to 19 years; the adult poor, including the disabled, elderly, pregnant and lactating mothers and the destitute – and the Steps-to-Work Initiative, which targets working-age members of PATH for referral to relevant support services to enable them to seek and retain employment.

Mr. Shaw said the programmes have the goal of breaking the chain of inter-generational poverty, adding that this is being achieved by ensuring that the next generation has better tools and better health prospects than their parents.

“It also provides for support for those parents who need targeted social interventions to improve their living standards,” the Minister said.

Mr. Shaw’s presentation was made under the theme ‘Stability, Growth and Prosperity – Our Goal, Our Responsibility’.