Premier explains RATED programme payment delays
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has addressed payment delays affecting the government’s Registration Apprenticeship Training Employment and Development (RATED) programme, attributing them to budgeting challenges.
Speaking in the House of Assembly recently, Dr Wheatley explained that funds allocated for 2024 were used to settle outstanding payments from the previous year. “Because all of those payments were not processed in 2023, 2024’s money ended up paying for 2023’s work,” the Premier stated.
The RATED programme, launched nearly two years ago, aims to provide temporary employment and training opportunities for unemployed residents. Tasks include roadside maintenance and beautification projects. However, the programme has been criticised for its complexity and payment delays, which have led some participants to leave.
Some lawmakers complained about the territory’s appearance after regular bush-cutting exercises stalled, leaving commuters and tourists to battle encroaching overgrowth along the roadsides.
Former Deputy Premier Lorna Smith previously noted that the programme was not working as it should and suggested that the Fourth District where she lived was like a wilderness. She described it as the worst she had seen since moving there over four decades ago.
In the meantime, Dr Wheatley acknowledged the need to operate the RATED programme consistently throughout the year to prevent overgrown vegetation and maintain the territory’s appearance. “We need those individuals in the RATED Programme on the job from the first week of January, straight down to the end,” he stated. He also noted that the programme’s delayed start led to excessive bush growth, making maintenance more challenging.
The Premier committed to ensuring the programme’s continuous operation in 2025, recognising that it would require additional funding. “It’s going to cost us more money… but it will be money well spent because we’ll keep the place looking tidy,” he said. “And at the same time, we’ll be providing employment for individuals to be able to feed themselves and their family and to live dignified lives.”
The RATED programme has been instrumental in offering job opportunities to unemployed residents, with over 700 individuals benefiting since its inception.
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Premier is it not best to give out year contracts to persons to keep the road side clear of the over grown bushes where every three months they cut the road side an payment base on every months so in this case no work no payment.Not sure who manage the crew that does the road from brandywine bay to hodges creek but they do a good job this person needs the job to do all over to go beyond.
The person who did bellle Vue in to Josiah’s bay and little hill in to east end was better. That person should be the overall supervisor and he is more fair
BUT KARTEL GOT QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS BEFORE SETTING FOOT ON TORTOLA
…that may go towards funeral expenses in jamdown..
REHIRE JANE AS A JUNIOR MINISTER AND PUT HER INCHARGE OF BOTH BUSHCUTTING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES
Be patient, I know my party and non stop jam party money is always ready but the rated program pay and roads etc gotta wait, don’t feel no way that Vybz Kartel money isore important than the BVI petty issues like infrastructure and rated pay.
When I show you who I am believe it.
Exactly what qualifications do you have to be minister of finance?
My 11-year-old nephew is better.
Says the teacher who still haven’t given the college students their grades paper
We should be ashamed of ourselves. Why should those guys have wait months for that small, next to nothing pay?
I am sure the Premier gets his salary on time for doing nothing.
Come on man, pay the guys on time.
with basic maintenance for a country of 30K people. Seems like every thing is inefficient here now.
Incompetence (or worse) on a level rarely seen. A Minister of Finance who can’t find a few sheckles to pay local people for work already done compared to hundreds of thousands readily available to foreigners who may not live until showtime.
Pardon my ignorance, but if the funds for this year went to paying for last year’s work, does this mean that persons who works this year haven’t been paid yet?
Also, many persons are talking about bush cutting, but aren’t there other works that fall under the RATED program? Are payments for these up to date?
Things looking real bad it seems that nobody cares. That money to put Hodge’s Creek road in the condition it’s in could have overlaid to the Beef Island Bridge. The main problem is drainage and it can be corrected with regular maintenance and a bit of improvement. Your advisors are sleeping.
He accepted the advice of the advisors. He is to be ultimately blamed, not the advisors.
Yea mehson if is party , flights or bringing artist who sing about violence and s*x in then it’s done in record timing money always there.
Anything else Issa excuses that’s really backwards
But y’all want independence to party harder ok then not on my watch. Once I go vote against it!
Again?
Too execute properly we’ll probably need a consultant or two , the premiers previous experience being the big book learning and praying best get a professional in.
Here are solutions to the bush cutting delima. Pick one and get the bush cut.
1. PWD workers who sit along the roads like they have nothing to do can cut the bush.
2. Get some of the prisioners from Balsam Ghut to cut the bush.
3. Persons from each comnunity can get together and cut the bush in their
community.
Isn’t this Public Works Department job? What another layer is being created?