VI. LIFTING UP THE QUALITY OF LIFE BY INVESTING IN HEALTH, SPORTS AND LEISURE, EDUCATION, A DECENT DWELLING FOR ALL FAMILIES AND SAFETY FOR EVERYBODY
165. I now turn to the sixth pathway on our Transformative Journey which is to lift up the quality of life by investing in Health, Sports and Leisure, Education, a decent dwelling for all families and safety for everybody.
166. I will start by elaborating our policies for health care. On health care this Government is delivering on all its promises. And today we are doing more because we know it is the single most important determinant of quality of life.
• First, a new Teaching Hospital will be built in Flacq;
• Second, a medical hub is being developed at Côte d’Or City comprising a modern Eye Hospital, a warehouse for medical products, a New National Health Laboratory Services Centre and the AYUSH Hospital for ayurvedic treatment;
• Third, a New Cancer Centre will be set up;
• Fourth, we are making provision for the acquisition of a fully-fledged mobile caravan to promote early detection of breast and cervical cancer;
• Fifth, I am providing Rs 100 million for the e-Health;
• And sixth, we are providing for the recruitment of
10 Specialists, 10 Community Physicians, 7 Clinical Psychologists, 50 Trainee Nurses and 30 Trainee Midwives, amongst others.
Sports and Leisure
167. As we prop up health care we cannot overlook the importance of sports for the physical and mental well-being of our citizens. This is why we must carefully plan and promote its development.
168. The first National Sports and Physical Activity Policy for Mauritius will be published in July 2018 with the vision of healthier citizens, happier communities and a stronger nation.
169. As part of that policy, we will be investing Rs 38 million to provide sports and physical activity programmes that will motivate and encourage regular participation of our children, youth, adults and senior citizens.
170. The ‘Jeux des Iles de l’Ocean Indien’ 2019 will be an event that will have to be remembered as a proud achievement for our athletes and our nation. We must therefore prepare our athletes to give the best of themselves.
171. To this end, I am providing Rs 75 million to support their training and a further Rs 195 million for the organisation of the games.
172. In addition to investment in the Côte d’Or Sports Complex, an amount of Rs 375 million will be provided for the upgrading of 17 sporting facilities, including 2 in Rodrigues.
Education – an Important Bridge to the Future
173. I now come to the Education sector.
174. Education is the bridge that lies between where we stand now as a nation and where we want to go on our transformative journey– a modern economy and an inclusive high-income country.
175. I am allocating Rs 17.2 billion to the education sector, so that the reforms can be implemented expeditiously while achieving significant improvement in the education infrastructure.
176. For the youngest of our school goers, we are providing for the construction of 2 pre-primary units – one at Grand Baie and another one at Montagne Ory.
177. For primary school children, we are providing for serving hot meals at Pointe aux Piments and Bois des Amourettes Government Schools on a pilot basis; for extending the Tablette project to grade three students and for the reconstructionof 7 Government Schools.
178. And I am providing for the recruitment of an additional
150 Trainee Primary School Educators.
179. As regards secondary education, I am providing for the construction of a gym in six State Secondary Schools.
180. Specialist rooms for Food and Textile Studies and Design and Technology will be set up in all regional State Secondary Schools and new Science Blocks will be constructed at three secondary schools.
181. And I am providing for the recruitment of 114 Educators for the secondary schools.
182. As regards tertiary education, we want to give more support to parents who are investing in the education of their children.
183. The additional income tax deduction in respect of a dependent child who is pursuing tertiary studies is being raised as follows –
• if abroad, from Rs 135,000 to Rs 200,000; and
• if in Mauritius, from Rs 135,000 to a maximum amount of Rs 175,000.
184. Madam Speaker, our Special Education Needs students require specifically designed learning environment and facilities with specialised teachers. I am making provision for the setting up of the SEN Authority.
185. Currently, there is an annual per capita grant for teaching aids, utilities, furniture and equipment for SEN students. I am pleased to announce that the grant for these three items is being increased fourfold, that is, from Rs 1,300 to Rs 5,200.
186. Students with special needs benefit from taxi fares if they are attending tertiary institutions. I am extending this facility to those students with special needs who are attending secondary schools as well as primary schools.
Pursuing our Objective of a Decent Dwelling for Every Family
187. Madam Speaker, the next most important pillar of the quality of life in any society for any family is having a decent dwelling that one can call home.
188. Today, I am making a pledge to accelerate our programme to construct decent houses and apartments for low income families. Too many of them have been on the waiting list for too long.
189. I am pleased to announce that the NHDC will start a vast programme of construction in 2018-19. Our aim is to build 6,800 new social housing units over the next two years. This endeavour has a Project Value of Rs 12.7 billion.
190. These social housing units will be in Ground-Plus-Three buildings on 19 sites across the country and will provide such amenities as crèches, commercial and recreational facilities.
191. I am also providing:
• Rs 1.3 billion for the completion of 3,041 housing units; and
• Rs 176 million for rehabilitation of 41 NHDC housing estates which are more than 20 years old to improve the living conditions of some 6,200 families.
Supporting Families as they Invest in a Dwelling
192. We will also improve our support to families in their efforts to invest in a house.
• First, I am increasing the maximum grant for the casting of roof slab for families earning up to
Rs 10,000 monthly, from Rs 75,000 to Rs 100,000;
• Second, for families earning between Rs 10,001 –
Rs 15,000, the maximum grant is being increased from Rs 40,000 to Rs 70,000; and
• Third, for the first time, families earning between
Rs15,001 and Rs 20,000 will benefit from a maximum grant of Rs 50,000.
193. Furthermore, I am pleased to announce that, following discussions with the Bank of Mauritius, the Bank has agreed to remove all restrictions on commercial banks with regard to limits applicable on loans, be it for residential or business purposes.
194. Consumers and businesses should, with this measure, be able to fully benefit from the loan facilities offered by commercial banks without necessarily having to finance part of the property upfront.
Ensuring the Safety of our Citizens, in particular on our Roads
195. I now come to our action to ensure the safety of our citizens in particular on our roads.
196. Too many victims – too many cruel tragedies for the families and for the whole nation. Our resolve to improve safety on our roads will remain unflinching.
197. The law will be amended to provide for tougher penalties for road traffic offences, including speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and dangerous driving.
• First, the list of offences in relation to which a Fixed Penalty Notice may be served will be consolidated and increased from 141 to 204;
• Second, the fine in respect of speeding by more than 25 km per hour above the speed limit will be increased from Rs 2,500 to Rs 10,000;
• Third, fines in respect of driving while under disqualification, driving without a licence and authorizing a person prohibited from driving by reason of age to drive, will be increased from Rs 10,000 to Rs 100,000;
• Fourth, after committing three Cumulative Road Traffic Offences listed under the new Penalty system, a driver will be issued with a Cumulative Road Traffic Notice informing him that on being convicted for two more Cumulative Road Traffic offences, his licence will be suspended for a period of 6 to 12 months;
• Fifth, a probationary driving licence will be issued to new drivers for a probationary driving period of 2 years wherein certain offences committed will entail extension of his probationary driving period or revocation of his probationary driving licence when he commits major road traffic offences;
• And sixth, zero tolerance of alcohol in the blood will be applied to drivers.
198. In addition, the Police Force will be provided with additional mobile speed cameras to undertake spot checks.
199. And to further improve safety on our roads, I have earmarked
Rs 275 million in this Budget to:
• Reengineer hazardous roads;
• Install conspicuous traffic signs to alert drivers of accident-prone areas; and
• Intensification of the educational and awareness programmes, training of driving instructors and review of driving testing standards;
200. The Road Development Authority is being provided with
Rs 600 million for road maintenance, including Rs 75 million for construction of pavements and Rs 75 million for restoring road markings and signage.
Law and Order: Enhancing the Capacity of our Police Force to Combat Crime
201. Let me now turn to Law and Order.
202. I am providing Rs 8.5 billion to the Police Department in this budget. Our priority will be to further enhance its capacity to combat crime.
203. To this end:
• 1,000 additional police constables will be recruited including 200 woman police constables;
• 5 new Police Stations will be constructed;
• A regional detention centre will be set up at Piton and 2 existing centres will be upgraded; and
• 38 additional prison officers will be recruited.
204. I am providing:
• Rs 107 million to modernise the fleet of vehicles of the Police Department;
• Rs 88.3 million for the acquisition of Equipment, including Security and Disaster Equipment;
• Rs 4 million for the implementation of CCTV cameras in all Police stations, so that investigations are conducted in a more professional manner; and
• Rs 97.4 million for the implementation of the Mauritius Forces Training Academy.
205. The Safe City Project which I announced last year is being implemented. It comprises the installation of 4,000 intelligent surveillance cameras, 4,500 trunking smart handsets,
500 trunking vehicle radios and an Emergency Response System.
206. The project will help to reduce the occurrence of crime, fight drug trafficking and decrease the number of road accidents.
207. As regards financial crimes, the Working Group on the Financial Crime Commission project will submit its report soon. The Report will also address all the recommendations made in the 2018 ESAAMLG Mutual Evaluation of Mauritius’ compliance with the international anti-money laundering and combating terrorist financing standards.
208. I will now articulate our policies and action to combat drug trafficking.
209. My determination to eradicate that scourge remains unshakable. Drug trafficking and addiction are ripping apart the fabric of our society. And we know very well that government alone will not be able to curb that scourge. We must all as a nation be on the frontline in that war. The Report of the Commission of Enquiry should give us more insights into the problem and enable us to consolidate our strategy to eradicate that plague.
210. In the meantime, we have seen a record amount of drugs being seized by ADSU in collaboration with Customs during the period 2015 to date, amounting to Rs 3.7 billion in terms of street value.
211. We will further intensify our combat against drug trafficking and abuse.
• First, I am providing for the acquisition of a specialised equipment to detect and sanction persons under the influence of drugs, including drivers. The Road Traffic Act and the Dangerous Drugs Act will be amended accordingly;
• Second, I am providing financial resources to the Mauritius Revenue Authority to procure additional hand-held non-intrusive scanning devices such as Buster contraband detectors, mini z scanners, wireless fiberscopes and narcotics analysers;
• Third, I am providing Rs 10 million for a new Synthetic Drugs Prevention Programme to sensitise students, workforce and the community at large on the ravages of synthetic drugs;
• Fourth, we have earmarked Rs 30 million for the Rehabilitation Programme for Alcoholics and Drug Addicts;
• Fifth, the Forensic Science Laboratory will be equipped with a new specialised equipment to enable them to enhance the quality and timeliness of their reports to the Police on crime cases;
• Sixth, Government is further enhancing the capacity and response of ADSU to meet more complex challenges posed by drug traffickers and their drug networks locally, regionally and internationally. I am therefore providing Rs 25 million to ADSU for the acquisition of modern specialised technological tools and equipment in the pursuit of operations on all fronts;
• And seventh, the National Coast Guard will acquire a new Multi-Purpose Offshore Patrol Vessel for coastal surveillance.
Strengthening the Judiciary
212. With regards to the Judiciary, construction works on the New Supreme Court Tower are well underway. Arrangements are being made for the construction of a new Court House for Curepipe for which land has already been identified at Forest Side.
213. Furthermore, I am providing an amount of Rs 49 million for:
• The upgrading of the Pamplemousses, Souillac, Flacq and RoseHill district courts;
• The revamping of the Digital Court Recording System as well as the E-Judiciary system for the Commercial Court;
• And the computerization of the revenue collection system for all courts.
214. The District and Intermediate Courts (Civil Jurisdiction) Act will be amended as follows to allow:
• Small Claims Tribunal to henceforth hear cases of up to Rs 100,000 instead of up to Rs 25,000;
• District Courts to hear cases of up to Rs 250,000 instead of up to Rs 50,000; and
• Intermediate Courts to hear cases of up to Rs 2 million.
215. The legal delay for entering a small claim case before the District Court will be extended to two years instead of one year.
216. Intermediate Courts will also have the mandate to hear mediation cases.