Prime Minister, Dr. the Hon. Hubert A. Minnis said Wednesday (October 11) that he will meet with each Cabinet Minister individually on a quarterly basis with a view to assessing the work of individual ministries while helping to improve the effectiveness of each ministry in carrying out the Government’s policies.

The decision is part of the Minnis Administration’s programme of reform and transformation in governance as foreshadowed in the Speech From the Throne during the Opening of Parliament (May, 2017).

Prime Minister Minnis also announced that each government ministry will be asked to develop a multi-year plan with clear, annual, metrics for that ministry, and in keeping with available finances and resources.

“These plans will be developed by senior staff and technical officers in each ministry in accordance with my Government’s Manifesto commitments and related objectives,” Prime Minister Minnis said. “These plans will be developed with reference to the National Development Plan. My Ministers will be held accountable for these plans.”

Closing out debate on a Resolution to thank the Governor-General for reading the Speech From the Throne Wednesday in the House of Assembly, Prime Minister Minnis also pledged to “regularly call on” Her Excellency, Dame Marguerite Pindling, GCMG, Governor General of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, to discuss matters of state.

The Prime Minister said the Constitution of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas provides executive authority to the Governor General and mandates that the Government keeps the Governor General informed about what his/her government is doing.

“This is a mandate I intend to honour. With her permission and at her convenience, I plan to deepen the longstanding convention by which a Prime Minister regularly calls on the Governor General to discuss matters of state.

“This commitment is part of my Government’s programme of government and political reform. We must continue to perfect and deepen our constitutional and parliamentary democracy which enshrines ancient traditions, both necessary and relevant in the 21st Century,” Prime Minister Minnis added.

Prime Minister Minnis also pledged to continue to visit sub-offices of the Office of the Prime Minister in Grand Bahama and Abaco on a regular basis. Additional sub-offices are to be opened in Eleuthera, Exuma and Andros.

“To better connect the Central Government to these major islands, I plan to visit each of these offices on a regular basis. This will improve the effectiveness of government.

“As noted in the Speech from the Throne and other communications, my government has embarked upon a programme of reform and transformation,” Prime Minister Minnis said.

“Such reform requires a long-term vision and concrete steps for change. Such change will not happen overnight, but we are laying the groundwork for change in areas ranging from combating official corruption to bringing Local Government to New Providence, to dealing effectively with the New Providence Landfill, to the expansion of the use of solar and renewable energy.”