The scheme which has been concentrated in Georgetown, would be expanded to outlying areas of the country, she told the House Monday when debate began on the $68.9 billion 2002 budget. Systems have been put in place to give the beneficiaries easier access and to include a wider cross-section of the population, she announced.

Shadick said too that officers within her ministry continue to place children on its list of priorities and have sought to help those children who have been sexually and physically abused to find some form of safety and comfort.

She noted that the ministry has embarked on a "clean-up campaign" of the Old Age Pension Service, which she hopes will help save money that had been lost through discrepancies within the system. "We will put new systems in place to get rid of corruption and ensure that all people advance together and not at the cost of others," she said.

According to her, this "clean-up campaign" began earlier in the year and is almost complete. The ministry also plans to begin extensive rehabilitation of buildings such as the Palms Home for the elderly, and include skills-training programmes to make those who reside there have a stronger sense of independence, she said.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Mr. Doodnauth Singh, SC, in his contribution, regretted that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which is housed in Trinidad, will not be opened in October this year as was originally proposed, but after monetary and administration problems are sorted out. He explained that the original suggested sum of US$20M to have the CCJ operational is no longer adequate and negotiations are ongoing for an increase to US$100M.

Singh also proudly declared that upon assumption of office as the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs in 2001, he was able to retain the services of six qualified persons to man the Attorney General's Chambers. Additionally, 12 graduates from the university have been employed.

The Attorney General said that since this administration took office, there have been considerable changes in the Deeds Registry to ensure that land titles were distributed in a timely manner. He noted that the technical and material needs of the Deeds Registry are engaging the attention of Cabinet.

He said there have been suggestions for improvements in the administration of justice, conceding that the Judiciary and the Magistracy are a little low on manpower, but reassured that plans are in line to have this addressed shortly.

Referring to the controversial printing of the Laws of Guyana volumes, Singh said this is a dead issue since the Government will not be continuing with the contract. He felt that the "printed bound volumes" would be cumbersome and expensive and opined that putting the legislation on diskettes will aid easy retrieval and would be less expensive.

He highlighted Belize as one of the many countries that took on this initiative of having its laws on diskettes. Singh said that within four months an update of the Laws of Guyana, dating from July 1997 to December 2001, will be completed.

In her presentation Monday, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Ms. Gail Teixeira noted these were "uncertain times" on both the economic and political planes, with a reduction in loans and grants given to developing countries and global recessions.

She stated that Guyana's performance last year was special as the Guyanese economy did extremely well and there is need therefore to commend the Government and those who manage the budget for ensuring that everything remained under control.

The minister noted that the last five years of governance have been difficult and there was very little time of peace and calm to move programmes forward.

Referring to the earlier walkout from Parliament by the main Opposition People's National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Teixeira observed that "we must look at the Opposition in relation to their responsibility as an Opposition and in terms of the importance and dignity of Parliament".

She identified the ministries of Education, Health, Housing and Water as those which were/are instrumental in facilitating the development of youths in this country. She noted that there has been a 100 per cent increase in her ministry's budget from 2000 to 2002.

Teixeira also pointed out that without education and perfect health there would be no working class with the abilities to face competition on an international level.

In the area of youth, she noted that the ministry has introduced skills training and other programmes over the past year to enhance the development of youths countrywide, especially through its Youth Entrepreneurial Skills Training (YEST) programme. YEST is a residential programme at the Kuru Kuru Training Complex on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway for youths between 16 to 25 years old, from all 10 administrative regions.

The New Opportunity Corps (NOC), which caters for children experiencing difficult circumstances, was upgraded when taken over by the ministry, and now allows for skills training for the residents there, she reported. Additionally, there is the Skills Training Centre at Sophia, Georgetown, and the President's Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) Programme, which has facilitated training and interaction for more than 500 young people over the last three years.

Teixeira also noted that her ministry has been able to meet some 10,000 youths through its programmes over the past year. It recently set in motion the National Youth Commission, which has representatives from all the administrative regions and is expected to host the first ever Caribbean Youth Steel Pan competition in August, she reported.

The ministry also facilitated youth camps over the summer for more than 4,000 youngsters, she said.

In culture, Teixeira pointed out that the "whole area of cultural identity and national pride is one of the cornerstones of our ministry". "The ministry has embarked on researching and documenting the various cultures of Guyana through the involvement of the people who are more involved in the day-to-day tapestry of cultural forms," she told the House.

An obstacle highlighted by the minister, however, is the lack of skilled people to get the job done. This was one of the prime reasons for the just-launched preservation and revitalisation of community art forms project, she said.

"We are returning to the villages...the cultural reservoir of our society and to capture in a positive way what is still left there, so that we will be able to preserve and to revitalise them and therefore be able to teach our children to have pride in what we are, where we came from, and of how we've been able to survive and protect the diversity of our people."

She, however, admitted that her ministry has not been able to scratch the surface of the job to be done.

Mash 2002 was a major success, and the ministry, which launched Mash 2002 in October of 2001, intends to begin marketing the 2003 celebrations in the month of June, she announced.

In the area of sports, Teixeira said her ministry has been able to get waivers on airport tax and sports equipment. This, she was quick to point out, was only done in Guyana and not in any Caribbean or Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country.

"There have been quite a number of technical as well as administrative assistance via links with countries such as Australia, Cuba, India, and Mexico to name a few (and) this is in an effort to develop the local sports fraternity, which also includes educational development where persons receive training in sports management," she said.

Guyana is also expected to host a number of international meets this year, she added. (From reports by the Government Information Agency)