The Minority Leader asked the Secretary of Infrastructure, Quarries and Urban Development - “With respect to the Studley Park Enterprise Limited, can the Secretary confirm whether there is a General Manager employed at the company at present?”

Secretary James.

Madam Presiding Officer, the simple answer is, ‘yes’.

Madam Presiding Officer, given that there is a General Manager already attached to the Studley Park Quarry, can the Member please   indicate when that General Manager was recruited?

Secretary James.

Madam Presiding Officer, the Executive Chairman is   carrying out the functions of the General Manager. I do not have the date   when we recruited him.

Minority Leader.

Madam Presiding Officer, I understand English and the   question is very simple, very clear. The question says, “Can the Secretary   confirm whether there is a General Manager employed...” - a General Manager   position. That is the question - a General Manager. An Executive Chairman is   not (they can cohort the functions of a General Manager, but is not) the   General Manager. The question is clear, whether there is a General Manager employed   at the company at present. So I am going to give him a second chance.

Secretary   James.

Madam Presiding  Officer, I believe I have answered the question. Should I repeat the answer   for the Member?

I am sorry, I did not hear you.

Should I repeat   the answer for the Member?

Please, for   clarity.

The Executive   Chairman has and is functioning as the General Manager. So therefore, there   is a General Manager.

Minority Leader.

So am I to   understand that the Executive Chairman is

also the General   Manager of the company?

Is that the   supplemental?

How do we now separate or what is the process for the checks and balances that would require or would allow for proper corporate governance? What are the checks and balances that would   allow for the proper corporate governance, given that you have the Executive   Chairman also functioning as the General Manager?

Secretary James.

Madam Presiding Officer, this question was asked and   answered previously. We went through a whole twenty (20) minutes of   explaining the new Board structure to the Member and he is still asking about   corporate governance.

Just to make it clear, the Board is divided into Executive   Board and Independent Board and the Independent Directors are to provide that   corporate governance of the Executive side. This was explained in detail to   the House previously. This question should not have been be allowed.

Minority Leader, do you have a supplemental question to   ask?

Madam Presiding Officer, we recognize that every time we   ask questions which are clear, they are being diverted and the question is simple. All we want to know, because we did not previously   know that, because on the AUK structure, there is a position for a General   Manager and then there is the Board of Directors.

     Now that we have incorporated the functions of General   Manager (which is administrative) with the chairmanship of the Board (which   is Executive), I am simply asking, what are the processes in place to ensure   proper checks and balances and for proper corporate governance? That question   has not been answered before, because we did not previously know that the   functions were the same.

Secretary James.

I did not really hear a question there, but just to be   clear, the structure that was presented - which I am sure that the Member has   - the lead Independent Director is responsible for corporate governance on   the Board and therefore, because the Independent Directors are superior in   number to the Executive side, they provide that same check and balance that members seems to be conerned abotut.

Madam Presiding Officer, this is the same Secretary who promised   the Councillor when asked, what is the governing authority upon which you now   have this Board structure, he promised us an EC Note, and we are still   awaiting it. That undertaking was given in this House.

Is that a question?

He is trying to make the point that we have the   information, but we do not. So is he going to once and for all, provide the   information that he gave an undertaking for in this House?

I still do not hear a question in that. Secretary James,   can you provide such information to the Minority Leader? 

Once the Minority Leader asks the question in the correct   manner, then the answer would be provided.

We will ...

Madam Presiding   Officer, it was his undertaking to the House, not to the Minority Leader. He gave the assurance   that he will provide the House with the EC Note. That Note should have been circulated to each Member. So, I am simply asking - you know sometimes your memory goes - memory does lapse.

On that question, a follow up would be done and we would   double check with Hansard to ensure that that is what was said. If   said, it would be done.

Thank you so much, Madam Presiding Officer.

Moving on. Next question, Minority Leader.