Skerrit due to announce latest Dominica budget

The Prime Minister and Minister of Finance in Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit will be presenting the 2018-2019 budget when parliament convenes on Wednesday.

The $978,101,625 budget is the largest in the island’s history and will be the highlight of the First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Ninth Parliament.

President of Dominica, His Excellency Charles Savarin, is expected to give a speech during the sitting.

Speaker of the House, Alix Boyd-Knights, said guests who were invited to the sitting will be downstairs and others will be upstairs.

She said that those who are aware that they should be seating downstairs should enter Parliament through the portico which is opposite DBS Radio.

“And then they will be escorted to their places by the ushers,” she explained.

She stated that since there will be a parade outside, those who are to be seated downstairs should enter parliament before 9:45 am.

She pointed out that those who are seating downstairs and are coming in after 9:45 will have to use the High Street entrance to access the House and they may be required to show their ID to the police.

She said those who have been invited and requested to be invited have been given passes and will be upstairs. They must enter the High Street entrance only and will be required to show IDs.

“They will be required to have their ID with them when they come to the House of Assembly…that is the people sitting upstairs…” she noted.

Boyd-Knights said the arrangement for those invited is customary in Dominica and it is a requirement of every sitting of parliament in most, if not all, jurisdiction in the world.

“There is nothing extraordinary in having security to enter parliament in Dominica as is being banded about in other places,” Boyd-Knights said.