Minister for Employment and Social affairs Patricia Francourt and Minister for Local Government and Community Affairs Rose-Marie Hoareau spent Monday afternoon visiting district administration offices and community halls along Mahé’s east coast.

They were joined by delegations from their respective ministries who included the principal secretary for social affairs Linda William-Melanie.

The districts visited included Anse Royale, Au Cap, Anse Aux Pins, Pointe Larue and Cascade

Since both ministries work in close collaboration with each other and both have staff working in the district administration offices, the aim of the visit was to get a rundown of the daily activities being conducted as well as to see where to place the elected members of the National Assembly (MNA) who will soon be moving into the district administration building.

Speaking to the press after her visit, Minister Hoareau noted that all in all it was productive and successful as they have seen areas that need improvements. However, she noted that she was a bit disappointed in the way that some infrastructure are being maintained.

“The district administration offices at Anse Royale and Cascade have been neglected completely. However, we have seen in districts like Pointe Larue where their administration office has been renovated recently and things are running smoothly as there is a good working relationship between the agencies occupying the building,” said Minister Hoareau.

She noted it is important that buildings that house administration offices are well maintained as it will cost less money in the future for a full renovation when the said buildings start to fall apart like the Anse Royale district administration.

“It’s very regrettable that we are asking our employees to work inside buildings that are not well maintained, so now we will begin the process of fixing up these buildings and finding a solution,” she said.

The ministers also visited the Au Cap community hall which is only being used by religious groups to conduct Bible studies. Minister Hoareau noted that the facility is being greatly underused.

The community hall was supposed to house the district’s MNA however discussions are still ongoing as vandalism is a frequent occurrence on the property.

For her part, Employment and Social Affairs Minister Patricia Francourt noted that she believes in working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs as these two departments are linked to social affairs.

“We wanted to see the administration offices to see if they are conducive to the services that we are offering. We must make sure that our social workers are in an environment that is suitable for them to render services to members of the public,” said Mrs Francourt.

She continued by saying that officers of the Agency for Social Protection also work in these buildings so it is important for them to have the necessary tools to carry out their work such as access to internet.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the visits.

 

Christophe Zialor