Finance Minister Audley Shaw says the Government stands committed to widening the social safety net, pledging that improvements will be made to improve the services offered.

In opening the 2009-2010 Budget Debate, Shaw said the global economic crisis has reinforced the Government's commitment to ensure that the most vulnerable members of society are protected.

Shaw said the Government has successfully stood by its vow to provide free education and that the next frontier in that regard is to significantly expand the school-feeding programme, so as to ensure adequate nutrition for the nation's children.

"This is a crucial ingredient to their capacity to learn. We have also increased the education budget to 13 per cent of the national Budget on our way to the target of 15 per cent," he said.

Shaw said Government would take new steps to perk up the health sector, which has seen a glut at public facilities since the abolition of user fees.

The finance minister argued that resuming the fees would not be the solution to bettering the service, but instead the facilities would be improved to accommodate the surplus of patients.

Additional resources

"This year, the Government, supported by the national health fund, will provide additional resources in order to deal with overcrowding at the hospitals and they are going to ensure that adequate supplies of drugs are available for the patients," Shaw declared.

nadisha.hunter@gleanerjm.com