Appointment of members to the Land Settlement Committee, LSA

August 3rd 2023

MEDIA RELEASE

Minister Robinson-Regis presents Letters of Appointment to
Members of the Land Settlement Committee – Land Settlement Agency

On July 28, 2023 The Honourable Camille Robinson-Regis, Minster of Housing and Urban Development presented Letters of Appointment to the Chairman and Members of the Land Settlement Committee, at a brief ceremony at the Ministry’s Head Office, South Quay, Port-of-Spain. Members were appointed, in accordance with the provision of sections 7 and 8 of the State Land (Regularisation of Tenure) Act, Chap. 57:05, to provide oversight of the Land Settlement Agency’s operations for a period of one (1) year.

The newly appointed Members, possess a wealth of knowledge and experience in the areas of law, planning, surveying, engineering, land management, community and social development, management and other related disciplines. They are:

• Mr. Wayne Innis – Chairman
  Mr. Allan Meiguel – Vice Chairman
  Mr. Courtenay Legendre – Member
  Ms. Fayola Merrique – Member
  Mr. Jonathan Soo Hon – Member
  Ms. Marilyn Duncan – Member
  Mr. Peter Goodridge – Member
  Mr. Rahul Rampersad – Member
  Mr. Edmund Phillips – Member

Mr. Inniss, also served as Chairman of the im.mediate past Committee and specialises in the field of Agriculture. Mr. Meiguel, an Attorney-at-Law will serve as Vice Chairman. Mr Meiguel is also a Law Enforcement professional and is the current Deputy Director, Office of Law Enforcement Policy, Ministry of National Security.

The core mandate of the Land Settlement Agency (LSA) is to provide security of tenure to eligible squatters; facilitate the acquisition of leasehold titles by both squatters and tenants in designated areas and, to provide for the establishment of land settlement areas.

In recent times, the mandate of the LSA has been broadened to include the introduction of the Tenancy Programme, execution of the Government Aided Self-Help Housing Programme and the Housing and Village Improvement Programme on behalf of the Ministry; as well as the development of residential lots for former PETROTRIN employees, as part of the PETROTRIN Residential Lots Programme. The Land Settlement Agency (LSA) is also responsible for the development of agricultural plots for youth of the Youth Agriculture Homestead Programme (YAHP) of the Ministry of Youth Development and National Services.

Addressing the newly appointed members, the Honourable Minister, Camille RobinsonRegis thanked outgoing Committee members for their collective work and achievements during the last term as she congratulated Members of the incoming Committee for their commitment and willingness to serve. She told them, “Like any other organization, the LSA is not without its challenges but therein lies the opportunity for you to utilise your skills and expertise, to mitigate the challenges and devise new and innovative solutions to impact on the LSA’s ability to fulfil its mandate.” She further stated that the Ministry and the LSA “remain committed to working together to improve the lives of the citizens we are called to serve; and I could not have chosen a more outstanding group of professionals to be in charge of this mandate.”

Also in attendance at the ceremony were Mrs. Shanmatee Singh Ng Sang, Permanent Secretary (Ag.), Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Lena HanoomanBoodram, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Ag.), Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Hazar Hosein, Chief Executive Officer of the LSA, along with other senior officials of the Ministry and the LSA.

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