MP says roughly a third of his 33 letters remain unanswered and presses ministers for dates, documents and proof that major plans can be delivered
PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Darryl York opened his questioning on the draft 2027 budget Monday by reminding ministers that Parliament is still waiting for answers to questions he sent before this debate began.
York said he had submitted 33 letters to the Council of Ministers and, upon reviewing the responses, found that roughly one-third had not been answered. He thanked the ministries of General Affairs and Justice for responding to his questions, but singled out Finance and VROMI for outstanding replies. He said one pending Finance letter concerns problems he identified at the Tax Administration.
His extensive questions then ranged from TELEM’s restructuring and GEBE’s regulation to the road fund, justice staffing, health insurance and whether the Education Ministry has enough personnel to carry out its plans. Throughout, York sought dates and evidence to check against the promises in the budget.
TELEM: What has restructuring achieved?
York devoted much of his intervention to TELEM, repeating questions he said remained unanswered in the previous budget debate. He asked Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs to identify the operational, financial, governance and staffing problems still unresolved after the company’s restructuring, the corrective measures underway and the timetable for each.
He requested five years of staff-turnover figures broken down by resignations, redundancies, retirements, dismissals and agreed separations. He also asked for the findings of employee exit interviews and what management had done in response.
York wanted an account of executive recruitment and appointments: who holds each senior position, whether each appointment is permanent or temporary, where the executives primarily work and what performance targets the supervisory board has set. He asked for measurable evidence of changes in TELEM’s finances, customer retention, service quality, efficiency and employee engagement since the current management team was appointed.
The MP also requested TELEM’s 2026–2028 strategic plan and information on partnerships or negotiations under consideration. He asked whether investment, a merger, a joint venture, privatization, an asset sale or another change to the company’s structure had been considered during the past three years. Those were questions to the minister; York did not present such a transaction as an established decision.
He returned to the appointment of a permanent chief executive officer, saying a timetable explained to Parliament in 2025 had passed without an appointment. Gumbs had earlier told the Central Committee that TELEM continues to face lender and restructuring difficulties despite projecting a modest profit for 2025.
GEBE agreement raises disclosure question
York pressed TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten about her statement, as he recounted it, that the Bureau Telecommunications and Post (BTP) has a nondisclosure agreement with GEBE. He asked why an agreement was needed and whether it could prevent Parliament or the public from learning what BTP finds in its work involving the utility.
Referring to concerns arising from a report he called the RSE report, York argued that consumers deserve to know the findings and any remedies. His questions did not establish that BTP has refused to disclose information or that a remedy has already been decided. He asked the minister to explain the agreement’s scope and what information can be made public.
York also sought a projected start date for the Tourism Authority and a tentative completion date for the marketplace project. He requested updates on Philipsburg beautification, a casino’s compliance with hotel room requirements, and TEATT's other revenue plans beyond the proposed tourist levy.
On cannabis, York asked the Council of Ministers to identify one minister who can coordinate answers across portfolios. He questioned why ministers have said the policy direction remains undecided when an earlier presentation, according to his account, showed possible categories and numbers of licenses. He called for a clear statement on the intended legislative direction, including whether commercial activity is contemplated.
Road fund and missing project allocation
York challenged the proposed start of the road fund in 2027. He said the draft refers to C$ 5 million for the fund and asked where that money would come from at the beginning of the year if the main receipts from 2027 road tax arrive later. He also asked what further legal measure is needed to make the fund operational and whether a draft has been prepared.
That question highlights the difference between announcing a fund and showing its opening balance, revenue flow and legal operating framework. York asked Finance and VROMI to account for each before telling the public when the fund will begin work.
He also asked VROMI Minister Patrice Gumbs Jr. to identify where the Cole Bay drainage project appears in the 2027 budget. York said the project had previously been presented as scheduled for execution in 2027 but that he could not locate its allocation. He asked the minister to point Parliament to the entry rather than declaring that the project had been removed.
For the island’s traffic congestion, York again sought a single minister to coordinate government answers. He asked for a plan and dates when residents can expect tangible changes to roads and traffic management.
Staff, healthcare and education plans
York asked General Affairs how it intends to address vacancies, including shortages in Personnel and Organization and the status of firefighters’ placement. He asked Justice for an inventory of working and nonworking vehicles, updates on personnel placement and overtime, and information on electronic monitoring and financial management systems.
For VSA, he requested a firm legislative and implementation timetable for general health insurance, questioning whether a start early next year remains realistic if Parliament has yet to debate the proposal. He also asked about care for patients sent to Colombia, labor mediation capacity, short-term employment contracts, the mental health project and whether the new hospital contractor has requested additional funds. The latter was posed as a question based on earlier rumors, not as an established cost increase.
York challenged the Education Ministry to explain how it will meet supervision and reform goals amid vacancies. Citing figures from the budget, he said the Inspectorate has 13 of 22 positions filled, while Education Innovation has eight of 19 positions filled. He asked which posts and measures are funded, how the proposed Education Care Center will be staffed before its planned August 2027 opening, and what measurable targets will be used to judge the ministry’s performance.
York also requested an assessment of the expiring 2016–2026 education strategic plan before the government relies on a new long-term vision. He asked what had actually been achieved under the old plan and how the 2027 budget was prepared during the transition.
The government has not answered these questions in the transcript provided. York’s intervention has put a practical standard before the Central Committee: ministers must show which promises have funding, which have staff, which need legislation, and when the public can expect delivery.
