Premier Fahie made the announcement during a special sitting of the House of Assembly on Friday, March 27, stating that the initiative is one of many in the works by his administration.

“In our plan, we also heard from the governor that the UK is willing to help the OT’s (Overseas Territories) and we are going to put forward that we want that all of our unemployed, for a certain time, be paid at least minimum wage from a grant from the United Kingdom,” Premier stated.

He added: “I have already asked the Governor to inquire into this and have those funds start to be ready so that when we meet the presentation with the plan, that the monies that come from the UK will directly reach and touch and affect positively the lives of the people, and will not be lost through all kind of technical bureaucracy.”

Premier Fahie, who is also the Minister of Finance, further said the United Kingdom can rest assured that all monies granted to the government for this initiative will be put in an accountable and transparent system for the people of the BVI to directly benefit from.