And Balderamos's Ministry is also showing mindfulness of the present financial challenges with the Minister announcing today that the Grocery Bag Program, a program which she previously claimed would end with the financial year, will have to continue into the new one.
And while she made no commitment as to how long grocery bags can be provided, she made it very clear that this type of social assistance cannot continue indefinitely.
Hon. Dolores Balderamos, Minister of Human Development
"I can say to you, let me walk a line here and this is the last thing I will say. The government will try out level best to continue the food assistance into the new financial year for a limited period. I cannot speak to what period of time because that would have to be a Cabinet decision, so that's what I would like to say on the one hand, but on the other hand let me go out a little bit on a limb and say that our most serious responsibility right now is to try to put our people back to work. It's a difficult time but we cannot encourage complete dependency. Yes, it's nice to be able to receive a grocery bag, or a pantry as it used to be called. That is nice but. I would have to say ladies and gentlemen of the media that that is unsustainable, so even though we will try to continue it for a reasonably limited period into the new financial year it is not something that can be indefinite."
