ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR – SALARY SCALE STRUCTURE
(No. B/211) Mr E. Guimbeau (First Member for Curepipe and Midlands)
asked the Minister of Education, Culture and Human Resources whether, in regard to the
entertainment sector, he will state if Government will consider introducing entertainment
laws and, if so –
(a)when;
(b)it is proposed to work out a salary scale structure for the sector.
Dr. Bunwaree: Mr.Speaker, Sir, I am aware of problems prevailing in the
entertainment sector due to the absence of a legal framework. The quantum of pay to
performing artists in the entertainment sector is a matter of great concern to me. In fact, it
has come to my knowledge that there exists some sort of exploitation of artists going on
in that sector.
I wish to inform the House that my Ministry with the assistance of UNESCO and
the Mauritius Research Council is presently conducting a study on the Cultural Industry
in Mauritius. The study comprises inter alia the status of our Cultural Industry including
the entertainment sector and recommendations for improvement. The findings will enable
us to introduce appropriate measures for the development of the sector.
Mr Speaker, Sir, I am informed that the final report of the study will be ready by
June this year. The recommendations of the study will be validated after consultations
with all stakeholders.
I cannot at this point in time pre-empt the recommendations but what I can say is
that when an emerging economic sector grows and reaches a certain level, it becomes
imperative to have a legal framework to regulate it. This legal framework may also
include the question of remuneration of artists and which can only be in line with the new
philosophy of the new labour legislations.
Mr Guimbeau: Mr Speaker, Sir, can the hon. Minister tell the House whether he
is in possession of any draft of the copyright law emanating from the stakeholders such as
MASA, the Police and the Customs?
Dr. Bunwaree: Yes, we are working very actively on that.
Mr Bodha: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the hon. Minister whether he will agree
with me that there should be a contribution of the Ministry of Tourism because in many
cases this is where the cultural industry thrives? As he rightly pointed out, there is a lot of
exploitation. For example, many of those Sega dancers are getting up to Rs100 for the
show, and there are even minors. Something can be done there. There is a lot of scope of
what can be done in the cultural and tourism industry.
Dr. Bunwaree: Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully agree and, as I said, we are going to
consult all stakeholders.
Mrs Perrier: Is the hon. Minister aware that children are often used for
entertainment, especially in the tourism sector? Will the hon. Minister cater for this
aspect also in the new regulation?
Dr. Bunwaree: Certainly, Mr Speaker, Sir.
Mr Guimbeau: Mr Speaker, Sir, can the hon. Minister give us an idea when all
of these measures are going to be in force?
Dr. Bunwaree: Mr Speaker, Sir, I said that we have to wait for the report, which I
expect to get at the end of the month of June, and then we will have a meeting with the
stakeholders. The hon. Member can rely upon me to go as quickly as possible.
Sitting 14 April 2009
(No. B/212)
Mr E. Guimbeau (First Member for Curepipe & Midlands) asked the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Leisure and External Communications whether, in regard to the maintenance of the fleet of aircraft of Air Mauritius Ltd., he will, for the benefit of the House, obtain from the Company, information as to -
(a) the name of the contractor;
(b) the contract value;
(c) if an international tender exercise was carried out and, if so, indicate -
(i) the names of the bidders, and
(ii) the value quoted in each case, and
(d) if the Company proposes to reduce the maintenance costs of the aircrafts.
The Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Tourism, Leisure and ExternalCommunications (Mr X. L. Duval): Mr Speaker, Sir, the House would appreciate that safety is the hallmark of Air Mauritius and that, so far, the company has maintained a perfect – 100% – safety record. Accordingly, all matters pertaining to maintenance ofaircraft are treated with utmost seriousness. There cannot, therefore, be any compromise on such issues, the more so as the company is listed on the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) Registry. The House will further note that this question relates to a commercial and operational matter of Air Mauritius, which being given its status of a limited company, cannot be dealt with in the House. I am, therefore, unable to provide the specific information sought or to reply to any supplementary question thereon.
Mr Guimbeau: Mr Speaker, Sir, can the hon. Minister state if it is Air Tanzania that is in charge of the maintenance of Air Mauritius?
Mr Speaker: I will have to remind the hon. Member that if the hon. Minister has given reasons why he cannot give the information, there cannot be supplementary questions.
Mr Guimbeau: Mr Speaker, Sir, can the hon. Minister reassure the House that there will be no cut in maintenance?
Mr X. L.Duval: Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to be very clear. There are a lot people who are trying to denigrate Air Mauritius – I am not saying this for the hon. Member. This is not the time to partake in such things. Air Mauritius has a wonderful 100% safety record and it is doing everything necessary to maintain this. There is absolutely no cut in the type of maintenance. What has been done, with the help of McKinsey, is that MK has renegotiated to its advantage the terms of the maintenance; not the actual maintenance itself.
Mr Bodha: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the hon. Minister whether some maintenance is done in Mauritius? I would also like to ask him whether he would agree with me that, at some point in time, there was a contract for the maintenance of planes from other companies to be done in Mauritius?
Mr X. L. Duval: Mr Speaker, Sir, there are various types of maintenance that are done. For instance, just after and before a flight, there is maintenance. MK does this for themselves and also do that for other airlines that land in Mauritius. I am not aware whether planes come specifically to Mauritius for that.
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