Got TIPS or BREAKING NEWS? Please call 1-284-442-8000 direct/can also WhatsApp same number or Email ALL news to:newsvino@outlook.com;                               ads call 1-284-440-6666

‘No money to attend conferences’- Stephanie P. Benn

Registrar General of the Civil Registry and Passport Office, Mrs Stephanie P. Benn. Photo: VINO/File
The complaint is documented in the Civil Registry and Passport Office's, Annual Report and Accounts’ for 2016—laid in HoA during a recent sitting. Photo: Team of Reporters
The complaint is documented in the Civil Registry and Passport Office's, Annual Report and Accounts’ for 2016—laid in HoA during a recent sitting. Photo: Team of Reporters
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI – Registrar General, Mrs Stephanie P. Benn, has complained that there is no money to attend important conferences such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), where they also deal with travel documents.

The complaint is documented in the Civil Registry and Passport Office's, Annual Report and Accounts for 2016—laid in House of Assembly (HoA) during a recent sitting.

Mrs Benn noted in her report that because of the lack of funds, her agency cannot “keep abreast of changes affecting Passport, Immigration and Civil Registries.” 

The lack of funds have also affected the Civil Registry and Passport Office’s ability to meet “obligations with the developer of CRIS and the Belonger system for ongoing upgrades, of both software applications,” according to the 2016 Report.

A light of hope 

Another area that was a challenge in 2016 but has since been corrected, was the Department’s operation from two locations. 

A year ago, the entities moved to a centralised location, in the ‘Sakal Building’ located next to the 'Festival Village' compound in Road Town.  

The Civil Registry and Passport Office, comes under the purview of the Governor’s Group and is responsible for the registration and preservation of vital records, along with granting citizenship, visas, passports and belongers’ status, among other responsibilities.

12 Responses to “‘No money to attend conferences’- Stephanie P. Benn ”

  • Diaspora (09/08/2018, 14:25) Like (29) Dislike (5) Reply
    they travel too much
  • Outlaw (09/08/2018, 14:38) Like (39) Dislike (18) Reply
    What all you crying for. You got a Government you deserve
  • improvise (09/08/2018, 17:10) Like (28) Dislike (1) Reply
    I'm pretty sure any changes can be found online.
  • biker (09/08/2018, 17:34) Like (42) Dislike (0) Reply
    Just attend your meeting on the internet like most people in business do. Traveling in person to most meetings now is just a waste of time and money.
  • Spade (09/08/2018, 18:18) Like (14) Dislike (1) Reply
    But it cost 43,000.00 when premier went London mmm
  • ReX FeRal (09/08/2018, 18:22) Like (1) Dislike (0) Reply
    Seize the time.
  • Nativeboy (09/08/2018, 18:55) Like (20) Dislike (4) Reply
    Stop crying - politicians & bad spending got you broke. 8 years of unaudited Financial accounts.
  • Jessica Jones (09/08/2018, 19:18) Like (21) Dislike (0) Reply
    Sign up for Skype.
  • THINK! (10/08/2018, 09:57) Like (4) Dislike (1) Reply
    Of all the departments that need to attend meetings this is one. National security is important. Meeting people that you have to call on in time of need is best done after you have met them face to face and have gotten to share. It is not the departments fault that the big boys wasted money on themselves and bad deals.
  • Big travel (10/08/2018, 11:29) Like (6) Dislike (0) Reply
    Ask the Tourism Board to fly you to all their conferences, they just flew 20 people to New York for ‘ meetings ‘
  • joe (10/08/2018, 17:53) Like (2) Dislike (0) Reply
    Hmmph! If given the opportunity, SPB would travel the world and say she’s on duty travel while on govt. money. Just looking an excuse to be out of office if you ask me. She’s infamous for working her staff like slaves while she takes all the credit!


Create a comment


Submit comment

Create a comment

Submit comment
Disclaimer: Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) welcomes your thoughts, feedback, views, bloggs and opinions. However, by posting a blogg you are agreeing to post comments or bloggs that are relevant to the topic, and that are not defamatory, liable, obscene, racist, abusive, sexist, anti-Semitic, threatening, hateful or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be excluded permanently from making contributions. Please view our declaimer above this article. We thank you in advance for complying with VINO's policy.
CG Insurance Office Move


Follow Us On

Disclaimer: All comments posted on Virgin Islands News Online (VINO) are the sole views and opinions of the commentators and or bloggers and do not in anyway represent the views and opinions of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of Virgin Islands News Online and its parent company.