23,388 people assisted under the Help for Homes Initiative in Phase One

23,388 people were assisted under the Help for Homes Initiative in Phase One.

This has been confirmed by the Minister for Economy and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed‑Khaiyum.

Sayed‑Khaiyum says that 11,331 applicants received $1,500 each, 4,100 applicants received $3,000 each while 7,957 applicants received $7,000 each after Cyclone Winston.

Sayed‑Khaiyum says people whose names were not in the NDMO’s list for this initiative were also assisted.

He stresses that there was a significant demand of building materials in Fiji and also internationally therefore it was noted that there was a shortage of some materials such as concrete blocks, iron and timber.

He says this is one of the factors that caused delays in delivering of materials to residents.

The Minister says hardware companies could not contact recipients since they moved from where they used to live and the tropical depression in December was also one of the factors that caused delays.

He also highlighted that hardware companies who had not performed well had also complied with the 4 percent interest imposed on them and paid government a total sum of $697, 662.

He says the companies who paid the interest are Vinod Patel, RC Manubhai and Carpenters Hardware.

These companies have been also excluded from the phase 2 of the initiative.

The government has spent $88 million so far to assist people living in cyclone affected areas and another $20 million was allocated in the 2016/2017 National Budget.

80% of schools will still be under construction this month.

Sayed‑Khaiyum says more than 490 schools were affected in Cyclone Winston and a total of 166 schools comprising of more than 1,500 buildings have been identified for rehabilitation.

He says that out of 1,550 buildings, 844 buildings required structural upgrading while the remaining 340 buildings required new construction.

A total of 36 contractors were approached for the contract.

The Minister also highlights that there is a shortage of tradesman in Fiji and this is one of the factors that may cause the delay.

He says a number of contractors have made applications to bring tradesmen from Indonesia, Philippines and Bangladesh.