Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister Lionel Hurst

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The government has met with the Director of Analytical Services to discuss the scope of work and staff complement that will be required of Antigua and Barbuda when officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrive here in less than two weeks.

Chief of Staff in the Office of the Prime Minister Lionel Max Hurst said on Thursday that the Agency will assist in establishing an Institute of Applied Sciences and Research; Laboratory Services; Research and Development Services.

The agency he said will also establish important functions that will be carried on at the places where the very expensive equipment, provided by the IAEA, is installed.

The Department has two sites; one at Point Wharf and the other at Dunbars; repair work at Dunbars will soon be undertaken and Point Wharf will become the Center of the Department’s activities, according to Hurst, who claimed that the Government will also enact legislation regarding the establishment of the new Institute and its operations, at the next sitting of Parliament.

“It is always better to have an expert than someone who might only occasionally be called. The whole idea is to ensure that small countries like ours that are unable to purchase some of the equipment necessary to do the investigations and to submit annual reports. The international agency will help us and they’ve done that. They’ve purchased some of the equipment which we now have, and training has also taken place”

“So, they will come to Antigua not only examining the equipment which they have donated but also to ensure that the staff that are responsible for ensuring that the equipment works, that they are in place. We have several functions and roles,” Hurst said

He also confirmed that the latest move is a result of the 2018 framework that Antigua and Barbuda signed.