Major Cabinet shake-up as Young replaces Dillon

IN a major Cabinet reshuffle, the Prime Minister last night advised President Paula-Mae Weekes to revoke Edmund Dillon’s appointment as National Security Minister. Communications Minister Stuart Young will replace him.

Young confirmed his appointment, thanked Dr Rowley and pledged to do his best in his new assignment.

A statement issued around 12.24 am by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) said Young retains his communications portfolio and also remains a minister in the OPM.

His appointment as Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs was revoked.

Rowley's assignment as Housing Minister was revoked and Dillon, a former TT Defence Force Chief of Staff, has been appointed Housing Minister.

The PM had assumed the housing portfolio in a Cabinetreshuffle on April 9 which saw Darryl Smith reassigned from the Sports Ministry and becoming a minister in the Housing Ministry before he was fired from that post 24 hours later.

The latest reshuffle saw the duties of La Horquetta/Talparo MP Maxie Cuffie further reduced from Minister to Parliamentary Secretary in the Public Administration Ministry. Cuffie had a stroke last September and spent months recuperating at a hospital in Washington, DC.

Cuffie returned home on July 27 and is expected to return to work in early September. In April, Rowley had Cuffie reassigned from Public Administration Minister to Minister in the Public AdministrationMinistry. He also promoted Port of Spain South MP Marlene McDonald from a minister in that ministry to Public Administration Minister.

The PM also told the President that McDonald returned to work last Thursday. McDonald had pneumonia last month and had been on sick leave.

The statement said the President made these ministerial changes in accordance with the provisions of Sections 3(9), 76(3) and 79(1) and 82(1) of the Constitution on the PM's advice.