(2017-06) Circular No. 006 on Travel by Government Members and Senior State Officials
Summary — Implementing the 29 March 2017 arrêté on the state's operating costs, this circular from Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant sets rules for travel by cabinet ministers and other senior state officials. Ministers must request the Prime Minister's authorization at least eight days ahead of travel, specifying purpose, duration and delegation, while an interim minister's powers are limited to current and urgent business; every official mission requires a written report to the Prime Minister and the Council of Government.
Key Findings
- The circular implements the 29 March 2017 arrêté on the state's cost of living (train de vie de l'Etat).
- Ministers must request the Prime Minister's authorization at least eight days before travel abroad, specifying purpose, duration and delegation composition, and must inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for protocol arrangements.
- A minister covering for a traveling colleague may only handle current business and urgent matters, and must report on measures taken to the returning titulaire minister.
- Every official ministerial mission requires a written report to the Prime Minister as soon as possible, and a report to the next Council of Government meeting.
- Ministers alone may authorize travel by Directors General and other public agents under their authority, informing the Primature of the mission's purpose.
Full Description
Circulaire No 006, dated 2 June 2017, implements the 29 March 2017 arrêté on the state's cost of living (train de vie de l'Etat) to regularize travel by members of the Government and other senior state officials. Ministers must seek the Prime Minister's authorization at least eight days ahead, stating the purpose and duration of travel and the delegation's composition (the Prime Minister chooses who covers the interim), and must inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for protocol and treaty-related arrangements; unforeseen travel is treated as a special case.
A minister covering for a traveling colleague may only handle current and, where necessary, urgent business, and must present the returning titulaire minister with a list of acts taken during the interim. Every official mission by a minister requires a prompt written report to the Prime Minister, and a further report to the next Council of Government meeting. Ministers alone may authorize travel by Directors General and other public agents under their hierarchical authority, informing the Primature without delay of each mission's purpose; and, per the applicable decree on official travel documents, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the MEF must complete required formalities before issuing travel authorizations.