PHILLIP Paulwell, the minister of commerce, science and technology, is expected to make a statement on the current cement crisis today.

However, Senator Burchell Whiteman, the information minister, refused to say at yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing when or where the statement would be made. He said, however, that it should be within 48 hours.

It is likely, however, that the statement will be delivered by Paulwell at this afternoon’s sitting of the House of Representatives, when the Opposition is likely to raise more questions about the current cement crisis caused by the discovery of batches of poor quality cement.

Last week, Opposition spokesman on finance and the public service, Audley Shaw, raised the issue of the effect of the cement crisis on the $1 billion schools’ construction programme.

According to Shaw, there is a serious crisis now existing in the building and construction industry and that there was a possibility of that crisis impacting on the construction programme for schools.

On Friday, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding called on the government to immediately institute batch-by-batch testing of the cement coming out of the Caribbean Cement Company’s plant at Rockfort in Kingston.

According to Golding, the ramifications of defective cement in the construction industry were far-reaching as many construction projects across the island have been adversely affected.

However, the Cement Company has since confirmed that it has stopped production since last Thursday, pending a resolution of the crisis.