The National Coalition for Caymanians government has said it is “investing not indulging” after years of former administrations hoarding surpluses while neglecting critical infrastructure.
That’s according to district administration and home affairs minister Nickolas DaCosta who was speaking during the parliamentary budget debate on Tuesday, 11 November.
DaCosta defended the government’s CI$2.49 billion spending plan against opposition criticism, saying the People’s Progressive Movement had “postponed and this government will deliver”.
“Surpluses without strategy achieve nothing. Savings without service achieve nothing,” DaCosta said, allocating $133 million to his ministry in 2026, rising to $137 million in 2027.
The minister said his ministry touches “nearly every household” through services ranging from public safety to postal delivery, with 89% of the budget supporting core operations and 11% for capital investments.
Key allocations include 29% for emergency response and public safety, 27% for rehabilitation and social programmes, 18% for sister islands development, 17% for border security and 9% for administration.
DaCosta announced plans for a Border Intelligence Directorate within Customs and Border Control, which processed 2.3 million airport passengers last year while strengthening enforcement against contraband and illegal migration.
The ministry will advance biometrics at borders, risk targeting analytics and non-intrusive scanning technology, with the Domain Awareness Radar Project delivering real-time maritime and airspace monitoring in partnership with the Coast Guard.
Public Safety Communications handled more than 91,000 calls in 2025, a 77% increase over five years, with the budget funding next generation 911 systems and expanded CCTV networks across all three islands.
“When it comes to saving lives, seconds are the currency of survival. These investments save those seconds,” DaCosta said.
On rehabilitation, the minister called for a shift in thinking, saying the prison service was being transformed “from a place of confinement alone into a place that expects growth, demands accountability and enables meaningful contribution”.
The budget advances work towards a modern correctional facility with classrooms, vocational workshops and counselling rooms, while supporting a revised Prison Act and expanded mental health programmes.
“When a person leaves prison with skills, stability and purpose and does not return, that is not leniency. That is success,” DaCosta said.
The ministry will introduce a Victim Rights Bill affirming that victims “are not an afterthought,” setting out rights to information, protection and participation throughout the justice process.
For the sister islands, DaCosta announced continued road and drainage improvements, the Cayman Brac Airport fire station expansion, and new affordable homes through the Sister Islands Affordable Housing Development Corporation.
Water Authority Cayman will expand infrastructure to Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, providing “clean, reliable, affordable water” to both islands, he said.
The Cayman Islands Fire Service responded to more than 1,600 incidents last year, with the budget providing new fire appliances, protective equipment and enhanced training across all three islands.
DaCosta directly addressed opposition accusations of “tax, borrow, spend” policies, saying previous administrations had “boasted about record surpluses and swollen bank balances” while neglecting long-term needs.
“Today we are paying the price for their failure to plan. We are playing catch-up on projects that should have been completed years ago,” he said, listing schools, prisons, emergency communications, roads and affordable housing as deferred projects.
The minister said true fiscal responsibility was “not about hoarding money in the treasury for bragging about surpluses” but deploying it wisely for future generations.
“We will not apologise for investing in people and infrastructure the Progressives ignored,” DaCosta said. “We will not pretend that yesterday, with those glorious surpluses, was good enough.”
The ministry employs more than 1,000 public servants delivering essential services daily, whom DaCosta called “custodians of public trust”.
Looking ahead, the minister said the government was “shifting from maintenance to momentum” and tracking results that matter to residents’ daily experiences.
“Let us measure our success not by the size of our surpluses, but by the strength of our society. Not by how much we have saved, but by how many we have served,” DaCosta concluded.
