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On Tuesday October 1, the Prime Minister presented his general policy speech. The following day, MPs returned to their seats, and their work, on the benches of the National Assembly.
Senator François-Noël Buffet has inherited the Ministry of Overseas France. What do you think of this appointment?
François-Noël Buffet knows the issues, having worked on overseas France through reports and Senate commissions, both in the Atlantic and Pacific Basins. And he has travelled to the territories. But he's a right-wing man, and it just so happens that the Atlantic overseas territories are predominantly left-wing. The four deputies from Guadeloupe are left-wing, the four deputies from Martinique are left-wing, and the two deputies from French Guiana are left-wing. His first task, in my opinion, will be to re-establish a minimum of trust between the government and the elected representatives of these territories. Without trust, dialogue is complicated, and at present there is mistrust of the State.
How can the problems of Saint-Barth and Saint-Martin be brought to the fore, given the emergency situation facing other overseas territories?
I'm the chief lobbyist for the Collectivité de Saint-Martin et Saint-Barthélemy! It's likely that the attention of the Minister for Overseas France will be drawn first and foremost to New Caledonia, Mayotte and Martinique, where things are burning, rather than to Saint-Martin and Saint-Barth. Objectively, that would make sense. If we want to solve certain problems we have, such as health or education, perhaps it would be better to go and see the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Education, rather than the Ministry for Overseas France.
What are the major issues awaiting you at the start of the new parliamentary term?
I'm used to saying that I don't work on the big issues. I look, feel or take into account what I'm told. I repeat that there is a situation concerning the hospital and healthcare in general, but also the elderly, the Ehapd, these situations largely deserve to be improved. We can't say that nothing has been done in recent years. Saint-Barth, for example, has had its own hospital director, who now also has to look after Saint-Martin. The problem remains, and we need to find solutions. Housing is also a problem for Saint-Barth: availability in quantity and the cost of land, which is prohibitive. This is an issue that cannot go on indefinitely.
A few weeks ago, you wrote to Air Caraïbes asking for explanations about the cancellation of direct flights to Sintra.
the cancellation of direct Sint-Marteen/Paris flights...
I was disappointed by Air Caraibes' announcement, even if I understand their economic decision, they said that commercially it wasn't profitable. We also spoke to Air France about a disparity in treatment, on the subject of the price of emergency funeral services. A person who had to travel to France (or to the French Overseas Departments and Territories) because of a death could benefit from a special rate for Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, but not for Saint-Martin and Saint-Barth. We drew their attention to this and it was corrected.
