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The Minister

Senator Haynesley Benn

 Minister of Commerce and Trade

 Haynesley Benn was born and raised in St. Peter and has retained very close links with the communities in the parish. He worships at the Bethany Baptist Church, is a Sunday School teacher and is an active member of the Men's Fellowship and Church Choir. He also trains other singing groups and has for a long time been involved in the organization of youth groups in the constituency. Haynesley's mission is the holistic development of St. Peter - spiritually, socially and economically.

From his close connection with his constituents, Haynesley puts accessibility to land as well as suitable and affordable housing at the top of his priorities for the constituency. He also plans to tackle head-on the poor standard of some of the roads in many areas of St. Peter and the acute water shortages, which continue to plague sections of the Parish. He would also wish to see better health care and amenities, particularly for the elderly, and improved sporting facilities for the youth. Haynesley intends placing quality of life issues high on his agenda. This focus is consistent with the policy of the DLP to "put people first".

Haynesley Benn has prepared himself well for leadership roles. He received his early schooling at the All Saints School and Coleridege & Parry School, as well as BIMAP and The University of the West Indies, from which he graduated with a Masters degree in Business Administration. Haynesley is the Marketing Manager with one of Barbados' largest conglomerates. A highly respected voice in agriculture, Haynesley was the former General Manager of the Barbados Agricultural Society where he served from 1975 to 1997. He served the 4-H movement in Barbados from 1969 and held the positions of President of both the 4-H Leaders' Council and the Barbados 4-H Foundation. Haynesley is still involved in the 4-H movement and with farming in general. He feels strongly that this nation should control its food import bill and should place Food Security high on its list of priorities. He has had formal training in Cooperative and Credit Union management and has worked in rural communities throughout the Caribbean and Canada.

Haynesley Benn is also an educator, having been trained at Erdiston Teachers' Training College (1972 - 1974); and he believes that education is a powerful means of sustainable development.

Haynesley is married to Margery and is the father of two sons, Don and Neil.