Philipsburg:--- Minister of Labour, Public Health, and Social Development Dr. Cornelius de Weever announced on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing that he discovered some more inconsistencies at the Department of Social Affairs and therefore he has decided to retract the mandate of the signing power given to the head and interim head of the Social Affairs Department. Minister De Weever said the retraction of the signing power took effect on Wednesday, the head and interim head can no longer sign the letters to clients informing them whether or not they qualified for social assistance. The Minister said since his last message to the Department head which was either to "shape up or ship out" there have been some improvements, however, it is clear that he has to do what he needs to do given the responsibility he has to the people of St. Maarten. "I understand the plight of the physically and mentally challenged and I will not and cannot allow this to continue without making improvements. Anyone can make mistakes but when mistakes become too common and people's lives are affected I must act if not I heed my own call. What applies to this Ministry also applies to me and when poor people cannot be helped in the United States of America they would say Houston we have a problem, then I say in St. Maarten we have one too. Let there be no doubt that this Ministry is about taking care of the people and when this is being jeopardized then I must act." Minister De Weever said that retracting the mandate to sign letters is an action he took which he believes is the right direction.Minister De Weever is expected to deliver his New Years address to the workers of the Department of Social and Labour Affairs on Thursday when the department closes its doors for an extended staff meeting and the presentation of their year plan. The Minister said the theme for 2012 is Customer Service and Innovative Technology.