When the Fourth Meeting of the First Session of the Eleventh Anguilla House of Assembly convened on Tuesday, September 22, the Speaker, Mr. Leroy Rogers, called for the setting up three Committees. He was of the view that such Committees, provided for in the Legislative Assembly Rules and Procedures, would enable the House to function more efficiently.
The first to be set up was the Public Accounts Committee, which had never functioned properly, if at all, or given any recognition in the past. A motion bringing that provision into being was moved by Chief Minister and Leader of Government Business, Mr. Victor Banks. In doing so, he initially announced the composition of the Committee as being Ms. Palmavon Webster, Leader of the Opposition and Member for Island Harbour, Chairperson; Mrs. Evalie Bradley, Member for Road North (member); and Mr. Paul Harrigan, Second Nominated Member in the House (member).
Mr. Leroy Rogers
Mr. Banks pledged the support of the Government and the House of Assembly to the Public Accounts Committee in carrying out its functions. His above-mentioned motion was seconded by Ms. Webster, who thought it should have been established five months ago when the new House of Assembly was constituted. Mr. Evans McNiel Rogers, Member for Valley North, who was Chairman of the previous Public Accounts Committee, blamed the former Government for its non-functioning and joined Mr. Banks in extending best wishes to Ms. Webster. Banks took the opportunity to suggest that the First Nominated Member, Mr. Terry Harrigan, should also be a member of the Public Accounts Committee
The Legislative Assembly Rules of Procedure 1976 provides that the Committee shall consist of not less than three, or more than five, members drawn from both sides of the House whose appointment shall be moved by a Resolution of the Minister of Finance and subject to the approval of the House; that the House of Assembly shall from time to time appoint a member of the Committee who is a member of the Opposition in the House to be Chairman of the Committee and may appoint another member of the House to fill any vacancy in the membership of the Committee occurring from time to time.
The duties and powers of the Public Accounts Committee shall be as follows: to ascertain that the authorised expenditure, during the financial year, including supplementary expenditure, has been applied to the purposes prescribed by the legislature; to scrutinise the causes which may have led to any excess over authorised expenditure; and to verify applications…on other authorised items of expenditure; to make an effective examination of public accounts kept in any department of Government; and to summon any public officer to give any information, or any explanation or to produce any records or documents which the Committee may consider necessary in the performance of its duties. It is further required that the Minister of Finance may provide office and secretarial facilities to the Committee; and that the Committee may submit its report to the House of Assembly from time to time.
The Speaker said the second Committee he wanted to set up was the Finance Committee which, he observed, was either not formed or functioned in the past. The Committee is to consider any financial bills and other business referred to it, and shall consist of such official and unofficial members as the Speaker [the Chairman] may consider advisable to appoint. The rules and procedures relating to select Committees shall also apply to the standing Committee.
The Speaker suggested that the membership of the Finance Committee should be the Chief Minister and Minister of Finance; the Member for Valley North; the Leader of the Opposition; the Second Nominated Member; and the Member for Road South.
The third Committee, which the Speaker installed, was the Committee to deal with the Rules of the House. “Our rules have never really been updated since forty years ago, and most of the other Houses [in the region] have been involved in updating their rules, and I think we need to modernise our rules as well,” the Speaker stated. ”An attempt was made between 2005 and 2010 to have them updated. We have that information and will see what additional amendments we need to make.”
The Speaker suggested that the members should be the Chief Minister; the Leader of the Opposition; the Second Nominated Member; the Member for East End; the First Nominated Member and Deputy Speaker; a member of the Attorney General’s Chambers; and Mr. David Carty, the former Speaker, who was involved in the preparation of amendments to the Rules of Procedure.
Chief Minister Banks noted that a number of persons in the House had made considerable progress on the Rules and Procedure and that there was a lot of work which the new Committees could take forward. “Bringing the Rules of Procedure into the 21st century is critical for the proper management of the House,” Mr. Banks added. “There are things that have gone on over the past years which we are not happy about, and members of the public have expressed their dissatisfaction with the conduct of ministers and members of this Honourable House. We need to put in place rules and procedures that can fix that, as well as facilitate the nature and quality of the debate. I welcome this opportunity, Mr. Speaker, and I hope we can move forward with this as expeditiously as possible. If there is need for some consultation from the wider community, with regard their views, we should also try to encourage that as well.”
Other agenda matters included the first reading of the Anguilla Police (Amendment) Bill, 2015, a hot topic of debate among the citizenry. However the Bill, moved by Attorney General, Mr. Rupert Jones, was withdrawn from the House. According to a public notice, issued by the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Bill was published in the Official Gazette and on the Government’s website on Friday, September 11, inviting comments from the public. The period of consultation has now been extended until Friday, October 16, for further public feedback.
The House of Assembly agenda also made provision for the second and third readings of three Bills put forward by the Leader of the Opposition, Ms. Palmavon Webster. They were the Family Law (Guardianship, Custody and Access to Children Bill) 2015; the Status of Children Bill, 2015; and the Protection Against Sexual Harrassment Bill, 2015.
From the outset, however, she said she wanted the Bills published on the Government’s website and social media in order that the public would have an opportunity to review them. At first, members of the Government side of the House, while agreeing with the principles of the Bills, contended that they needed to be in line with the Government’s legislative plan as agreed in the Executive Council, and that there was a need for a sit down meeting involving Ms. Webster, officials in the Ministries of Social Development and Home Affairs to discuss matters surrounding the Bills.
The Leader of the Opposition moved a motion in connection with the importance of the Bills and for them to be committed to public consultation by the Minister of Social Development. The motion in, its original form, did not receive the support of the House when the vote was taken. As a compromise, offered by the Chief Minister, the motion was re-worded and was eventually accepted, thus allowing the Bills to be committed to public consultation.
