The second meeting of the second session of the twelfth Anguilla House of Assembly took place on Tuesday, November 23rd, 2021. The Speaker of the House, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne, requested that the minutes from the first meeting on November 9, 2021 “reflect that all members of the opposition left the assembly at 11:30 am without consent of the Speaker in connection with Rule 10:2 as indicated in the last sitting.” The minutes were then approved “as circulated and amended.”
Announcements by the direction of the Speaker, were critical and complimentary. She proceeded to remind all Assembly members of Rule 10:2 which reads, No member shall leave the Assembly or a Committee of the Assembly except with the consent of the Speaker or of the Chair of the Committee. “Going forward,” she said, “I ask that members be guided accordingly – as members of this Assembly, you are elected or appointed, as the case may be, and paid…paid to work on behalf of the people of this island in this Honourable Assembly.”
She continued, “As leaders, we must be responsible and we must lead by example. We are quick, very quick to criticise young people when they break the rules, but the reality is, these same young people are watching and following our actions.”
The Opposition Leader, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge made a request to explain why the members of the Opposition made the decision to leave the Assembly, as mentioned in the Speaker’s announcements. The request to present an explanation at the current sitting of the Assembly, was denied by the Speaker, in accordance with the procedural Rule 54.
The Speaker applauded the Member for Valley South “on her mission of Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, especially regarding women, as statistics show 80% of violence is perpetrated against women right here in Anguilla, and these cases are growing,” she emphasised.
Continuing with the current business of the Assembly, and in regards to Rule 13 – governing the delivery of and response to the Opening Address – the Speaker indicated that the Committee on Parliamentary Reform met and resolved that “this particular rule should be dealt with as a committee of the whole House.” The Assembly moved and approved a motion that the whole house, as a committee, should review, and amend if necessary, Rule 13.
Another motion brought to the House for approval by Minister Haydn Hughes, Motion 2/2021-2/12-HOA, Remittance (Reduction In Stamp Duty Under The Alien Land Holding Regulation Act) Regulations, 2021, gave rise to some comments and questions by the Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge. Mrs. Hodge indicated that the motion had its genesis back in 2017 under the former government, of which she was an elected member, and she was pleased that the property referenced at that time has been sold for proposed hotel development on the eastern part of the island. However, she voiced concern regarding the current government’s proposed further reduction in the Stamp Duty from 17.5% down to 6.5%. She questioned whether or not the reductions that had been put in effect from 2017 would continue in 2022, [because] the whole concept of reducing the Stamp Duty and the Alien Land Holding, at the time, was to generate economic activity and additional revenue.
She continued: “Many of the properties on the market in Anguilla are already alienated, and the reductions [made in 2017] were restrictive and created a barrier of sorts for persons to pick up on these properties.” Mr. Hughes responded to the question, saying: “If that decision is taken, the general public will know when that time comes, but at this time, I cannot say that. But if it is, it would not be unprecedented.” Motion 2/2021-2/12-HOA was passed by The House of Assembly without amendment.
