Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes, is desirous of having Mrs. Lolita Davis-Richardson stationed in the Attorney General’s Chambers to review draft laws there before they are taken to the House of Assembly for consideration and approval.
He made the statement in the House of Assembly on Wednesday, February 15, saying that the Government was finding itself in constant difficulty with laws brought to the House. “I wish to state here, again, that it is a matter that needs to be addressed and addressed in a manner that works in the best interest of the people of this country for whom these laws are meant…,” he stated.
“As Parliamentarians, we are not lawyers. It has therefore been my firm view that before laws go to the House, particularly those that have a direct impact on society, they should first be vetted by the local Bar Association. You see, while I appreciate the efforts of the Attorney General, the dilemma that we face is that many of these laws have an impact relative to the culture of us, as a people called Anguillians, which may not always be understood by a person who does not know the particular nuances of our cultural heritage.
“The Anguilla Bar Association and individual attorneys have been extremely helpful in the past in pointing out to us, as Government Ministers, any special significance on various pieces of legislation that have been presented. I wish again, on behalf of my Ministers, to echo our thanks to them for their assistance to us as parliamentarians and, by extension, to the wider community.
“As a result of that first dilemma, however, I presented a paper to the Executive Council sometime, in the latter part of 2010, asking for a position in the Attorney General’s Chambers to be assigned and filled by a person whom we suggested. It would be the duty of that person to review all laws after they had been drafted with a view to the impact of the laws on the wider society. That paper, which I presented, was deferred by other members of the Executive Council.
“However, the same predicament that we have been having concerning the drafting and presentation of laws continues to happen over and over again. We see it with the Education Bill, the Domestic Violence Bill and again, just recently, with the Higher Education Licensing Bill. We have to radically review our approach and as you will be hearing from me, when I address the nation tomorrow, my emphasis for this New Year of our administration, is the issue of policy. What is the state of the various policies that govern how Government functions, whether those policies need revision, tweaking or a complete 360-degreeturn.
“In light of the need for us to re-examine our policy, I am putting it on record that I feel that my suggestion made, since in 2010, that Mrs. Lolita Davis Richardson fill a position in the Attorney General’s Chambers, to review the legislation on behalf of the Government and people of this country, needs to be carried forward. While the Government does not do the hiring of civil servants, I hope that my statement here today, when I take the further step of again presenting a paper to EXCO on this issue, now meets with a favour in light of this constant turmoil that we have over the laws ofAnguilla.
“Mrs. Richardson is qualified. She has a talent to dedicate to this form of service toAnguilla. In this way at least [it] offers to us, as parliamentarians, a further perspective on the impact of the laws. Even if at all timeswe do not agree, at least we will have a perspective of the impact of such legislation and, where necessary, have the same redressed.
“I think it is imperative that you seriously consider this initiative especially since the Attorney General is considering a restructuring of the Attorney General’s Chambers. I trust he will take on board and share my desire that Mrs. Richardson can be of service to her country in this manner and avoid these constant battles that we seem to be having over legislation for this country.”
The only comment came from the Speaker, Mrs. Barbara Webster-Bourne, who said: “Certainly, something to consider so that we can move forward on the various Bills that have been setback.”
