Right to enter Assembly
4. No stranger is entitled, as of right, to enter or to remain within the Chamber and precincts of t the Assembly.
Speaker may regulate admittance
5. (1) The Speaker is hereby authorised to issue any orders that he may in his discretion deem necessary for the regulation of the admittance of strangers to the Chamber and precincts of the Assembly.
(2) Copies of orders made by the Speaker under this section shall be duly authenticated by the Clerk and exhibited in a conspicuous position in the Chamber and precincts of the Assembly, and those copies, when so authenticated and exhibited, are deemed to be sufficient notice to all persons affected by them.
Speaker may order withdrawal of stranger
6. The Speaker may at any time order any stranger to withdraw from the Chamber and precincts of the Assembly, and any person .who fails to obey his order may be forcibly removed from the Chamber and precincts of the Assembly by any officer of the Assembly, and no proceedings shall lie in any cowt against the Speaker or officer in respect of the removal.
Offences relating to admittance to Assembly
7. Any stranger who-
(a) enters or attempts to enter the Chamber or the precincts of the Assembly in contravention of any order of the Speaker;
(b) fails or refuses to withdraw from the Chamber or the precincts of the Assembly when ordered to withdraw therefrom by the Speaker; or
(c) contravenes any of the Standing Orders or any order made by the Speaker under section 5 relating to the admission of strangers;
is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $4,800 or to imprisonment for a term of 3 months or to both.
Attempted intimidation of Assembly or committee
8. (l) Any person who is a member of a group of 12 or more persons who come in a riotous, tumultuous or disorderly manner to the Chamber or the precincts of the Assembly while the Assembly or any commjttee is sitting in order to hinder or to promote the passing of any bill, resolution, or other matter bt:fore the Assembly or committee is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a tine of $ 19,200 or to imprisonment for a term of 6 months or to both.
(2) Any person who incites any other person to come in a riotous, tumultuous or disorderly manner to the Chamber or the precincts of the Assembly while the Assembly or any committee is sitting in order to hinder or to promote the passing of any bill, resolution or other matter before the Assembly or committee is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $19,200 or to imprisonment for a term of 6 months or to both.
Other offences
9. (1) Any person who-
(a) offers to any member or to any officer of the Assembly any bribe, fee, compensation, gift, benefit or reward of any kind in order to influence him in his conduct as a member or officer, or for or in respect of the promotion or of opposition to any bill, motion or matter submitted to or intended to be submitted to the Assembly or any committee;
(b) assaults, obstructs, molests or insults any member coming to, being within, or going from the Chamber or the precincts of the Assembly, or endeavours to compel any member by force, insult or menace to declare himself in favour of or against any proposition or matter pending or expected to be brought before the Assembly or any committee;
(c) assaults, interferes with, molests, hinders, resists, obstructs or insults any officer of the Assembly while in the execution of his duty, or assaults, obstructs, molests or insults any officer of the Assembly on his way to or from the Assembly, knowing him to be an officer of the Assembly;
(d) creates or joins in any disturbance that interrupts or is likely to interrupt the proceedings of the Assembly or any committee while the Assembly or committee is sitting;
(e) presents to the Assembly or a committee any false, untrue, fabricated or falsified document with intent to deceive the Assembly or committee;
(f) subject to subsection (2), publishes or prints any libel on the Assembly, or publishes by words spoken any false, scandalous or defamatory matter, reflecting on the character or proceedings of the Assembly or which tends to bring the Assembly into odium, contempt or ridicule, or publishes or prints any libel on, or publishes by words spoken or by writing any false, scandalous or defamatory matter reflecting on the character or proceedings of a committee of the Assembly, or publishes any libel on a member of the Assembly touching his conduct as such member;
(g) abstracts any record or other document from the custody of the Clerk or falsifies or improperly alters any records of or documents presented to the Assembly or any committee;
(h) inflicts or threatens to inflict harm in body or estate upon any member or officer of the Assembly with intent to influence him in his conduct as a memher or officer;
(i) molests any member or officer of the Assembly on account of his conduct as a member or officer;
(j) disobeys any order to attend, or to produce documents before, any committee duly authorised in that behalf;
(k) refuses to be examined before, or to answer any question put by, any committee;
(l) gives false evidence, prevaricates or commits other misconduct as a witness before any committee;
(m) destroys any document that bas been ordered to be produced before a committee;
(n) endeavours, directly or indirectly, to deter or hinder any person from appearing or giving evidence before any committee;
(o) tampers with any witness in regard to evidence to be given by him before any committee;
(p) threatens, punishes, damnifies, injures, assaults or insults any person who has given evidence before a committee on account of his evidence; or
(q) publishes any evidence taken by, or document presented to, any committee before the evidence or document has been reported to the Assembly;
is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $4,800 or to imprisonment for a term of 3 months or to both.
(2) Nothing in paragraph (l)(f) shall apply to a fair and accurate report of the proceedings of the Assembly published in any newspaper, radio, television or other medium of communication or to fair comment on them.
Officers to have powers of police officer
10. Every officer of the Assembly shall, for the purposes of this Act and of the application of the provisions of the criminal law, have all the powers and enjoy all the privileges of a police officer.
Power of arrest
11. An officer of the Assembly may, without an order from the Magistrate and without a warrant, arrest-
(a) any person who commits any offence contrary to section 7 or section 9 in its presence; or
(b) any’ person within the Chamber or precincts of the Assembly whom he reasonably suspects of having committed an offence contrary to either of those sections.
Editor’s Note: The above extract was requested by Mr. Leroy Rogers, Speaker of the Anguilla House of Assembly. (Persons in the House on Monday, November 9, objected to being referred to as “Strangers”. A more appropriate term might have been “Vistors”).
