Governor Boyd McCleary is scheduled to deliver the annual Speech from the Throne on Monday, outlining the government’s legislative agenda for the coming year.
Legislators also plan to discuss the cruise ship pier, government finances, the new hospital, and other topics during the first House of Assembly sitting of a new session, according to an order paper released Friday.
Also up for discussion is the Status of Children Act, which is to be introduced along with six other bills. The current legislation unfairly discriminates against children born out of wedlock, according to advocates for change.
The Disaster Management Act and Legal Professions Act, which weren’t passed during the previous HOA session, will also get re-introduced Monday, according to the order paper.
Legislators will also introduce amendments to the Financial Investigation Agency Act, the Interpretation Act and the Magistrate’s Code of Procedure Act. New legislation should be published in government’s Gazette in the coming weeks, with debate in the House to follow.
During Monday’s question-and-answer segment, Opposition member Julian Fraser (R-D3) is set to ask government ministers about several topics: outstanding payment vouchers from government to contractors; the territory’s latest expenditures and treasury statements; equipment funding for the new hospital; the “pre-development” works Tortola Ports Partners was contracted to complete for the BVI Ports Authority; other Ports Authority finances; and Telecommunications Regulatory Commission royalties.
Ministers will also lay several documents on the table, including two special reports from the complaints commissioner; a document called the Statement of Preparedness of the British Virgin Islands for the 2013 Atlantic Hurricane Season; and annual reports from the Department of Agriculture, the BVI Ports Authority, and the Water and Sewerage Department.
Education and Culture Minister Myron Walwyn will lay two new policies on the table: a National Sports Policy and a Culture Policy.
See the Oct. 10, 2013 edition for meeting coverage.
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