"The light that comes from wisdom never goes out"
We had hoped to see the government turn over a new leaf this month when its legislative agenda was unveiled in the first Speech from the Throne under its tenure. …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: HOA needs long-term agenda for making laws the VI needs”
After this month’s House of Assembly meeting, it is clear that the opposition needs to do a better job of working as a team. During the session, different members asked …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: Opposition must work as a team”
The government needs $8.3 million to get the territory’s airports back on track after the newly installed BVI Airports Authority board discovered “a rabbit hole of mismanagement, deception, profligacy, and …
Continue reading “Fahie: Airports a ‘rabbit hole’ of mismanagement”
The government is holding a series of meetings with business owners and the wider community to gain input in preparation for the second and third readings of the Consumer Protection …
Continue reading “Government seeks input on consumer protection bill”
Premier Andrew Fahie plans to table the BVI Resilient National Energy Transition Strategy at the House of Assembly sitting on Monday. The step is among several agenda items listed on …
Continue reading “Premier to introduce energy strategy at HOA”
An amendment related to the controversial “fast-track” plan to residency and belongership being championed by Premier Andrew Fahie is scheduled for a hearing in the House of Assembly on Monday, …
As government continues struggling to access money from the $65.2 million Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Loan from the Caribbean Development Bank, leaders still have not been able to secure further recovery …
Continue reading “Government still working on UK loan guarantee”
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn grilled Cabinet members on the revocations of the boards of various statutory bodies and government committees, which ministers said was part of a new policy under …
Lawmakers at the House of Assembly on Friday grilled Premier Andrew Fahie about the cost to taxpayers of the legal battle between Speaker of the House Julian Willock and Mark …
Continue reading “Opposition grills premier on Willock legal battle”
Opposition members are set to ask government ministers a series of hard-hitting questions at the third sitting of the House of Assembly tomorrow. Premier Andrew Fahie also has several bills …
Governor Gus Jaspert said on March 26 that he does not intend to issue a writ for a by-election following legal advice that Fourth District Representative Mark Vanterpool’s resignation “was …
Continue reading “Governor will not issue writ for by-election”
Julian Willock has a controversial past. He was dismissed from the public service in 2012 following allegations of impropriety, he was briefly imprisoned in 2016 after he allegedly missed scheduled …
Legislators across parties called for unity and collaboration on Tuesday as all 13 members of the House of Assembly and Speaker Julian Willock were sworn in at the first HOA …
After months of speculation, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith announced last week that the general election will be held on Feb. 25. The House of Assembly was officially dissolved the following …
Two bills were quickly added to the agenda for this week’s House of Assembly sitting on Tuesday: amendments to the “economic substance” law that took effect on New Year’s Day …
The estimated cost to complete the Iris O’Neal Medical Centre on Virgin Gorda is some $900,000, and the facility is expected to be finished in February, according to Health and …
Continue reading “Iris O’Neal Medical Centre now due next month”
This article originally appeared in the Beacon’s print edition on Jan. 17. From 2016 through last year, the National Health Insurance programme paid out roughly $1.95 million more than it …
If the government has its way, electronic voting will be used for the first time in the next general election, ideally eliminating the need to count votes by hand late …
By DANIEL FLIGELSTONE DAVIES Two government statutory bodies have paid about $180,000 to collection agents since 2011, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith told the House of Assembly last week in response …
Continue reading “Statutory bodies paid some $180k to collection agents since 2011, gov’t says”
The government will soon invite proposals for rebuilding the Palm Grove Shopping Centre, which was demolished in August after being gutted by Hurricane Irma, according to Premier Dr. Orlando Smith. …
Continue reading “Government hopes to rebuild Palm Grove Shopping Centre”
With less than a month to spare, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith on Tuesday announced Cabinet’s approval of a draft law designed to keep the Virgin Islands off a European Union …
Continue reading “As EU blacklist looms, House to fast-track law”
Despite a packed legislative agenda, a House of Assembly sitting was adjourned on Tuesday after concerns were raised about various technical “violations” in how the session was scheduled and held. …
Continue reading “‘Illegal’ House of Assembly sitting adjourned”
On Tuesday night, legislators unanimously passed the latest iteration of the “Recovery to Development Plan” in the House of Assembly. Before the official adoption of the plan — which government …
Lawmakers unanimously passed the Correctional Facilities Act, 2018 on Tuesday morning, overhauling the policies governing Her Majesty’s Prison. The act — passed with yet-to-be-publicised amendments — repealed and replaced the …
In the weeks after Hurricane Irma, elected leaders promised legislation designed to help the territory recover and prepare for future storms, including a new building code, consumer protection legislation, a …
Continue reading “EDITORIAL: The broken record from the Throne”