HoA passes Register of Interests’ bill with amendments
Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), who sponsored the bill, reported out of committee that the Bill had been amended.
However, the extent of those changes is unclear, as the Bill is yet to be signed by the United Kingdom-appointed Governor Daniel Pruce and gazetted.
It was on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at the continuation of the Ninth Sitting of the First Session of the Fifth HoA, that the final version was passed.
There was a debate over a proposal for two major changes; lifting a $15 fee currently required to view each HoA member’s interests, and adding a private register for senior public officers including department heads, deputy secretaries and other employees in grades 19 through 21.
Bill forced on HoA
Legislators were forced to revisit the law at the request of former Governor John J. Rankin, who strongly criticised what was passed before in 2022.
However, one Opposition legislator Hon Myron V. Walwyn (R6) hit back, saying that such a law is not imposed in the UK. There is a register of interest for UK Members of Parliament but, according to Hon Walwyn, it is more of an administrative document and not embedded in legislation.
Outside of the Governor, the one-man Commissioner of Inquiry imposed on the Territory also demanded that changes be made to the Register of Interest Act. Following the 2022 CoI report, they claimed that lawmakers had repeatedly failed to disclose their interests as required under the 2006 Register of Interests Act. However, the evidence showed that was not the case, since most members had filed their interest, albeit some were late.
Once the Bill is signed off by the Governor, it will be made public and all the changes made will be accessible.
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9 Responses to “HoA passes Register of Interests’ bill with amendments ”
Now I understand why they done away with s********n because rumors have it that a minister heavily invested. This is one bill I am interested in and getting and reading. 4 n 8 yrs millionaires..
Check again. This is standard ALL OVER THE WORLD.