Opposition to Chair Select Committees of Parliament

Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, yesterday (Sept. 27) invited the Opposition to name members to chair select committees of Parliament, as part of a move to strengthen the effectiveness of the Opposition in the House.
The committees include public administration and appropriations, public accounts, internal and external affairs, economy and production, human resources and social development, and infrastructure and physical development.
The Prime Minister, who was speaking at the opening of the new session of Parliament and swearing-in of members of the Senate and House of Representatives and Gordon House, indicated that the Standing Orders of Parliament will be amended to address the issue of Private Member Motions, which sometimes remain on the Order Paper for extended periods and eventually fall off without being debated.
“I do feel that when a member brings a resolution here, because he feels he has a duty to the people, who sent him here to put that matter before Parliament, we hold those people in contempt when we have that resolution sitting on the Order Paper for six, nine months,” Mr. Golding said.
“Therefore, we want to see an amendment to the Standing Orders that would require that there must be a time limit and within that time limit, resolution must be debated and there must be sanctions if that requirement is not adhered to,” he added.