Today’s meetings of Parliament postponed
MEETINGS of the House of Representatives and its committees scheduled for today have been postponed.
Leader of Government Business Derrick Smith said a resumption will depend on the impact of Hurricane Matthew.
The annual constituency debate, involving all 63 Members of Parliament (MPs), which was planned to start today at Gordon House is postponed.
Smith had announced last Wednesday that the debate would begin today and continue tomorrow. However, yesterday he said he was not sure whether it could start tomorrow.
The House was also expected to look at a Bill seeking to restore incentives under the Junior Stock Exchange, which has been tabled by Minister of Finance and Public Service Audley Shaw.
The Public Administration and Appropriations Committee was scheduled to discuss a number of issues relevant to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information tomorrow.
The Regulations Committee of the House was also scheduled to review issues relating to the National Housing Trust (NHT) and the NHT Act, including the Balaclava Housing Development and the Longville Housing Development, as well as the Beach Control (licensing) (Amendment) Regulations.
Last Friday’s sitting of the Senate was also postponed. However, it was not clear whether the postponement had anything to do with Hurricane Matthew.
In a release from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) yesterday, Smith appealed to the MPs to stay in their constituencies to manage the emergency coordination on the ground.
He also urged them to stand by to be called to Parliament in event that their presence is needed at Gordon House or the OPM. The 63 MPs met with the Cabinet at OPM last week Thursday to review preparations for the still possible hurricane hit.