THE Government is expected to withdraw both the ministerial order and the affirmative resolution seeking to increase the waiting time for allowing access to Cabinet discussions when the House of Representatives resumes today at Gordon House.

Copies of the order and bill, which were tabled in the Senate on September 27, were withdrawn last Friday, after the Government decided against pursuing the affirmative action vote in Parliament, and to establish a joint select committee from both Houses of Parliament to review three public access acts: The Access to Information (ATI) Act, the Official Secrets Act and the Archives Act.

Prime Minister Holness told the Jamaica Observer last week that the joint select committee will look at privacy rights affecting national security, property and proprietary rights in respect of how these issues are treated in legislation.

He said that, in the meantime, the process of releasing Cabinet minutes covering the period 1975-76 into the public domain will commence. It is understood that the request was made by the Radio Jamaica/Gleaner group.

Also, in a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) yesterday, Holness said he stands by his statements regarding his briefing and the response of the leader of the Opposition to the order to extend the waiting period for releasing notes of Cabinet meetings.

The OPM statement was issued in response to one issued by Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips last Saturday, denying giving any assurance of support for the extension of the waiting period to access the minutes of Cabinet meetings under the Access to Information Act (ATI).

Holness told the Observer last Thursday that he had briefed Phillips on the order to increase the waiting period from 20 to 70 years, and that he had received his support.

“It was about principle and good governance, and I expected his support,” Holness said during the interview with the Observer.

But Phillips responded on Saturday, that the briefing was simply “extending a courtesy” in informing him of the Government’s intention to change the policy.

He accused the prime minister of choosing “to misrepresent this conversation and to breach long-standing conventions with respect to private discussions between the parliamentary leaders”.

Holness had used his ministerial authority to sign the order on September 5 for the extension of the waiting period for the Cabinet minutes.

Following the tabling of the resolution and reports in the media however, public anger swelled against the 50-year expansion, leading to the Government’s withdrawal of the resolution in the Senate, and the promise of it being sent to a joint select committee of Parliament to review the ATI Act when the House resumes today.