The House of Representatives will hold a compulsory training session for Members of Parliament (MPs) on Tuesday, December 16, to provide them with further guidance on how to complete their statutory declarations before the end-of-month deadline, Speaker of the House Juliet Holness has announced.

Holness told the House that the session, which will take place at 10am in the chamber, follows recent meetings with the Integrity Commission and is intended to strengthen transparency and accountability among MPs. The declarations are due on December 31, and failure to file may have legal and political consequences, including referral to the commission.

“This session will guide us through the proper completion of statutory declarations, which [are] due on December 31, 2025. This initiative is designed to support transparency, strengthen compliance and ensure that every member is fully equipped to meet the requirements set before us,” Holness said.

Although statutory declarations are an annual requirement, many MPs — particularly first-time parliamentarians — have never participated in formal training. The Speaker noted that the Integrity Commission initiated the courtesy call and that the session would benefit everyone, regardless of experience.

“I would like to remind us that we have a lot of new members seated in the House who will benefit from the training and from the information that helps with their ability to comply. Some persons are more experienced than others but even the experienced members of the House will find benefit from having a lot more sense of certainty in respect of how we complete these declarations and do our reporting,” Holness said.

Statutory declarations, which are intended to disclose assets, income, liabilities and other financial interests, are an important tool for preventing corruption and maintaining trust in public institutions. Over recent years, the Integrity Commission has repeatedly urged stricter compliance and clearer reporting from government officials.

The Speaker stressed that Parliament must lead by example and that next week’s session is an opportunity to improve the quality and accuracy of submitted documents.

The training comes at a time when the role of the Integrity Commission has been the subject of national debate. Public calls for stronger scrutiny of political officeholders have intensified, particularly following recent corruption allegations across the region.

— Jerome Williams