PEARTA COMMITTEE of the House of Representatives is to be appointed to review the number of constituencies into which Jamaica is to be divided and the boundaries of such constituencies.
Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives and Minister of National Security, Dr. Peter Phillips told his colleagues that at the next sitting, he would move a motion for the House to appoint such a committee.
The committee is to be appointed in accordance with Section 67 - 2 of the Constitution of Jamaica, and will be chaired by Michael Peart, Speaker of the House. The committee will comprise six other members. They are, Dr. Peter Phillips, Minister of National Security; Dr. Paul Robertson, Minister of Development; Maxine Henry-Wilson, Minister of Education, Youth and Culture; Olivia Grange, Opposition spokesperson for Information and Culture; Andrew Gallimore, Opposition Member for West Rural St. Andrew; and Dr. Horace Chang, Opposition spokesman for Water.
Addressing the House on Tuesday, January 21, Minister Phillips also gave notice that he would refer the Parliamentary Prayer to the Standing Orders Committee to be reviewed, to make it more appropriate to the Jamaican context. He also gave notice on behalf of the Minister of Health, who would introduce a Bill entitled "The National Registration Act 2003", at the next sitting of the House.
Dr. Omar Davies, Minister of Finance and Planning, also gave notice that he would be introducing at the next sitting of the House, 'The Statistics Amendment Act 2003'.
The Act, which had been read once, was taken to all its concluding stages. It seeks to change the financial year of the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN), from calendar year to fiscal year (April-March); increase the maximum number of members of the institution from six to nine; and empower the Minister to appoint one additional member of the institute, as chairman of the institute.
