The inadequacy of Gordon House to properly facilitate the nation?s business came to the fore again last week, when one committee had to change the venue for its deliberations after dis-covering that the conference room designated for its meeting was too small to accommodate members and visitors.

Last Wednesday?s meeting of the Privileges Committee of Parliament got under way little more than two hours after its scheduled start-up time after the venue was changed from the government members? conference room in Parliament to the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston.

Another committee examining the Offences Against the Person Act and the Incest Punishment Act had a meeting set for the same time.

The Gleaner understands that this committee had intended to meet at the Jamaica Conference Centre but revised its plans a few days before and held its dis-cussions in the chamber.

This decision reportedly forced the Privileges Committee to utilise the facilities of the government conference room. This, however, proved woefully inadequate.

Journalists turned out in their numbers to cover the controversial censure motion against Member of Parliament for St. Andrew North Central, Karl Samuda. The Opposition MP, who was appearing before the committee for the first time to challenge the motion against him, was accompanied by his wife, sister and a member of his constituency.

Committee members were also out in full force to deliberate on the issue, which stirred spirited debate since the motion was moved by Donald Buchanan late last year.

Another location

But it was the large number of persons who crammed themselves into the small conference room that stalled the meeting and prompted chairman of the committee and Speaker of the House, Michael Peart, to identify another location for the meeting.

For years parliamentarians have debated the need for a new Parliament building and the issue was again raised during the Sectoral Debate last year when St. Catherine South Central MP, Sharon Hay-Webster, lamented the lack of adequate facilities to carry out the country?s business.

Ms. Hay-Webster said at the time that the limited facilities had impacted negatively on the number of committee meetings held in the House.

At the time, she called for parliamentarians to put aside political divisions and support the call for a new building.