When the sittings of the National Assembly return to the Public Buildings, parliamentarians will not only notice the repairs to the roof and ceiling but will be able to enjoy enhanced facilities for their committee meetings.
The repairs to the roof and ceiling which have been ongoing for the past three years at a cost of $28 million are expected to be completed by the end of July.
Clerk to the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs told Current Affairs that the repairs are almost complete and the contractor, Aubrey Jones, has started painting the refurbished ceiling.
He said Prakash Persaud, who is responsible for replacing the ornaments in the ceiling, expects to complete their production within the next two weeks and has volunteered to assist in replacing the more than 790 pieces so that the July month-end completion deadline could be achieved. Isaacs explained that as each of the more than 790 ornamental pieces is completed, it is sent to the National Trust for approval.
Another change expected, according to Isaacs, is the re-establishment of the reportorial division which would be responsible for the production of Hansard. The production of Hansard is currently being done by a private contractor but Isaacs said parliamentarians and others have expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of the work produced. He said that he is reviewing the job description and is looking to identify the relevant computer software that would assist the staff in its production.
Isaacs said the Parliament Office would be looking at the operations of other regional parliaments, including Trinidad and Tobago, where parliamentarians are provided with a transcript of their speech to review within an hour of completing their presentation.
Other changes that the parliamentarians would see is the relocation of the Speaker's Office to the southeastern end of the building and the area which adjoins that and was used by the press as a refreshment area converted to provide more washrooms.
The former Speaker's Office and the registry are being converted into a huge committee and conference room with offices for government and opposition parliamentarians to have private discussions.
An area with a bank of Internet-ready computers for use by parliamentarians is being provided at the mezzanine level. All of these improvements should be completed around the end of next month as well.
Another committee room, which is likely to be designated for the use of the Public Accounts Committee, is being built on the eastern wing of the lower flat of the Public Building, formerly occupied by the Public Utilities Commission. In addition, there will be offices to house the staff of the Committees' Division and other staff of the Parliament Office.
The southern end of the lower east wing will accommodate the Information Technology section of the Parliament Office which has been funded by the United Nations Development Pro-gramme.
The work on this area is almost complete with only the installation of the computers and electricity left to be done.
The other committee room where public hearings are to be held will be located in a room west of the staircase leading to the upper floor of the Public Buildings. Current Affairs understands that this area was a conference room during the period that the late Dr Ptolemy Reid was prime minister.
Isaacs said there are also plans to provide some canteen facilities which the Carnegie School of Home Economics has been approached to manage. Those facilities are to be available to the parliamentarians and the staff.
There are still plans to provide facilities where parliamentarians can meet their constituents, particular those who have to travel to Georgetown to speak with their regional representatives. This is a common grouse of the regional parliamentarians whom Current Affairs has featured in its 'Backbenchers' series.
Isaacs, who heads the 50-strong Parliament Office staff told Current Affairs that the Committees Division has been beefed up to deal with the increased workload being generated by the committees established by recent constitutional amendments. The committees which now have to be serviced are the parliamentary management committees, the sector committees on Economic Services, Natural Resources, Social Services and Foreign Relations, the Public Accounts Committee, the Committee of Privileges, the Committee for the Appointment of members of Constitutional Commissions, the Committee of Selection, the Standing Orders Com-mittee, the Standing Com-mittee for Constitutional Reform, the Assembly Com-mittee, and the Committee of Selection as well as the special select committees that are appointed from time to time to review legislation referred to them.
Isaacs said in recent times a number of bills had been referred to these committees among which were the Small Business, Public Holidays and the Investment bills. He said too there are plans to appoint a special select committee to look at the implementation of the Disciplined Forces Commission.
The committees which meet most frequently are the Public Accounts Committee, the Parliamentary Manage-ment Committee - which until the PNCR's decision of strategic withdrawal met weekly - the Committee on the Appointment of Members to Constitutional Commission which meets frequently despite the absence of the PNCR members, and the Committee of Privileges which is dealing with issues referred to it as a result of the behaviour of some members of the Assembly during the 2003 Budget presentation.
In terms of assistance to parliamentarians, Isaacs said three research officers have been recruited, but so far parliamentarians have been making very little use of their services. As a consequence, he said their time is being utilised to catalogue the holdings of the Parliamentary Library and provide information requested by members of the public and the Commonwealth Parliamen-tary Association.
Isaacs mentioned too that there are already two Internet-ready computers available for use by parliamentarians, but they are not being utilised. He said the office which houses them is open every morning and closed at the end of the day without them being accessed. He said he only allows his staff access to them when it is necessary to send out correspondence.
Asked about some of the procedures placing motions and bills on the Order Paper, which has sparked some controversy in recent times, Isaacs, now in his third year as Clerk of the National Assembly, said private members' motions are placed on the Order Paper not less than 14 days after they have been placed on the Notice Paper.
He said that to be placed on the Notice Paper the motion has to accord with the Standing Orders and be approved by the Speaker of the National Assembly. He explained that the Standing Orders provide for the Speaker to amend a motion, and where this is done he discusses the change(s) with the parliamentarian who submitted it.
With regard to government bills Isaacs, a former deputy secretary to the Cabinet and regional executive officer, said following approval of the Cabinet, a minister would submit two copies of the draft bill to him which he is required to proof to ensure that every comma, semi-colon and colon is in place before it is published in the Official Gazette.
He explained that while a bill could have its First Reading without being published in the Official Gazette it cannot be placed on the Order Paper unless seven clear days have elapsed between the day of publication and the day of the sitting of the Assembly and must be printed and circulated to members within that time.
He said there should normally be three days between the First and Second Reading except where leave of the Assembly has been given for all stages of the bill to be taken at the same time.
And with respect to changes to the procedures of the sector committees to have some of their meetings open to the public, Isaacs said there is a number of changes being proposed by the various committees and it is planned that they would be combined and referred to the Standing Orders Committee for the required changes to be considered and recommended to the Assembly for its approval.