Roadtown, Tortola - Premier Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE, updated members of the House of Assembly (HOA) today on the commencement of a constituency Boundaries Commission.

Speaking at the 10th sitting of the second session of the First House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands, the Premier said it is the policy of this Government to bring about an increase in the number of elected members in the HOA from 13 to 15 and that the additional two members should come from an increase in the number of electoral districts from nine to eleven.

The Premier announced that Cabinet has approved the appointment of the Boundaries Commissioner in the person of Miss Monica Joseph, a retired High Court Justice.  Miss Joseph carried out the last boundaries exercise in 1998 when she was commissioned to redefine the boundaries of the nine electoral districts based on the Constitutionals Commission’s recommendations of 1993.

The Boundaries Commission will be executed in a two-phase process.  According to the Premier “the first phase involves conducting public consultations on the principle of an increase in the number of electoral districts.”  This phase is expected to be completed in one month, after which time a report will be sent to Cabinet for review.  Once permission is received from Cabinet, the second phase should begin in early 2010 when a full boundaries exercise will be conducted, thereby producing recommendations for the definition of new boundaries.

The Deputy Governor’s Office will embark on a full education campaign to inform the public of the functions of the Boundaries Commission as well as to keep them abreast of the district meetings with the commissioner, scheduled to begin in October.

The appointment of the commission demonstrates Government’s commitment to building the Territory’s democratic institutions and processes.