ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, September 3rd, 2012  – His Excellency the Governor Mr. Boyd McCleary, CMG, CVO today delivered the Speech from the Throne outlining the Government’s legislative programme for this sitting of the House.

The speech was presented on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen during the first sitting of the second session of the second House of Assembly (HOA) of the Virgin Islands to a room filled with Government officials, public officers and members of the public.

The Governor shared that the Government will continue to focus on seven broad areas to ensure that the Virgin Islands advance to a level of development where all residents will be able to enjoy good health, a high quality of life and personal fulfilment, a high quality natural and built environment, safe communities and opportunities to use their talents in gainful employment and entrepreneurship.

The seven broad areas are stimulating/fixing the economy; improving the standard of living; improving overall social services programmes and healthcare; strengthening the educational sector; protecting our borders and enhancing law, order and public safety; public sector reform, communications and infrastructure; and re-establishing/strengthening regional and international relations.

In the area of Stimulating/Fixing the Economy, the Governor reported that Government will amend the Arbitration Act. Recognising that “Arbitration is increasingly becoming the preferred medium for settling commercial disputes because of the flexibility and atmosphere of confidentiality it provides to the disputing parties. This legislation will ensure a robust piece of legislation, which meets the current needs of the Territory.”

Additionally, the coming year will see the continuation of significant legislative reform to ensure the Territory is able to meet the ever-changing standards set by international standards setting bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The likely areas of reform will relate to the Territory’s anti-money laundering laws and international co-operation regime. Such regime is necessary to ensure that the Territory is able to maintain its standing in the global community.

In the area of Improving the Standard of Living, the Governor reported that a framework for accessing information by the public is imperative for good governance and transparency and as such, a Freedom of Information Bill will be enacted. Additionally, during this session, the Department of Labour will seek to implement the regulations, which will serve as the formal requirements to regulate more effectively the work environment. The key areas to be detailed are health and safety and retirement.

Speaking on the broad area of Improving Overall Social Services Programmes and Health Fair, the Governor reported that Government will bring before the House legislation to amend the Hospital Regulations, which presently exempts ten categories of persons from payment of hospital charges. A Hospital and Healthcare Facilities Licensing Bill will be introduced to provide the legal framework to establish and maintain appropriate and consistent standards for healthcare facilities and professional practice throughout the Virgin Islands. Additionally, a Non-Profit Organisations Bill will be introduced to register and monitor the operations of Non-Profit Organisations in the Virgin Islands.

In the area of Strengthening the Educational Sector, the Governor reported that the Education Regulations will be reviewed and amended in the coming year. The revised regulations will outline specific areas as provided for in the legislation to ensure that matters can be appropriately dealt with in our school system. They will also provide for monitoring of the delivery of education programmes operated under the Act, and provide services and processes for the conduct of school supervision, as well as the investigation of complaints made by members of the public.

Speaking on the broad area of Protecting Our Borders and Enhancing Law, Order and Public Safety, the Governor reported that, “Government will introduce amendments to the Immigration and Passport Ordinance to bring this legislation in line with the 2007 Constitution. The amendment will ensure that it is relevant to the immigration pattern and the fees are modernised to meet the current trends. This would ensure that border control is effectively managed in light of current regional and international concerns.”

Additionally, the Jury Act, 2012 will soon be introduced in the House. The key features of the new Act include the establishment, maintenance and update of an electronic database (the “Jury Management Database”) for the preparation of the register and the proper management of the jury system and the formalisation of the selection of persons from the voters’ list to serve as jurors and the identification of persons who are disqualified and exempted from serving as jurors.

In the area of Public Sector Reform, Communication and Infrastructure, the Governor reported that to allow greater flexibility between employees of the Government, Statutory Agencies and the Police Force, the Employee Mobility Act, 2012 has since become law.

To further enhance this flexibility, the Employee Mobility Regulations will soon be finalised. During the coming year, the Ministry of Communications and Works will concentrate on strengthening its legal framework in order to create an enabling environment to operate more effectively in critical infrastructural areas. Additionally, the Ministry of Communications and Works will work closely with the BVI Electricity Corporation to modernise components of the Electricity Ordinance (Cap. 277), that will allow for changes such as inter-connecting renewable energy alternatives onto the grid.

The Speech from the Throne is delivered at the beginning of each new session of the House of Assembly by the Governor. It is prepared by the government on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen in whom the executive authority is vested and who is also part of the legislature. It is the vehicle used by the elected Government to set out its legislative programme for the ensuing year.

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