THE building that will house the long-awaited Family Court is completed and two contracts have been awarded for the provision of the necessary furnishings. This was confirmed by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, who was at the time responding to a question posed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) member, Volda Lawrence in the National Assembly. The other aspects required for the operationalisation of the court, such as staffing and presiding judges are matters that have to be addressed at the levels of the judiciary and the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), according to a report from the Government Information Agency.
With regards to staffing, Minister Nandlall said that a process has been activated between the Registrar of the Supreme Court and the Public Service Ministry for the creation of new posts for persons who will be serving in the Family Court.
GINA stated that this process is ongoing, and vacancies are being created and persons are being shortlisted for interviews. Moreover, the Judiciary is responsible for identifying the date and time frame for cases to be heard.
However, in making the court operational, an important prerequisite is the completion of the Family Court rules. This has also been completed and transmitted to the Clerk of the National Assembly to comply with the formal requirements of gazetting. It will subsequently be laid in the House.
The responsibility of the appointment of judges does not fall under the ambit of Central Government but rather with the JSC, which has also been interviewing prospective candidates.
The Family Court will help agencies such as the Child Care and Protection Agency to function more efficiently. It will allow adults and children to seek redress and for family law issues such as divorce, division of property, domestic disputes, adoption, guardianship and custody to be discussed in a specialised manner.