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THE establishment of the long awaited, first ever Family Court has, again, been delayed and is now expected to be functional some time in 2013, Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon has informed. Speaking at his usual post-Cabinet news conference, in Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown, he said, last week, that there are certain works still to be completed before the tribunal can take a serviceable position.
“The Family Court has now been overtaken by the decision to locate the hearings for the (Linden) Commission of Inquiry. To the extent that those activities are ongoing, there will be a necessary delay in the Family Court actually entering into service within its proper jurisdiction,” he said.
“Our anticipation, essentially, is that, sometime in 2013. The Commission of Inquiry may very well close its doors in 2012,” Luncheon anticipated.
Previously, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Ms. Jennifer Webster had said her ministry, through its Probation and Social Services Department, along with the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA), will be providing support to the Court.
She said the responsibilities of the Ministry will also be increased, since approval has been granted for it to receive additional staff, specifically to deal with Family Court issues.
Rules of the Court were significantly changed by an expert from Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), to whom they were submitted on the recommendation of local officials.
DEADLINE
Originally, a May 2010 deadline was set for the inauguration of the Court and the building to accommodate it was built in the Georgetown compound of the High Court.
The new, two-storey edifice has replicated the architectural style of the adjacent courthouse and Law Library and the establishment is to deal with issues such as divorce, division of property and other domestic matters including adoption, guardianship and custody.
The initiative to have a Family Court was prompted by awareness that the family unit was severely affected by societal demoralisation and that recognition has motivated the emphasis on providing an environment in which adults and children can seek justice and related law can be dealt with in a specialised manner.
Meanwhile, in the 2012 National Budget, amounts totalling $2.1 billion have been allocated for the justice sector. Over $300M will be spent on the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of Court facilities, including rehabilitation of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and completion of Magistrate’s Courts at Wales, West Bank Demerara; Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Berbice and Christianburg, Linden, Upper Demerara River.
The last will create the opening of a new magisterial district, permitting a range of actions, among them filing of Court matters and depositing and collection of child support, which currently require residents in Linden to travel to West Demerara.
Mediation services will also be extended to Berbice, this year, with a new centre for the purpose being erected in New Amsterdam at a cost of $25M.
“The Family Court has now been overtaken by the decision to locate the hearings for the (Linden) Commission of Inquiry. To the extent that those activities are ongoing, there will be a necessary delay in the Family Court actually entering into service within its proper jurisdiction,” he said.
“Our anticipation, essentially, is that, sometime in 2013. The Commission of Inquiry may very well close its doors in 2012,” Luncheon anticipated.
Previously, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Ms. Jennifer Webster had said her ministry, through its Probation and Social Services Department, along with the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA), will be providing support to the Court.
She said the responsibilities of the Ministry will also be increased, since approval has been granted for it to receive additional staff, specifically to deal with Family Court issues.
Rules of the Court were significantly changed by an expert from Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), to whom they were submitted on the recommendation of local officials.
DEADLINE
Originally, a May 2010 deadline was set for the inauguration of the Court and the building to accommodate it was built in the Georgetown compound of the High Court.
The new, two-storey edifice has replicated the architectural style of the adjacent courthouse and Law Library and the establishment is to deal with issues such as divorce, division of property and other domestic matters including adoption, guardianship and custody.
The initiative to have a Family Court was prompted by awareness that the family unit was severely affected by societal demoralisation and that recognition has motivated the emphasis on providing an environment in which adults and children can seek justice and related law can be dealt with in a specialised manner.
Meanwhile, in the 2012 National Budget, amounts totalling $2.1 billion have been allocated for the justice sector. Over $300M will be spent on the construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of Court facilities, including rehabilitation of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and completion of Magistrate’s Courts at Wales, West Bank Demerara; Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Berbice and Christianburg, Linden, Upper Demerara River.
The last will create the opening of a new magisterial district, permitting a range of actions, among them filing of Court matters and depositing and collection of child support, which currently require residents in Linden to travel to West Demerara.
Mediation services will also be extended to Berbice, this year, with a new centre for the purpose being erected in New Amsterdam at a cost of $25M.
