HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon disclosed yesterday that the role of Parliament was again highlighted, as Cabinet continued its focus on the 2012 programme of legislation.

Speaking at his weekly media briefing, at Office of the President (OP), Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, in Georgetown, he said Cabinet agreed to introduce legislation to amend the Sexual Offences Act; introduce processing fees for  firearm licensing applications; for firearm trading licensing; to repeal and re-enact the Deeds and the Commercial Registry Authority Act and to enact amendments to the Business Registration Act.
“These intended pieces of legislation, once introduced, would join those already on the Order Paper and attract the current attention of the House,” Luncheon informed.
He said those currently on the Order Paper are, notably, the Telecommunications Amendment Bill and the Public Utilities Commission Amendment Bill, which were tabled and already had their first readings by the government and are now up for the second reading.
The Cabinet Secretary noted that, at the same time, an Alliance For Change (AFC) opposition motion for the first reading of a private member’s bill, having the same name and designation, awaits the Speaker’s and the House’s discussion.
In addition, he said that Opposition machinations, the Speaker’s counter machinations and the Administration’s resolute parliamentary work have made the sittings of the National Assembly “an exercise of great uncertainty and also one of unbelievable spectacle.”