by Linda Straker
- First session ceremonially opened on Wednesday, 31 August 2022
- Second session will commence in late September or early October
- All questions and unanswered questions will have to be resubmitted for inclusion on Order Paper
The first session of the 11th Parliament, which ceremonially opened on Wednesday, 31 August 2022, will be prorogued from 4 September 2023. This is the first parliamentary session for the Dickon Mitchell National Democratic Congress Administration elected on 23 June 2022.
During that first session, Members of Parliament in both the Lower and Upper Houses approved several new legislations and resolutions as well as made amendments to existing legislations while the cabinet of Ministers approved several Statutory Rules and Orders.
Bills heavily debated were the 2023 Appropriation Bill and Supplementary Appropriation Bills; the Data Protection Act; Amendment to the Tax Administration Bill to facilitate the tax amnesty, and an amendment to the Customs Act which increased the excise tax and Value Added Tax on several consumer items.
All questions and unanswered questions will have to be resubmitted for inclusion on the Order Paper because of the end of the session. There were no unanswered questions in the Lower House, but there were 4 unanswered questions in the Upper House. These were questions submitted by Senator Neilon Franklyn.
At the ceremonial opening, Governor-General Dame Cécile La Grenada, in the traditional Throne Speech, said that the priorities for the first year were intended to be results-oriented, focusing on the implementation of strategic programmes, projects, and policies to gain the maximum benefits from the resources that are available.
“Rather than making wish lists and setting overly ambitious targets, my government will focus instead on identifying priority areas for investment in different sectors. Through this approach, resources can be efficiently channelled to areas with the greatest need,” she said in August 2022, approximately 2 months after the new government was elected.
The second session will commence in late September or early October.
