Governor Pearey before delivering speech from the throne The Speech from the throne is underway at the House of Assembly and His Excellency Governor Pearey has begun with a recap of some of the major legislations that were passed during the last sessions.
Some notable achievements that were listed from the second session were referred to by His Excellency as policies that cover the gamut of financial services, tourism, human rights, the judiciary and healthcare.
“The territory remains committed to upholding the relevant conventions on human rights across the board. As such, I am pleased that this House in February passed the parole Act, 2009. This act brings the territory up to date with trends in human rights and new approaches in dealing with criminal offenders,” he said.
The Governor pointed out that since March 2009 the government has been in touch with the Chief Executive Officer of the UK Parole Board to make the necessary preparations for the implementation of the Act. These plans, he said, includes the setting up of systems such as sentence planning, rehabilitation activities, the probation and parole officers, among eminent citizens.
He added that the passage of the Litter Abatement Act in the last session now gives the Territory a broader definition for Litter Wardens, which also includes solid waste officers and members of the Police Auxiliary Force. “Amendments were made to increase the penalties fixed in the legislation. Litter wardens are now being appointed,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Pearey noted that an amendment to the Tourist Board Act has strengthened the participation of stakeholders in the industry as the membership was increased to include not less than nine and not more than 15 members.
The Queen’s representative also recalled that in July the House passed the National Commission for UNESCO Act, 2009 which, he said, sets up the framework for the functions, the composition of the commission, and the responsibilities of the secretary general of the National Commission for UNESCO in the Virgin Islands.
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