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Last Updated: Mar 12, 2021 - 8:39:42 PM |
The Senate this morning adjourned due to the lack of a Quorum occasioned by the absence of any Cabinet Minister
By Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs
Mar 12, 2021 - 6:33:29 PM
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 On Tuesday past I requested that the Senate meet this morning for the purpose of Tabling a Resolution for debate next week.
A Notice had previously been issued (on Monday past, the 8th March 2021) for a meeting of the Senate on Monday the 15th March 2021. However, at the Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday the 9th March 2021, it was indicated that the Government intended to continue the debate on the Financial Bills on the same day that the Senate had been summoned to meet.
As a result of the decision on Tuesday in Cabinet, I sent a note, that same day, requesting that the Senate meeting be brought forward to today’s date, only for the purpose of tabling the Resolution to approve the Mid-‐term Budget statement.
I also spoke with the Minister of State for Finance on Tuesday, and indicated that I was already committed to attend two negotiation sessions in respect of two major development proposals on Friday morning. I asked him to stand in for me and to Table the Resolution.
Unfortunately, despite my request since Tuesday past, the Clerk did not issue a Notice to change the date of the meeting until 6:44 pm last evening. It is important to note that during our conversation of Tuesday and until the email was sent on Thursday evening, the Minister of State for Finance had only received the original email setting the Senate date for Tabling on the following Monday.
Apparently, the Minister of State, who had already traveled to Freeport that day, did not check his emails and thus was not informed of the confirmation of the change of date from next Monday to today’s date. This very innocent late communication, and innocent oversight, explains the absence of a Cabinet Minister in the Senate this morning.
The Senate will accordingly be requested to meet on Tuesday morning the 16th March 2021 for the purposes of Tabling the Resolution, which will allow for the commencement of a full debate on the Financial Bills and the Mid-‐term Budget Statement on Wednesday the 17th March 2021.
Senator, the Hon. Carl Bethel, QC
Attorney-‐General and Minister of Legal Affairs
Commonwealth of The Bahamas
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