Long Senate session on Wednesday

THE SENATE will sit from 10 am on Wednes-day, when it will face a heavy legislative agenda. No legislative matters were dealt with during Tuesday’s sitting of the Upper House as Senators paid tribute to their late colleague Arnim Smith, who died at the St Clair Medical Centre on Sunday.

New Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley steps into the line of fire to answer questions from Senate Minority Leader Wade Mark about the alleged construction of houses on agricultural lands and the Inter-American Development Bank loan contract agreement which Government signed in 2002 with respect to the National Settlements Programme. New Agriculture Minister Jarrette Narine will ans-wer questions from Mark about Government’s land use policy. Opposition Senator Sadiq Baksh has three questions for Works Minister Franklyn Khan pertaining to the San Fernando Waterfront De-velopment Project and Piarco Airport.

Attorney General John Jeremie will then present ten bills for second reading. These bills include an act to establish the Caribbean Court of Justice as the region’s final court of appeal and amendments to Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act. National Security Minister Martin Joseph has his first parliamentary foray in his new portfolio with presentation of an Act to amend the Firearms Act. Debate continues on Independent Senator Pro-fessor Ramesh Deosaran’s motion for live parliamentary debates and Opposition motions on corruption in public life and equal opportunity legislation.