Calm returns to Parliament

The Senate sits at 1.30 pm tomorrow where the main item on the agenda will be a motion by Local Government Minister Rennie Dumas to begin debate to validate the Fifth Report of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (Local Government) Bill 2005. Debate on that bill was aborted last week after Dumas failed to attend the sitting of the Upper House. Time permitting, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Valley will begin debate on the Fair Trading Bill 2006. The Lower House is due to sit at 1.30 pm on Friday, at which time Dumas is expected to kick off debate on the EBC (Local Government) Order 2006. UNC political leader Winston Dookeran, former Chief Whip Ganga Singh, and Chaguanas MP Manohar Ramsaran will once again be on the Opposition’s backbenches due to last week’s events in the Lower House.