House to debate Marriage Bill today

The bill is designed to amend the Marriage Act, the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, the Hindu Marriage Act, the Orisa Marriage Act and the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, to establish 18 years as the legal age for marriage in TT.

The bill requires a three-fifths majority for passage in the House (25 votes) and in the Senate (19 votes). The Senate passed the bill with amendments on January 17. The question now is whether the Opposition will support the amended bill or not. Government has 23 MPs in the House and needs at least two of the 18 Opposition MPs to vote in support of the legislation. This year’s Calypso Monarch Dr Hollis Liverpool (Chalkdust) won the title at Sunday’s Dimanche Gras show at the Queen’s Park Savannah, singing about the controversial issue of child marriage.

Also scheduled for debate in the House today is the long awaited Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property (Amendment) Bill, 2016. The new public procurement legislation is expected to take effect from March 31.

Before debate begins on either of these bills, there are six papers to be laid in the House.

Top of the list is a nomination by President Anthony Carmona for former head of the Coast Guard, Commodore Anthony Franklin, to be appointed a member of the Police Service Commission (PSC).

Imbert has questions on foreign exchange and Caribbean Airlines to answer from Naparima MP Rodney Charles and Chaguanas East MP Fazal Karim, respectively.

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon has a question from Fyzabad MP Dr Lackram Bodoe, regarding the manpower audit being conducted the Police Service.

At a news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s on January 4, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said former PSC chairman Professor Ramesh Deosaran will chair the committee that will undertake the audit.

The Prime Minister said at that time, the committee has been mandated to submit its report to Cabinet by March 31. Before the House sits on Friday, the JSC on Human Rights, Equality and Diversity is scheduled to hold a public hearing at Tower D from 10.30 am, to discuss the issue of human rights of remandees at the Remand Yard Prison with Deosaran and representatives of Vision on Mission and the National Security Ministry. This committee is chaired by Community Development, Culture and the Arts Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly.

Other members include Housing Minister Randall Mitchell, Opposition Senator Rodger Samuel and Independent Senator Dr Dhanayshar Mahabir.