Breathalyser by mid-year

Breathalyser testing is due to begin by the middle of this year, Works Minister Franklin Khan promised yesterday. And, he revealed, Government is unlikely to go with the idea of blood sampling. Instead persons will just be required to blow into the instrument. Khan revealed that one of the main issues which being debated by Government was whether or not to bring legislation which requires persons to give blood samples. This would require a special majority, he explained, adding that there were concerns about Opposition support.

He said Government had two options — one involved  bringing the bill with the clause requiring blood samples and deleting it if the Opposition did not support it; and bringing the bill minus the constitutional clause. The first option will produce a better bill, he stated. But, added that Government was leaning in favour of the second option. Khan said there were other issues of how implementable the bill would be once it became law. “But we have gotten the final advice. The Chief Parliamentary Counsel is doing the final piece of drafting and it should be out shortly,” he said. He said while he couldn’t give an exact date, it should be within the first half of the year “for sure.”