Attorney General, Francine Baron Royer, said Wednesday that the government of Dominica is placing emphasis on improving the legal system in Dominica in an effort to impact on the time and cost of doing business here.
The first female attorney general of Dominica said in her contribution to the 2008/9 national budget in parliament that this fiscal year will see due attention given to the ministry of legal affairs.
“As we strive to achieve these goals work is on the way to reform the High Court Registry. There will be greater emphasis on training of staff, so that a more effective service can be given to the public,” Royer said while noting that birth and death certificates could soon be administered electronically.
She noted that government is also looking at ways and means to strengthen and improve the service provided by the courts, “to ensure that matters are dealt with in a more timely and efficient manner.”
But she warned that this would require the amendment of legislation to make the system more users friendly.
There are also plans to construct a new hall of justice here to house the Court of Appeal, the high, magistrates and master’s court, registries and a modern law library.
Meantime, the attorney General has been defending the delay in implementation of the integrity in Public office act.
She told lawmakers that the delay was due to certain financial measures, which have to be taken while noting that the Roosevelt Skerrit government was not the only administration to delay the implementation of laws.
“Financial provisions have to be made for particular measures to be implemented. If the finances are not available at the time then those measures cannot be taken,” Royer stated.
Opposition groups and members of civil society have been calling for the implementation of the law by the Labour Party government in 2003. But even after Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit announced in this year’s budget that government had made provisions for the implementation of the act, opposition leader Earl Williams said he was not convinced.
“As he promised permission has been made in this budget for the establishment of the integrity commission. For some reason, which I am totally unable, to understand the members of the opposition refused to accept that such provision has been made,” Royer said referring to a walk out state by the opposition last Monday.
“If as they say they wanted to see the act implemented, the reaction of the opposition would have been one of pleasure, of joy, that the necessary allocation has now been made,” she added.
Feel free to react and post a comment on my blog.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I would like to wait and see if the Government really implements this law as they have said they would or if this is just another grasping at straws. But with the implementation it should take effect from 2003. On the part of the speed of the justice system, its high time that attention be given to this. too many times we have had to wait for years for justice most times offenders go scott free. while looking at the courts system the Government should look at the criminal system (i.E Police, CID) and equip them to better handle their cases. thats my 0.02
Post a Comment