Attorney General Anil Nandlall yesterday assured that the five government bills passed during the last sitting of the National Assembly would be treated with “convenient speed” when received by his office for assent certification.
Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs yesterday said the Hydro Electric Power (Amendment) Bill and the four local government bills, which were passed in the National Assembly between Wednesday and Thursday morning, have not yet been sent off to the Attorney General’s Chambers for certification.
Isaacs told Stabroek News on Thursday that he was working assiduously to get the bills to the AG’s Chambers for them to be examined and issued assent certificates. Once this was done, he said, the bills would return to his office and then sent off to the Office of the President, for him to give his assent.
However, when contacted yesterday, Isaacs explained that his office, the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, and the Office of the Prime Minister were still working on the Hydro Electric Power (Amendment) Bill. He said that they were working in inserting the amendment made to the bill, which amounted to about nine pages. This task, he said, was proving to be somewhat difficult.
He said, however, that work is ongoing and that his staff along with the relevant officers in the Office of the Prime Minister to get the work done as soon as possible.
He said though, that since this bill is being given priority, work had not yet started on the four local government bills. Isaacs had said that he decided to give the Amaila-related Hydro Electric Bill priority after sensing the urgency with which it was treated during the last sitting of the National Assembly.
