In 2004 the Constitutional Reform Bill proposed the abolition of office of Lord Chancellor in England. The Lord Chancellor advises Her Majesty on the appointment of the Chief Justice. He is also responsible for setting up a tribunal to give advice on the removal of the Chief Justice. Any restructuring of this office may have an impact on the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Order which provides for the appointment and dismissal of the Chief Justice.

However the OECS Attorneys General agreed that since the functions of that office will be retained there was no need for Member States to consider amending their Constitutions and the Supreme Court Order to provide for a substitute for that Office.

This is one of the decisions coming out of the just ended 11th sitting of the OECS Legal Affairs Committee which took place in Basseterre.

Also at the OECS meeting the Attorney’s General noted progress with respect to the Family Law Reform Initiatives and the development of an appropriate institutional framework to strengthen the Social Services Delivery structures. The Committee agreed that mobilization of resources to implement the necessary legislation was critical to ensure that the delivery system had the capacity to intervene and address family matters in a more holistic manner.

In assessing progress on the drafting of harmonised legislation the Committee urged the Secretariat to draft supporting regulations for the effective administration of the Acts governing intellectual property rights.

The Legal Affairs Committee reviewed a report submitted on the Feasibility Study on the Regionalisation of the Prison Services in the OECS and noted the initiatives in relation to the regionalisation of the Prisons and Police Force.

They also considered the initiative of the OECS Secretariat to undertake an audit of the laboratory needs in the Member States in association with the Organisation on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

On a wider scale the meeting discussed work undertaken by the CARICOM Drafting Facility to remove legislative restrictions to the development of the CSME and agreed to take the necessary action to ensure that the requisite legislation to give effect to the CSME is implemented by December 2005.

The 11th Meeting of the OECS Legal Affairs Committee was held at the St Kitts Marriott Resort on 14th April, 2005. The meeting was chaired by Delano Bart, Attorney General of St Kitts and Nevis.

Contacts:
Kendol Morgan Senior Communications Officer OECS Secretariat This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Raymond O’Keiffe Comm.Officer OECS Secretariat email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it