The Legislative Drafting Division of the Attorney General’s Chambers hosted a seminar for Senior Managers across the public service on ‘The Legislative Process and Drafting Instructions’.  The seminar took place on Grand Turk at the Life Centre Building on Old Airport Road on 26^th  June 2019.

The seminar focused on four key areas: 

1) how to develop legislative policy; 

2) how to provide quality legislative drafting instructions; 

3) how to prepare Cabinet Papers on Legislative  proposals and frame recommendations; and 

4) the legislative process.

The seminar was geared to Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries, Heads of Department and generally, persons who are involved in providing legislative drafting instructions to the Attorney General’s Chambers.

This training forms part of the work plan of the Attorney General’s Chambers for the financial year 2019/2020 and sought to strengthen the capacity of senior managers across the public service to promote quality legislative proposals of interest to their respective Ministries and departments. 

Presenters at the Seminar were Ms. Desiree Downes MBE, Principal Legislative Drafter in the Attorney General’s Chambers along with Ms. Gogontle Gatang and Ms. Priscilla Paquette both of whom are Senior Legislative Drafters in the Attorney General’s Chambers. 

There was an overwhelmingly positive response to the interactive sessions with some 7 Ministries, 21 departments 3 Statutory Bodies participating for a total of some 58 persons in attendance. The training consisted of a series of presentations followed by mock exercises designed to test understanding and provided an opportunity for feedback. 

The Hon. Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles OBE QC brought remarks and thanked the participants for their strong interest in gaining a better understanding of the Legislative process and how to provide drafting instructions. She noted that the Legislative Drafting division of the Attorney General’s Chambers works in accordance with the Government’s legislative agenda fixed by the Cabinet which sets out the Government’s Legislative priorities for each financial year. The Hon. Attorney General welcomed the opportunity provided by the Seminar to foster greater collaboration across the public sector. 

Due to the high level of interest within the public service and wider public sector, the training seminar will be held again in July on Providenciales and on that occasion will seek to include senior officers of statutory bodies. 

END

The Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) marked its 20th Anniversary just recently and with 27 Members which includes the Turks and Caicos Islands, represents diversity of ideas, cultures, and languages and of successful approaches to Anti Money Laundering and Counter Terrorist Financing laws and regulations.

CFATF Legal advisor, Ms. Ana Folgar said; “The CFATF pursues the objective of achieving compliance ...with an effective implementation of the FATF Standards to prevent and control money laundering and to combat the financing of terrorism.”

“In that sense, we will strive to speedily adapt the revised Standards in all our Members countries and assist them as they approach their Mutual Evaluations and the challenges of demonstrating effectiveness.”

Attorney General, Rhondalee Braithwaite-Knowles stated; “I wish to thank the CFATF and the newly established Financial Intelligence Agency of the Turks and Caicos Islands for partnering with me to host this 10th Compliance Conference under the theme: Keeping in step with regulatory requirements as the Standards evolve”

“The main presence here is to advance part of those preparations and of that thinking ahead. Whether you are in the public or private sector you are the most important piece of the implementation machinery.”

The 10th Compliance Conference addressed the most relevant topics in order to put them in practice at a national and private level. The new Financial Action Task Force Standards; National Risk Assessments, Customer Due Diligence, Supervision, Challenges for the TCI, trends and topics that all stakeholders in the AML/CFT industry need to be aware of, and active participation was encouraged.

ENDS

The 1^st update to the 2014 Revised Edition of the Laws of the Turks and Caicos Islands will came into force on 18^th January 2019. This 1^st update to the Revised Edition will show the law as at 31 March 2018 for those booklets affected.

The 1^st update to the Revised Edition is published in electronic form on a CD-ROM and also in printed form comprising 97 booklets of the Ordinances and Regulations of Turks and Caicos Islands. The purchase price is US$500 per set and CD-ROM. Ordinances and Regulations booklets are available for sale separately as well.

The Hon Attorney General Rhondalee Braithwaite Knowles, OBE expresses sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Myrtle Bryant OBE, Legislative Drafting Consultant, who advised on the material in this first update.

Special thanks and appreciation also to the Legislative Publisher, Ms. Yolande Dash and the Regional Law Revision Centre, who consolidated the update to the Revised Laws, offered advice on the preparation and typeset, printed the booklets and prepared the CD-ROM.

Practitioners and other persons are invited to purchase the update to the Revised Edition of the Laws by contacting Ms. Simeka Boyce, Legislative Systems Administrator on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 338-3273.

ENDS