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THE Social Services and Public Administration Joint Select Committee (JSC) will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday at 9.30 am to discuss covid19 and education. According to the Parliament's website, the committee will examine "the effects of the blended learning system on student performance in Government and Government assisted schools during the revised covid19 restrictions."
The JSC is chaired by Independent Senator Paul Richards. Other members include Housing and Urban Development Minister Pennelope Beckles, Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan, Minister in the Agriculture Ministry Avinash Singh, Toco/Sangre Grande MP Roger Monroe, Tunapuna MP Esmond Forde, Couva South MP Rudranath Indarsingh and Opposition Senator David Nakhid.
The Public Accounts Enterprises Committee (PAEC), chaired by Opposition Senator Wade Mark, will hold a virtual meeting on Wednesday from 10 am. This meeting will see the PAC examining the audited financial statements of the Urban Development Corporation of TT (Udecott) for 2014 and 2015
The Senate sits on Tuesday from 1.30 pm at the Red House to continue its debate on the Evidence (Amendment) Bill, 2020. The objective of the bill is to amend the Evidence Act, to provide for the use of different identification procedures, interviews and oral admissions, special measures evidence by video link.
When he opened the debate last Tuesday, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said the bill is designed to protect those people who are most vulnerable to crime and provide mechanisms to effectively prosecute the criminals. But he lamented that because the Opposition UNC was bluntly refusing to support any legislation which requires a special majority for passage in Parliament, the bill is not as complete as Government would have liked it to be.
"The need to protect vulnerable witnesses is critical in this point. Vulnerable witnesses in the context of our children, most importantly."
He explained the provisions of the legislation would treat with "those who are in circumstances of fear, those who are immature, those who are affected with a disability, trauma, people who are subjected to sexual offences."
Al-Rawi added, "These have to be managed in a very careful way."
While Government wanted to include witness anonymity in the bill, he said, "But that is now out, because quite simply we would not have obtained the Opposition's support in the House of Representatives."
Recalling that the Opposition had publicly declared last year it would support no legislation requiring a three-fifths majority, Al-Rawi observed, "We will have to come back when that structure of the Parliament lends itself to better consideration."
The House of Representatives has not yet held a sitting for this year.
The post JSCs meets on covid, education, Udecott appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.