At a recent cabinet meeting with all members present. The meeting held on March 3rd 2021 chaired by His Excellency Governor John J. Rankin decided that cabinet would review and consider the following Bills and decided that they be introduced for their first reading in the House of Assembly at the next convenient Sitting:
a. Bill entitled, Contractor General Act, 2021, which seeks to monitor and, where necessary, investigate the award of contracts with a view to ensuring that they are awarded impartially and without impropriety or irregularity and are implemented as specified in the award, and report the findings of any such investigation to the House of Assembly;
b. Bill entitled, Whistleblower Act, 2021, which seeks to make provision for the manner in which individuals may in the public interest disclose information that relates to unlawful or other illegal conduct or corrupt practices of others; to provide for the protection against victimization of persons who make these disclosures; and to provide for a fund to reward individuals who make the disclosures;
c. Bill entitled, Beneficial Ownership Secure Search System (Amendment) Act, 2021, which seeks to amend the Beneficial Ownership Secure Search System Act, 2017 (No. 15 of 2017); d. Bill entitled, Economic Substance (Companies and Limited Partnerships) (Amendment) Act, 2021, which seeks to amend the Economic Substance (Companies and Limited Partnerships) Act, 2018
e. Bill entitled, Register of Interests (Amendment) Act, 2021, which seeks to enable the Registrar of Interests to cooperate fully with criminal investigations, orders of a Court and Commissions of Inquiry, while preserving the confidentiality of the Register once its relevance for those purposes has been exhausted.
f. Bill entitled, Stamp (Amendment) Act, 2021, which seeks to extend the economic stimulus in response to the effects of COVID-19 virus.