I didn’t request COI deadline extension — Premier

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley said he was not the one who requested an extension of the deadline for implementing the Commission of Inquiry (COI) recommendations.

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley clarified that the decision was a collective recognition of the need for more time. He also emphasised that the decision was influenced by a mutual understanding between the elected government and the Governor’s Office, overseen by Governor Daniel Pruce.

“I did not request an extension, but working together with the Governor’s Office and the UK, we recognise that more time was needed for some extensions, and the Governor in his quarterly report has recommended an extension,” the Premier stated recently.

The Premier highlighted the progress made by both the Governor’s Office and the elected government. He acknowledged that some recommendations may require additional time due to legislative processes but remained optimistic about completing the majority by the end of May.

“We’re making very good progress on right now; we’re in the House of Assembly and we’re going to very soon be completing the Immigration and Passport Amendment Bill and then we’ll also move on to the Crown Lands Bill which would finish an additional two recommendations there,” Dr Wheatley stated. “And by the end of the month, we’re anticipating that we’ll have some other recommendations finished.”

The Premier cited various challenges, such as resource constraints and the complexity of legislative processes, as contributing factors to the delay. “It’s been a massive amount of work over the past two years. We didn’t even really get started until two years ago when we presented the framework agreement in June. And then, of course, we had an election in the middle of that, which took up some of the time that wasn’t anticipated. So, despite that, we have been able to complete the majority of things,” Dr Wheatley explained.

The latest development comes after Governor Daniel Pruce indicated in his quarterly report that an extension was necessary to implement all 48 recommendations outlined in the framework agreement between the UK and BVI governments. The most recent extension to the deadline was May 31.

While acknowledging his disappointment at not meeting the initial deadline, Premier Wheatley expressed encouragement at the substantial work accomplished in the past two years. 

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