New Register of Interest Act will extend to others in public life
The new Register of Interests Act (ROIA) introduced in the House of Assembly (HOA) yesterday will not only apply to elected officials this time around and also proposes stiffer consequences for officials who do not declare their assets on time.
The Register of Interests is a record kept of the financial interests of parliamentarians. Its purpose is to give them the mechanism to publicly declare any private interests which may conflict or may be perceived to conflict with their public duties. The legislation is being updated because last year’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) unearthed that HOA members had been disregarding this law almost with impunity over the years.
In his introduction of the ROIA 2022, Premier Dr Natalio said calls about strengthening good governance, accountability, transparency, and other tenets of a strong and well-functioning democracy were happening long long before the COI.
“Certainly, this matter became topical for the community during the Commission of Inquiry hearings when each member went before the commissioner and answered questions as it related to the Register of Interest. Many of us, myself included, had not declared interest on time,” Dr Wheatley said.
“To be fair, there are some aspects of the process which need to be reformed to ensure that interest is filed on time. And I am not just speaking about the penalties. We know that based on the old Act, the very same day we are sworn in, we are supposed to declare interest and several of us had no idea that was the case, and we missed that deadline right off the bat,” the Premier added.
He added that declaring interest on time must be improved in the system and in the new bill the government is proposing.
“We have serious penalties for not declaring interest on time. I certainly believe that these penalties will get members’ attention including my own attention,” Dr Wheatley said.
Who else will be required to declare
He added that the Register of Interest, up until this point, only applied to elected officials and the conclusion the government has come to after all the debate is that the register should be public.
“It is important for the public to know, especially those persons in public life that this new register of interest will not just apply to elected members. The scope of it has extended to persons who are permanent secretaries, persons who are in a position of authority, heads of departments and other groups. So, the calls for transparency from elected officials will now extend to others in public life,” the Premier said.
He explained that officials must declare what assets they possess along with that of their immediate family. Dr Wheatley said he understood that some people may be concerned about that and perhaps some of the persuasive arguments used by elected officials over the years as to why it should not be public will become relevant to other people.
“They will start to consider how much of things they once considered private should now be exposed to the public. That is a careful balance which we will strike in the committee stage (the closed-door debate of the bill) between details which should be considered private and details that we want to be transparent about. We will have to strike the balance on which bodies and which members it should apply to, and which persons connected to those in public life should be impacted by this. But the society is calling for greater transparency and we are providing that greater transparency,” Dr Wheatley said.
“It is not popular to say but elected officials make great sacrifices to serve. Often we only hear the opposite side of it and the perceived benefits but there is quite a bit of sacrifice which is often made by persons who serve in public life and honestly, I have great respect for those who have served for so long and have made those sacrifices over a great period of time. We have come to members to make yet another sacrifice, which is to sacrifice private details as it relates to the declaration of their assets and certainly the threshold for operating in public life as it pertains to transparency has gone up a few notches as it relates to the introduction and passage of this bill,” the Premier added.
https://bvinews.com/hoa-adjourns-abruptly-amidst-appeal-over-bills-deadline-thrust/
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We also want to see what they own after politics because some goes in broke and comes out rich
If will be interesting to read what is on Patsy’s declaration – she is a member of various statutory boards and will need to file a declaration. Her evidence to the CoI was that she did not keep any proper accounts.
What will be interesting is: what is the penalty for telling lies or ” forgetting ” to report stuff.
I dare bet it will be minimal.
Dont stop the Carnival.
Just like Obamy. Came in poor and now hundreds of millions. Enjoying the cost of gas and diesel? Send him a thank you card!!
Who is Obamy?
” elected officials make great sacrifices to serve ” Now he really is living in fantasy land.
this puppet just playing into the hands of the man..hate it or love it the head coach had need to leave a play book for this young chap
Too bad no one in the HOA audience was listening!
I don’t agree with that. That’s why the BVI need to get out from under the UK. Let it be for politicians. Not for ordinary citizens who how positions in the civil service and worked hard for everything they have. Let the Governor declare his interests.
This is madness to apply this Bill to officers in public life. I did not join Government for this to put my business on the street and this Unity Government is really a puppet Government. They are putting Public Officers’ lives at risk in this place. I have lost confidence in the members of this Unity Government.
I hate to break the news to you, but that how it works in every other part of the developed world.
All Elected members of the council, heads of department, permanent secretaries and managers of Statutory boards should declare their assets annually. This will greatly reduce the skullduggery and pilfering of the public purse. Please not I said reduced because man by nature will find very ingenious ways around it, but it will be greatly reduced and not be the free for all that it is now.
Now what to watch is the transfers of ownership in part or full to not be caught in the scope of reporting. This needs to be monitored – watch the datelines and follow the movement.
Here Comes the UK. . . . . Let us get this mess over with, please?
Like the mice informed the other animals on the farm that the farmer brought home a mouse trap. Just wait and see how this story end for the BVI.
This ROI does not sit well with me and I know it will force the hand of Public Officers to retire early. No one want their private interests made public and if it is made for the whole world to see. A record should be kept of who viewed the ROI. This ROI will put officers and their families lives at risk.