Bill of Rights to cost millions, says Manderson
(CNS): The deputy governor talked a good deal about the impact of the Bill of Rights on government in the Throne Speech delivered ahead of the budget presentation Tuesday, especially the cost. Presenting an overview of the government’s policies and plans for the coming financial year, Franz Manderson referred to the considerable amount of work going on in all of the portfolios and ministries in order to ready the administration for the bill, which takes effect in November. Manderson explained that much of the cost of implementing the Bill of Rights and ensuring government complies with it would be incurred in this financial year.
“Fulfilling its requirements, in the present economic climate, may call for a certain amount of creativity and innovation, as well as commitment to sustainability and good governance,” Manderson said in the official presentation. “Yet I am confident that these things are within the grasp of the Cayman Islands public service, although not without cost. Full implementation in the public sector is estimated to cost millions of dollars, much of which is in the present budget.”
The Bill of Rights forms part of the Cayman Islands 2009 Constitution and marks a sea-change in the relationship between the government and the people. For the first time Caymanians will have the right to access local legal redress when it comes to prejudice, discrimination or abuse against them by government entities.
The area of government that will be most affected by the BoR is the judicial services and legal department. Manderson said new procedures needed to be developed to ensure that the local courts could deal with applications alleging breach of the provisions in the bill.
“While the Judiciary will draw on experience elsewhere in the region, in Europe and in North America, its preparations will strive to ensure that its approach properly reflects the Cayman Islands culture and history,” he added.
The deputy governor pointed out that it would be his office in conjunction with the Portfolio of Legal Affairs that would continue to prepare government for the November implementation of the bill and specialist training for those public officials who have powers of arrest has now started.
The prison is another place where compliance with the bill will be important and feedback from the recent visit by the UK Prisons Inspectorate will help enhanced compliance for the treatment of incarcerated offenders in accordance with the BoR, he stated.
See full throne speech below.
Category: Politics
Folks- Relax! I am almost sure that the Cayman Government had an approval in principal but was awaiting signature or some sort from Mr. Bellingham.
Even though HE the Governor Mr. Taylor is on leave- please don’t think for one minute that Mr. Manderson is not in contact with him. Mr. Taylor will not shrink his responsibilities like that I am sure even though he is on vacation.
Look at it this way- do you all remember when the house (LA) was called and the budget address was to be given and the Governor simply read a short statement instead of the expected throne speech? Remember?
Look at the throne speech Mr. Manderson presented- do you all not think that if the budget was not approved- or close to being approved- that Mr. Taylor would have allowed for Mr. Manderson to go into so much detail with the throne speech? I think not.
I can only suspect that before the weekend the Cayman Islands Government will have an approved budget to the relief of the Government and by extension the people of the Cayman Islands- and those who choose to do business from a distance.
If I am wrong I will throw in my white towel- and at the same time eat my white felt hat which I love dearly 🙂
I know there will be a lot of persons who would love to see me choke on my hat- but you know what? I wish you all Love! Lots of it.
God Bless!
@ 22:51 Well its Thursday and no approval…. what have you got to say now?
The financial costs of a society that respects human dignity CANNOT outweigh the benefits. We're all happy to pay, Franz, and whoever else is listening. None of this implicit criticism of human rights on the basis that it costs a lot of money to implement. If the government treated people right the first time we wouldn't need it. Time to get your priorities in line with those of the Caymanian people.
If it going to be so much work and cost so much money to implement the Bill of Rights here (in the year 2012 at that) then is that a testament as to how far off the mark we have been, and still are now, here in Cayman?
In 2012…in one of the World's "Leading Financial Centre's"….and "a Christian Nation" enshrined in the new Constitution….who'd a thunk?
I hear 30 something million being bantered about as the cost for this thing and that most of that is in the current year.
Like Mac, I may not have a high school education, but i can put figures together.
How much did it cost to run the Government last year? Mac claims UK has forced him to put 15 million in the budget this year for pension liability, health cost increase by over 10 million, reception year classes starting at a cost of millions, civil service numbers set to grow and the lowest capital budget in recent memory.
where is this 10s of millions that bill of rights is supposed to be costing us then? cost last year was 550 million or there abouts and he says cost this year going be 657 million yet no reduction to service, you could account for the increase with just the pension and the increase in the slush fund, so again, where is this supposed 10s of million in the spending plan? boy they can do some creative budgeting up in there smh.
I am truly disapointed that he made the decision to follow the Govt into this fiasco. Our 1st Premier and the man who single-handedly led us down the path of destruction.
Disappointed but not surprised.
"“While the Judiciary will draw on experience elsewhere in the region, in Europe and in North America, its preparations will strive to ensure that its approach properly reflects the Cayman Islands culture and history,” he added." Although Cayman can only gold plate its ECHR obligations in the Constitution, it having no jurisdiction to reduce those obligations at a local level.
give it a break franz…..
the whole budget/throne speech sham should have been re-named… 'in praise of the hardworking civil servants'……zzzzzzzzzz