Prime Minister David Thompson, explaining a point to??representatives of the local press corps during his quarterly press conference at Ilaro Court. (Image: A. Miller)

Draft Freedom of Information and Integrity in Public Life Bills are currently being examined by Government’s Cabinet committee on Governance, one of the final stages before being laid in Parliament.

Prime Minister David Thompson made this disclosure last Thursday, at his first quarterly press conference for the year, which was televised live from Ilaro Court. ??

He indicated that while it may have seemed that progress was being made slowly, it was not simply a matter of using drafts from other countries, "because some of those countries themselves have run into problems".

Noting that a number of public officers would be required to make declarations, Mr. Thompson stressed that he would not introduce integrity legislation, unless he was "able to do something about people who obtain directorships in the private sector and for practices in the private sector that are not conducive to accountability, and have the effect of placing a stranglehold on the economy".

A Governance Advisory Board was established by Cabinet in 2008, to deal with a number of issues, including a Freedom of Information Act, a Defamation Act and Integrity Legislation.

gapplewhaite@barbados.gov.bb

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