Over the last few weeks, we've heard plenty about the public accounts committee. The social partners agree that they have to get it working, and while all that is good and well, is the House Committee System working any at all. Well, Senior member for the UDP Michael Finnegan has publicly confirmed what any regular visitor to the house can clearly see: The House Committee System is completely dysfunctional. Yesterday evening, he told us that often times the meetings last for just five minutes, because members show up un-prepared, and unable to analyse the hefty pieces of legislation. According to Finnegan, typically at committee meetings, quote, "nobody has studied the bill – no one has anything to say about the bill."
He says members, on both sides of the house don't have the capacity to properly analyse the legislation put before them. He noted also that meetings often start late, or are postponed after committee members fail to show up. In that case however, members still collect their allowance to travel to and from Belmopan.
Finnegan said, quote, "NONE OF THE COMMITEES ARE FUNCTIONAL."
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