Nicholson
Robert Hart, Staff Reporter
SENATOR A.J. Nicholson, the Minister of Justice, has been forced to back off from his December 11 timetable for concluding discussions and signing off on the Family Property (Rights of Spouses) Act, after members of the Joint Select Com-mittee examining the Bill failed yet again to show up for duty.
Yesterday's sitting of the committee was expected to involve submissions from the 12 or so interest groups which had previously made recommendations for adjustments to the Bill. They were invited to comment on the proposals made during the 10 meetings conducted by the committee since it began deliberations on October 8.
"Sadly we didn't have a quorum today (yesterday)," Senator Nicholson, who is also the committee chairman and Attorney-General, told The Gleaner. Of the 12 committee members, only Government Senator Navel Clarke turned up for the meeting.
The lack of attendance is an issue which has plagued the extended deliberations on the Bill, although Senator Nicholson has denied that it has slowed the process, which was initially expected to take two weeks.
On November 6, for example, only two committee members joined the chairman for the meeting. Then, on November 27, the same two committee members Dr. St. Aubyn Bartlett, Opposition Member of Parliament; and Dr. Charles Learmond, Government MP were joined by Opposition Senator Dwight Nelson. At that time, Senator Nicholson told The Gleaner that he would have preferred if the other members had been present, but still expected to have the Bill tabled in the House before Christmas.
