Joint Select Committee in favour of restricting timeline for IC information requests

 

Members of the Joint Select Committee reviewing the Integrity Commission Act agreed that there should be restrictions on the timeline for information requests from the Integrity Commission. 

 

Currently, requests for information from the Integrity Commission also take into consideration activity before a person enters public life. 

 

But opposition member Julian Robinson says activities that pre-date public service should only be relevant if there is an investigation. 

 

"There may be a legitimate reason to request it if you believe that that information can help you solve a problem. But what I am getting from what the Permanent Secretary's Board is saying is that unless you indicate that the person is under investigation for something, then you should limit to the period in which the person has served in public life and not go back 30 years just to try to find out something. And if that's the case, then you need to tell the declarant that you are being investigated for so and so," he suggested. 

 

Government member Delroy Chuck echoed similar sentiments. 

 

"Persons might come into politics, they might be elected as a member of Parliament and within a year or two, they're being asked on matters that they engaged in decades before. So I would say, Chairman, that somehow we need to limit it unless they are doing an investigation.... And I would say a period of, say, five years back. If they are doing an investigation, I guess it's an open secret. It's an open scenario," said Mr. Chuck.