Dept ready to implement Bill

THE passing of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) Bill should make way for other Bills drafted and go through the process, a senior state official says.
Secretary for the Department of Justice and Attorney-General Dr Eric Kwa said this during a briefing on the Bill where Parliamentary committee on Constitutional Laws and Acts and Subordinate Legislations chairman Sir Peter Ipatas allowed the public to attend.
Dr Kwa, who led the team of government agencies during the presentations to Sir Peter’s committee said they were hoping that once the Icac Bill was passed they would move onto the other bills. “We are really happy and excited that the Icac Bill has gone through the second reading and we are now waiting for the second vote and third reading,” he said.
“Once it’s passed, we are set and ready to bring in the regulations, bring in the code of conduct and the systems, talk to the Department of Personnel Management to approve the structure and by next year we would probably start to do the budgeting and everything and the following year we are on.”
Dr Kwa also commended Sir Peter for allowing the public to be a part of the process.
He said the state of emergency delayed the reading of the bill
and the setting up of the Parliamentary committee which the Bill
had to be referred to after its first reading.
“To comply with the process, they invited the Government team to make a presentation on the Bill on May 20.
“The committee presented their report on June 3 which suggested that there would be no amendments to the draft bill.”
Sir Peter said the committee would hear submissions this week to ensure that all were consulted and involved in giving their views before the bill was passed.