The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) has long been in the forefront of promoting and supporting the call for our Judges to themselves be responsible for the fiscal and administrative operation of the Judiciary. This is an inseparable institutional component of an independent judiciary.
For this reason, LATT welcomes the commitment made by the Minister of Finance in his budget speech, to give to the Judiciary of Trinidad & Tobago financial autonomy in respect of its budget for the management of the courts’ resources, projects and programmes, including responsibility for procurement and construction of purpose built judicial facilities. Indeed, this most pressing need has been called for by successive Chief Justices since independence. This commitment is an important step in enhancing the institutional independence of the Judiciary, in addition to enabling it to deliver on the very many pressing initiatives and reforms necessary for the improvement of the administration of justice, including the criminal justice system. It will fall to the Judiciary to ensure that this new budgetary responsibility is accompanied by established protocols that promote transparency, efficiency and accountability.
LATT also welcomes the commitment of the Minister of Finance to consult on and to bring to Parliament legislation in various sectors. Importantly, these include prioritising legislation in the financial sector, to include an Insurance Bill, a Credit Union Bill and, to review legislation referable to the Securities Exchange Commission, the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Central Bank Act, so as to align them with international best practice. Of equal importance are the commitments made to undertake a comprehensive review of the Industrial Relations Act and, the Retrenchment and Severance Benefits Act.
Dated the 8th day of October 2015
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Reginald T.A. Armour SC
President