Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner Writer
THE HOUSE Committee of Parliament will begin considering options for improving the physical state of Parliament, shortly after the summer recess.
The committee will examine all the possibilities, including whether to expand and upgrade the present Duke Street facility or erect a new building at a different location, according to Dr. Peter Phillips, Leader of Government Business in the House of Representatives.
Coming out of the deliberations of that committee, he said certain important decisions would have to be implemented, including securing new building designs and, possibly, the appointment of a parliamentary commission to pursue the required funding. The establishment of the commission for that purpose was one of the steps recommended by the Committee on Parliamentary Salaries which, three years ago, suggested that a new Parliament building be constructed.
Dr. Phillips, who has responsibility for parliamentary affairs, said there was "a recognition shared on both sides of the aisle, that the present facilities are absolutely inadequate and that the work that the country deserves from the Parliament cannot be performed in the present facilities." The main issue to be settled, he said, was "whether we stay at Duke Street or move elsewhere."
Duke Street has been the location for the country's legislature for more than a century, first at Headquarters House - 79 Duke Street, then later, Gordon House - 81 Duke Street.
