By Sean Douglas

Copyright newsday

SOPHIA CHOTE, SC, former president of the Law Association and former senator, returned to the Senate on September 17 to take up service upon the passing of former independent senator Deoroop Teemal. Teemal, former chairman of the National Council on Indian Culture, died at age 68 on August 3.

The sitting also saw veteran journalist and Media Institute of the Caribbean vice president Wesley Gibbings appointed as a temporary independent senator to act for Dr Desiree Murray.

Senators marked a minute of silence on the passing of Teemal and a minute of silence to mark the passing of former Senate leader Dr Lenny Saith who died on August 25.

During the sitting, Senate President Wade Mark agreed to grant the government two weeks to answer all of the listed questions posed by opposition and independent senators, after Senate leader Darryl Allahar said the government was in possession of draft responses to the questions.

Among the questions, opposition senator Vishnu Dhanpaul is asking Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander the status of 5,000 body cameras purchased for use by the police service, plus what percentage of officers use these devices on active duty.

Opposition senator Janelle John-Bates is posing a question to Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath. “Given the government’s position that students involved in school fights will be expelled, what measures will be taken by the government to safeguard the right to education of children who face expulsion?”

Dowlath also faces a question from opposition senator Melanie Roberts-Radgman.

“In light of the Prime Minister’s utterances that every occurrence of assault and battery in schools will be treated as an expellable and arrestable offence, can the minister indicate what measures will be implemented by the ministry to rehabilitate any students removed from the school system and placed in the criminal justice system?”

Melanie Roberts-Radgman is seeking answers from Alexander about police-involved fatal shootings in Tobago in April and May.

“Can the Minister indicate what steps are being taken to address matters of accountability, investigation, surveillance and review of police action within the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service?”

She is also asking Minister of Justice Devesh Maharaj about the status of the Police Complaints Authority’s investigations into these Tobago shootings.

Opposition senator Faris Al-Rawi, SC, is seeking answers from Alexander about the use of police stations to hold virtual hearings of court cases.

Al-Rawi is asking how many stations are used for court hearings, what type of matters are being heard, how many people attended court virtually at these stations, and how many domestic violence matters were heard virtually, from 2020-2025.

In two further listed questions, Al-Rawi is asking location of stations used as courts, and whether it is the government’s policy to halt virtual hearings being held at police stations.

Independent senator Alicia Lalite-Ettienne, who is visually-impaired, has posed three questions regarding physical and socio-economic accessibility for people with disabilities.

She is asking Minister of Works and Infrastructure Jearlean John what is being done to remedy the dilapidated conditions of the pavements in Port of Spain, which she said makes commuting “extremely difficult and dangerous” for persons with disabilities?

Lalite-Ettienne is also asking Labour Minister Leroy Baptiste that in light of his statements anticipating more new jobs in TT in the near future due to his ministry’s initiatives, will persons with disabilities (PWDs) be included in these initiatives? If so, what percentage of these initiatives is identified for PWDs, and which categories of employment are being considered?

Lalite-Ettienne will asked Social Development Minister Vandana Mohit if current means-testing is appropriate for PWDs. “Given concerns of the inappropriate application of the ministry’s means test system, especially in situations regarding the eligibility of persons with disabilities for social assistance, can the Minister explain what strategies will be developed to address this problem?”