Friday, March 29, 2024

Straughn: Central Bank Bill the way forward

Date:

Share post:

The new Central Bank of Barbados Bill, which is to be debated in Parliament this Tuesday, has been described as important legislation, which will improve the governance structure of the institution and ensure it is always well managed.

In a statement issued through Barbados Government Information Service, Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Ryan Straughn, said the Central Bank is going to be a critical institution with regard to how Government transforms the way that things are done in Barbados over the next few years.

“It is almost as if we are taking fresh guard, to support the doing business environment going forward,” he stated.

Straughn said Government had to preserve the independence of the Central Bank so it could continue to function effectively.

He added that this administration had introduced strict conditions for the bank’s use of money to finance Government, and they had been further strengthened under the new legislation.

According to him, some of the significant changes in the legislation relate to the appointment of the Governor with regard to the duration of tenure, which is now six years, and that of the board.

“We have a slightly different structure where there will be staggering of appointment of directors, so that every year, a director will be appointed for a term – whether one or two years, as opposed to having all of them appointed at the same time.

“When we came into office in 2018, we . . .  deliberately kept persons appointed to the previous boards to ensure the incoming board of directors would have somebody with some institutional knowledge in order to facilitate better decision-making. We thought that was important because if government is to work properly, then you need a measure of continuity, especially in the context of the Central Bank, because the process of replacement of directors has to be carefully managed,” he said.

Straughn said, in the past, the Minister of Finance could fire the Governor of the Central Bank.  However, he explained, there is now an added provision that if the Minister of Finance wanted to relieve the Governor of his or her duties, the recommendation must be supported by the Governor General or Head of State.

He is of the view that the new Central Bank Bill would assist in restoring the public’s trust and confidence in the institution.  (BGIS)

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related articles

No decision yet on Lester Vaughan School

A firm decision has not yet been made regarding when the Lester Vaughan School will be reopened. Following a...

BDF to conduct simulation exercise on April 2 & 3

The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) will conduct a Mass Casualty Simulation Exercise from Tuesday, April 2, to Wednesday,...

Barbadians reminded to file taxes online as filing season starts

The Barbados Revenue Authority (the BRA) is advising that tax filing season for 2023 begins on April 1 this...

Minister Abrahams’ statement on Ismail Patel’s passing

Below is the full statement by Minister of Home Affairs and Information, Wilfred Abrahams: I was saddened to...