PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament is exploring possibilities to make legislation more accessible to Members of Parliament (MPs).
President of Parliament Hon. drs. Gracita Arrindell on Monday met with officials from the Dutch Ministry of Interior Affairs & Kingdom Relations Rene Mazel (Project Consolidation Sint Maarten Laws and Legislation) and Onno Muchall (Center for Government Publications).
Muchall gives a brief explanation about the publication of laws and other documents (for example Kamerstukken) on www.overheid.nl and how the technology works in the Netherlands.
He also explains how Sint Maarten can benefit from the acquired knowledge and experience over a period of 10 years.
Muchall indicates that there is an offer on the table for the Sint Maarten government to be able to use the database/server of this website and its search engine to publish legislation. When this contract is finalized, the Parliament of Sint Maarten can opt to make use of this provision as well to publish draft legislation.
"Having a user friendly and an up to date website with such legislation for access to MPs and the public has been a constant concern from the outset when the present structure was established.
"We are happy to explore available options with the objective to further professionalize Parliament's website by making use of all Information Communication Technology (ICT) options that are available.
"Other options discussed were the possibility of MPs being able to access legislation via their IPads. This will reduce the costs of copying as well as ensure that MPs have at all times access to laws when preparing for parliamentary sessions," President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell said on Tuesday.
Arrindell said she will follow up with the Minister of General Affairs with respect to how to coordinate the services.
Also present during the meeting were Nancy Joubert and Alvin Prescod from the Secretariat of Parliament.