Saint Vincent Constitution Order 1979
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
1979 No. 916
SAINT VINCENT
The Saint Vincent Constitution Order 197926thJuly 1979
27thOctober 1979
At the Court of Saint James, the 26th day of July 1979
Present,
The Counsellors of State in Council
Whereas Her Majesty, in pursuance of the Regency Acts 1937 to 1953, was pleased, by Letters Patent dated the 16th day of July 1979, to delegate to the six Counsellors of State therein named or any two or more of them full power and authority during the period of Her Majesty's absence from the United Kingdom to summon and hold on Her Majesty's behalf Her Privy Council and to signify thereat Her Majesty's approval for anything for which Her Majesty's approval in Council is required:
And whereas the status of association of Saint Vincent with the United Kingdom is to terminate on 27th October 1979 and it is necessary to establish a new constitution for Saint Vincent upon its attainment of fully responsible status within the Commonwealth with the style of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:
And whereas the Associated State of Saint Vincent has, by a resolution passed in the House of Assembly thereof on 9th February 1979, requested and consented to the making of this Order for that purpose:
Now, therefore, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, being authorised thereto by the said Letters Patent, and in pursuance of the powers conferred by section 5(4) of the West Indies Act 1967(a) and all other powers enabling Her Majesty, do hereby, by and with the advice of Her Majesty's Privy Council, on Her Majesty's behalf order, and it is hereby ordered, as follows:—
Citation and commencement
1.—(1) This Order may be cited as the Saint Vincent Constitution Order 1979.
(2) This Order shall come into operation on 27th October 1979.
Revocations.
2. The Saint Vincent Constitution Order 1969(b) and the Saint Vincent (Constitution) Act 1975(c), which made provision for the constitution of the Associated State of Saint Vincent, are revoked.
Establishment of Constitution.
3. The Constitution set out in Schedule 1 to this Order shall come into effect in Saint Vincent at the commencement of this Order subject to the transitional provisions set out in Schedule 2 to this Order.
N. E. Leigh, Clerk of the Privy Council.
(a) 1967 c. 4.
(b) S.I. 1969/1500.
(c) Act No. 5 of 1975.
Section 3
SCHEDULE 1 TO THE ORDER
THE CONSTITUTION OF SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
CHAPTER I
PROTECTION OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Section
1. Fundamental rights and freedoms.
2. Protection of right to life.
3. Protection of right to personal liberty.
4. Protection from slavery and forced labour.
5. Protection from inhuman treatment.
6. Protection from deprivation of property.
7. Protection from arbitrary search or entry.
8. Provisions to secure protection of law.
9. Protection of freedom of conscience.
10. Protection of freedom of expression.
11. Protection of freedom of assembly and association.
12. Protection of freedom of movement.
13. Protection from discrimination on the grounds of race, etc.
14. Derogations from s. 3 or s. 13 under emergency powers.
15. Protection of persons detained under emergency laws.
16. Enforcement of protective provisions.
17. Declaration of emergency.
18. Interpretation and savings.
CHAPTER II
THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL
19. Establishment of office.
20. Acting Governor-General.
21. Oaths.
22. Deputy to Governor-General.
CHAPTER III
PARLIAMENT
PART 1
Composition of Parliament
23. Establishment.
24. Composition of House of Assembly.
Section
25. Qualifications for Representatives and Senators.
26. Disqualifications for Representatives and Senators.
27. Election of Representatives.
28. Appointment of Senators.
29. Tenure of office of Representative and Senators.
30. Speaker.
31. Deputy Speaker.
32. Constituency Boundaries Commission.
33. Constituencies.
34. Supervisor of Elections.
35. Clerk of House and his staff.
36. Determination of questions of membership.
PART 2
Legislation and procedure of Parliament
37. Power to make laws.
38. Alteration of Constitution and Supreme Court Order.
39. Oath by members.
40. Presiding.
41. Voting.
42. Penalty for sitting if unqualified.
43. Mode of exercise of legislative power.
44. Restrictions with regard to certain financial measures.
45. Regulation of procedure in House.
46. Freedom of speech.
PART 3
Summoning, prorogation and dissolution
47. Sessions.
48. Prorogation and dissolution.
49. Elections to House of Assembly.
CHAPTER IV
THE EXECUTIVE
50. Executive authority.
51. Ministers of the Government.
52. Cabinet of Ministers.
53. Allocation of portfolios to Ministers.
54. Performance of functions of PRIME Minister during absence or illness.
55. Exercise of Governor-General's functions.
56. Governor-General to be informed concerning matters of government.
Section
57. Parliamentary Secretaries.
58. Oaths to be taken by Ministers, etc.
59. Leader of the Opposition.
60. Permanent secretaries.
61. Secretary to the Cabinet.
62. Constitution of offices, etc.
63. Attorney-General.
64. Control of public prosecutions.
65. Prerogative of mercy.
66. Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy.
67. Functions of Advisory Committee.
CHAPTER V
FINANCE
68. Consolidated Fund.
69. Withdrawals from Consolidated Fund or other public funds.
70. Authorisation of expenditure from Consolidated Fund by appropriation law.
71. Authorisation of expenditure in advance of appropriation.
72. Contingencies Fund.
73. Remuneration of certain officers.
74. Public debt.
75. Audit of public accounts, etc.
76. Public Accounts Committee.
CHAPTER VI
THE PUBLIC SERVICE
PART 1
The Public Service Commission
77. Public Service Commission.
78. Appointment, etc., of public officers.
PART 2
Appointments, etc., to particular offices
79. Appointment, etc., of permanent secretaries and certain other officers.
80. Attorney-General when a public officer.
81. Director of Public Prosecutions.
82. Director of Audit.
83. Appointment, etc., of magistrates, registrars and legal officers.
Section
PART 3
The Police
84. Police Service Commission.
85. Police Force.
PART 4
The Public Service Board of Appeal
86. Public Service Board of Appeal.
87. Appeals in discipline cases.
PART 5
Pensions
88. Pensions laws and protection of pension rights.
89. Power to withhold pensions, etc.
CHAPTER VII
CITIZENSHIP
90. Persons who become citizens on 27th October 1979.
91. Persons born in Saint Vincent on or after 27th October 1979.
92. Persons born outside Saint Vincent on or after 27th October 1979.
93. Registration.
94. Acquisition, deprivation and renunciation.
95. Interpretation.
CHAPTER VIII
JUDICIAL PROVISIONS
96. Original jurisdiction of High Court in constitutional questions.
97. Reference of constitutional questions to High Court.
98. Appeals to Court of Appeal.
99. Appeals to Her Majesty in Council.
100. Interpretation.
CHAPTER IX
MISCELLANEOUS
101. Supreme law.
102. Functions of Governor-General.
103. Resignations.
104. Re-appointment and concurrent appointments.
105. Interpretation.
THE SCHEDULE
ALTERATION OF CONSTITUTION AND SUPREME COURT ORDER
PART 1
Provisions of Constitution referred to in section 38(3)
PART 2
Provisions of Supreme Court Order referred to in section 38(3)
WHEREAS the Peoples of the Islands of Saint Vincent, who are known as Vincentians—
(a) have affirmed that the Nation is founded on the belief in the supremacy of God and the freedom and dignity of man;
(b) desire that their society be so ordered as to express their recognition of the principles of democracy, free institutions, social justice and equality before the law;
(c) realise that the maintenance of human dignity presupposes safeguarding the rights of privacy of family life, of property and the fostering of the pursuit of just economic rewards for labour;
(d) desire that their Constitution should enshrine the above mentioned freedoms, principles and ideals;
AND WHEREAS Saint Vincent (which comprises the inhabited islands of Saint Vincent, Bequia, Union Island, Canouan, Mustique, Mayreau, Petite Saint Vincent, Prune Islands and all other inhabited or uninhabited islands, islets, cays or lands lying beween latitudes 12° 31″ 50″N and 13° 23″ 30″N and longitudes 61° 07″ 30′W and 61° 28″ 00″W) is henceforth to be styled Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:
NOW, THEREFORE, the following provisions shall have effect as the Constitution of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines:—
CHAPTER 1
PROTECTION OF FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Fundamental rights and freedoms.
1. Whereas every person in Saint Vincent is entitled to the fundamental rights and freedoms, that is to say, the right, whatever his race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, creed or sex, but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest, to each and all of the following, namely—
(a) life, liberty, security of the person and the protection of the law;
(b) freedom of conscience, of expression and of assembly and association: and
(c) protection for the privacy of his home and other property and from deprivation of property without compensation,
the provisions of this Chapter shall have effect for the purpose of affording protection to those rights and freedoms subject to such limitations of that protection as are contained in those provisions, being limitations designed to ensure that the enjoyment of the said rights and freedoms by any person does not prejudice the rights and freedoms of others or the public interest.
Protection of right to life.
2.—(1) No person shall be deprived of his life intentionally save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence under any law of which he has been convicted.
(2) A person shall not be regarded as having been deprived of his life in contravention of this section if he dies as the result of the use, to such extent and in such circumstances as are permitted by law, of such force as is reasonably justifiable—
(a) for...
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