Privy Council of Barbados

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The Privy Council of Barbados is a formal body of advisors to the head of state (the sovereign represented viceregally by the Governor-General of Barbados) prior to 30 November 2021 and the President of Barbados as of 30 November 2021) and is provided for in the 1966 Constitution of Barbados, which reads:

Contents

76. 1. There shall be a Privy Council for Barbados which shall consist of such person as the Governor General, after consultation with the Prime Minister, may appoint by instrument under the Public Seal.
2. The Privy Council shall have such powers and duties as may be conferred or imposed upon it by this Constitution or any other law.
3. The office of a member of the Privy Council appointed under this section shall become vacant -
a. at the expiration of fifteen years from the date of his appointment or such shorter period as may be specified in the instrument by which he was appointed;
b. when he attains the age of seventy-five years; or
c. if his appointment is revoked by the Governor General, acting after consultation with the Prime Minister, by instrument under the Public Seal.
77. 1. The Privy Council shall not be summoned except by the authority of the Governor General acting in his discretion.
2. The Governor General shall, so far as is practicable, attend and preside at all meetings of the Privy Council.
3. Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Privy Council may regulate its own procedure.
4. The question whether the Privy Council has validly performed any function vested in it by this Constitution shall not be inquired into in any court. [1]

Since 30 November 2021, references to the Governor-General of Barbados has been replaced with references to the President of Barbados.

Composition

The Privy Council is appointed by the President of Barbados after consultation with the Prime Minister. It consists of 12 members, with the President as chairman.

It formerly advised the Governor-General of Barbados in the exercise of the royal prerogative of mercy and in the exercise of his or her disciplinary powers over members of the public and police services until the declaration of the Republic of Barbados on 30 November 2021. [2]

History

Barbados early governance

The early Barbadian Legislature was composed of a Governor (who was at times also Governor-in-chief of other British West Indies colonial islands including the Windward islands) has an Executive Council consisting of the Governor, Major-General, Colonial Secretary, and Attorney-General, a Legislative Council in which the senior officer commanding the troops, the Colonial Secretary, and the Attorney-General sit ex officio, and a House of Assembly of twenty-four members, elected annually by franchise. [3] The first Governor of Barbados was Henry Powell from 17 February 1627.

The first Council was formed in 1657 under King Charles II and managed by his Governor and the first Privy Council head was Sir Peter Colleton (1673–1674, acting). [4] The first Member of Her Majesty's Council of Barbados in 1657 was William Sharpe.

Modern privy council

In 1965 it was recorded that "There shall be a Privy Council for Barbados which shall consist of such persons as the Governor-General, after consultation with the Prime Minister, may appoint by instrument under the Public Seal". [5]

See also

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The following is the Barbadian Table of Precedence.

  1. The President of Barbados
  2. The Prime Minister
  3. The Chief Justice
  4. The Members of the Cabinet
    1. The Attorney-General of Barbados, as the first minister to be sworn in after the Prime Minister.
    2. Other cabinet ministers, their own order unknown.
  5. The former Governors-General
  6. The National Heroes
  7. The President of the Senate
  8. The Speaker of the House of Assembly
  9. The Leader of the Opposition
  10. The former Prime Ministers, and the former Chief Justices
  11. The Members of the President's Privy Council of Barbados
  12. The Chairman of the Barbados Christian Council
  13. The Ambassadors and High Commissioners
  14. The Justices of the Court of Appeals, and the Judges of the High Court
  15. The Parliamentary Secretaries
  16. The Deputy President of the Senate
  17. The Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly
  18. The Members of the Senate
  19. The Members of the House of Assembly
  20. The spouses of deceased dignitaries such as: Governors-General, Prime Ministers, and National Heroes
  21. The Chairmen of the Commissions established under the Constitution
  22. The Head of the Civil Service
  23. The Ombudsman, Director of Public Prosecutions, and Auditor General
  24. The Director of Finance and Economic Affairs, the Solicitor General, the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, the Permanent Secretaries, and the Governor of the Central Bank
  25. The Ambassadors/High Commission (Overseas)
  26. The Chief of Staff for the Barbados Defence Force, and the Commissioner of Police
  27. 1. The Chancellor, University of the West Indies; 2. The Chairman;The Cave Hill Campus Council, University of the West Indies; 3. The Principal, Cave Hill Campus; and the Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of the West Indies.
  28. The former Ministers
  29. The Members of The Order of the Caribbean Community, and the holders of knighthoods conferred under the monarchy of Barbados.
  30. The holders of the Companion of Honour of Barbados
  31. The holders of the Companions of the Order of St. Michael and St. George
  32. The Heads of the regional bodies with diplomatic status.
  33. The Related grades, and the Clerk of Parliament
  34. The Chargé d'affaires and Acting High Commissioners, Deputy High Commissioners, Counsellors in Embassies, High Commissions and Legations, Consul-General - Chefs de Poste
  35. The Consuls - Chefs de Posts
  36. The Members of the Commissions established under the Constitution
  37. The Chairmen of Statutory Boards
  38. The Heads of Government Departments, including the Chief Technical Officers of departments integrated in Ministries, The Chief Magistrate, and the Chief Executive Officers of Statutory Boards
  39. Honorary Consuls, Vice-Consuls in Embassies, and High Commissions and Legations
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The Constitution of Barbados is the supreme law under which Barbados is governed. The Constitution provides a legal establishment of the Government of Barbados, as well as legal rights and responsibilities of the public and various other government officers. The Constitution which came into force in 1966 was amended in 1974, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The 1966 document succeeds several other documents concerning administration of Barbados. One of them, the Barbados Charter, is discussed in the present Constitution's Preamble. Prior statutes were created for the administration of Barbados as a colony. As a former English and later British colony, the Constitution is similar to those of other former Commonwealth realms, yet distinctly different in the spirit of the Statute of Westminster.

The chief justice of Barbados is the head of the Supreme Court of Barbados as defined by the constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President of Barbados</span> Head of state of Barbados

The president of Barbados is the head of state of Barbados and the commander-in-chief of the Barbados Defence Force. The office was established when the country became a parliamentary republic on 30 November 2021. Prior to that date, the head of state was Elizabeth II, Queen of Barbados, who was represented on the island by a governor-general. The final person to hold that position, Sandra Mason, is currently serving as Barbados' first president.

References

  1. ↑ "Constitution of Barbados".
  2. ↑ "Barbados". The Statesman's Yearbook: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of the World 2004. Palgrave Macmillan UK. 2003. pp. 272–276. doi:10.1057/9780230271326_120 (inactive 1 November 2024). ISBN   9780230271326.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  3. ↑ Fonblanque, A. G. (1879). How we are Governed...
  4. ↑ Schomburgk, R. H. (1848). The History of Barbados...
  5. ↑ Peaslee, A. J. (1965). Constitutions of Nations: Parts 1-2. The Americas.
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