THE new Speaker of the House of Assembly, Honourable Claudius Francis has vowed to change things around in this particular chamber of the islandās parliament.
Not only has he planned to review and update the House of Assemblyā Standing Orders, he also forewarned members that the House sittings will begin promptly.
He spoke of reinstalling loudspeakers outside the parliament building so that members of the public could listen to the debates taking place inside between members.
Francis, clearly trying to bring public interest back to the proceedings in parliament said that he had instructed police not to place barriers along the perimeter of the parliament building, a practice by police during the reign of the former Allen Chastanet administration.
The position of Deputy Speaker was filled by the Micoud North parliamentarian Honourable Jeremiah Norbert, a position that was left vacant for five years under the previous administration.
This is the second time Francis is holding a key position in the parliament of Saint Lucia. He once served as President of the Senate in a previous Labour government. He was appointed Speaker yesterday morning.