By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

DEPUTY Prime Minister Chester Cooper said yesterday the Constituencies Commission will not complete its report before Parliament reopens in October, adding that the body is still grappling with “complex issues”.

He declined to give a timeline for when the report will be ready for Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis, though he had earlier suggested it could be submitted by August.

Free National Movement MP Shanendon Cartwright, a member of the commission, has said the delay is due to outstanding voter maps and registration figures from the Parliamentary Registration Department.

Mr Cooper told reporters the commission is still working through its mandate.

“There has been no report,” he said. “There will not be a report before the House reopens. We are continuing to look at the complex issues. We are continuing the registration process. The prime minister is rightly concerned that we capture the most up to date information before he proceeds with calling an election, and therefore the Parliamentary Registration Department have started their work already.”

He said the commission wants an accurate picture of voter distribution before completing its recommendations.

“We want to ensure that we get the accurate distribution of voters,” he said. “We know we’ve had very serious issues like COVID and Hurricane Dorian, etc, that displaced many people. Naturally, the prime minister wants to ensure the most timely and most accurate information on which the boundaries commission will make its report to him.”

Mr Cooper said the Parliamentary Registration Department has been “very supportive and cooperative.”