A bill to introduce the use of seat belts in all motor vehicles, aimed at minimizing injury and loss of life when accidents occur was laid in the National Assembly on Friday by Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj.

Also laid was a bill that seeks to provide for the incorporation of the Guyana Tourism Authority that is charged with the responsibility of developing the tourism industry, promoting tourism facilities and assisting in the development and improvement of the industry. Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Reepu Daman Persaud, in the absence of Commerce, Industry and Trade Minister, Manzoor Nadir introduced it.

The other bill laid was the Energy Sector (Harmonisation of Laws) Bill, which seeks to clarify the role of the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) in advising and assisting the responsible minister in setting national policy for the energy and electricity sectors. Prime Minister Sam Hinds laid this bill.

The explanatory note of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill

provides for every motor vehicle to be appropriately equipped with a seat belt assembly for the driver and every front seat passenger. It also prescribes a penalty of not less than $10,000 nor more than $15,000 if the vehicle does not carry seat belts.

It makes compulsory the wearing of a seat belt by every driver of a motor vehicle, except when they are so exempted, as well as every person who sits in the front seat. Children in motor vehicles will also be required to wear a child restraint. The penalty for contravening this provision is not less than $10,000 and not more than $15,000.

The bill prescribes too the type of seats belts that are approved for use in vehicles and in addition empowers the minister to approve any seat belt assembly duly certified by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards.

The Guyana Tourism Authority Bill, among other things, provides for the Authority to comprise of a chairman, a vice-chairman and a director and not less than four nor more than eight members to be appointed by the minister and who will hold office for terms not exceeding two years.

Under this bill no person can operate any tourism business except in accordance with a licence issued by the authority. The authority is required to keep a register of every tourism business it licences.

The bill also provides for the functions of the authority to include advising the government on tourism, promoting tourism awareness, developing training programmes for persons employed in the industry, conducting research and instituting measures to enhance the image of Guyana as a tourism destination.

The bill harmonizing the laws of the energy sector amends the Guyana Energy Agency Act to remove the power of the GEA to establish and operate commercial, energy related businesses, which is inconsistent with its role in setting energy policy.

The bill also divests the GEA of the authority to grant, modify and revoke licences for hydroelectric projects and vests it in the responsible minister, thus harmonizing his authority under the Hydropower Electricity Act (HEPA) with his functions under the Electricity Sector Reform Act (ESRA). However, the GEA will continue to serve as a key advisory agency to the minister for granting, monitoring and enforcement of licences under the HEPA and ESRA and the primary administrative agency for licences for hydroelectric power projects under the HEPA.

The bill clarifies the purposes for which the GEA may request information from energy-sector participants, thus avoiding the duplication of requests from the various ministries and independent agencies that regulate the energy and electricity sectors.