Who We Are
The Law Commission is a statutory body created by The Law Commission Act No. 27 of 2012. The Commission is a body corporate and its membership is as follows: The Law Revision Commissioner/Law Reform Commissioner who shall be the Chairperson of the Commission along with one person nominated by the St. Kitts and Nevis Bar Association and three other persons appointed by the Minister responsible for Legal Affairs. The functional aspect of the Commission is carried out by the office of the Law Reform Commissioner operating under the aegis of the Ministry of Legal Affairs.
Our staff includes:
- Law Reform Commissioner
- Legal Researcher
- Clerical Staff
Mission Statement
To Revise, Simplify and Modernize the Law to make it effective for use.
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The Commission has two distinct functions that is to say: 1. to keep the Revised Edition of the written laws of Saint Christopher and Nevis up to date and 2. to initiate and carry out Law Reform Projects.
How We Carry Out Our Mandate
- By keeping and maintaining an electronic database of the revised edition of the laws of St. Kitts and Nevis and updating the data base as new laws are passed
- By initiating and carrying out law reform projects
- By publishing an annual supplementary update of the laws
- By establishing and updating a website containing the latest update of the laws
- By making recommendations and preparing Law Revision (Miscellaneous Amendment) Bills so as to correct, perfect and improve housekeeping aspects of the law that may crop up during the law revision process.
- By co-operating closely with the Department of Chief Parliamentary Counsel and the Government Printer so that unnecessary duplication of tasks is avoided.
- By studying and keeping under constant review the statutes and other laws of St. Christopher and Nevis with a view to making recommendations for their improvement, modernization and reform; including repeal of obsolete enactments and simplification of the law. Development of new areas of the law making them more responsive to the changing needs of the society and to reflect the laws and customs and values of the society and the concepts consistent with the United Nations Charter of Human Rights.
- By pursuing codification of the unwritten laws and adoption of new and more effective methods for the administration of the law and the dispensation of justice.
The operations of the Law Commission are financed by way of monies appropriated by Parliament; monies received by the commission from agencies other than the government for the performance of its functions and donations endowments and other gifts received by the commission. (See section 25 of the Law Commission Act)
There are no regular day to day services offered to the public at large. However, any relevant stakeholder who is interested in proposing or discussing Law Revision or Law Reform may make contact with The Commission to share ideas, suggestions or concerns regarding matters which can be the subject of revision or reform.
The Commission is in liaison with the Regional Law Revision Centre in Anguilla. This relationship has produced the 2017 Revised Laws of St. Kitts and Nevis and the Ordinances of the Island of Nevis as well as a special website of Laws Online and a CD Rom containing a complete collation of the updated Revised Laws of St. Kitts and Nevis. By way of the website and the CD Rom, copies of all of the laws of St. Kitts and Nevis can be available on demand to interested persons at the click of a button. Copies are available for purchase from the Law Commission.
All of these materials are available to the general public but are of particular interest to members of the legal fraternity. As a matter of course, the Law Commission makes copies of the volumes of the Revised Laws available to the Attorney-General, to the Clerks of the National Assembly and Island Assembly, to the Chief Registrar of the Supreme Court and to the Registrar of the High Court and also to several other entities involved in the justice system.
The Commission also interacts with the Government Printery which plays a major role in assisting the Commission in executing its mandate.
Other Stakeholders
- The Office of the Prime Minister
- The Public Library
- Other Government Ministries and Departments
- Attorneys in private practice
- Lecturers and other professionals
Who We Mostly Interact With
- The Office of the Attorney General
- The Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs
- The Parliamentary Counsel
- The Nevis Island Administration
- The Courts of Law
- The Government Printery
- The Bar Association
- The National Archives
- The Government Information Services
See Our Laws Online HERE: http://www.lawcommission.gov.kn
How You May Interact With Us
Interested persons may direct inquiries to us via:
The Law Commission
O. Box 164
Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs
Government Headquarters, Basseterre
St. Kitts
Tel: 1 869 467 1623 or 1 869 467 1150
Fax: 1 869 465 5040
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