New home for Parliament coming, but not for a while

Trinidad and Tobago will be getting a new building to house the country's Parliament but that's not going to happen immediately. This has been confirmed by two cabinet minister - Public Administration Minister Kennedy Swaratsingh and Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Dr Lenny Saith.

Swaratsingh was responding to media reports that administrative offices would soon be moved from the Red House to the nearby Cabildo Chambers by January 2010.

The minister said those reports are inaccurate since there is no timeline for moving those officers and relocating them as the media reports suggested.

Newsday reported that sources at both the Red House and the Office of the Attorney General, which is currently located at Cabildo Chambers, have confirmed moves.

Saith told the paper he is unaware of any Cabinet decision being taken on this matter in August as alleged in one report.

However he said it is public knowledge that the offices at the Red House needed to be relocated because they were too crowded for the staff to work in. Saith said Parliament will remain in the Red House until a the government constructs a new building to house it.

The minister added that this is a separate project from the restoration of the Red House.

The 2010 Supplementary Public Sector Investment Programme states that the Red House is being refurbished "for use as the office of the Prime Minister, as well as a number of public areas including a Museum of Legislative History and a Museum of Executive History."

Prime Minister Patrick Manning has publicly stated on several occasions that the PM’s Office would be located in the Red House. Newsday reported that to date, $67 million has been spent on the restoration of the red House.