CHAPTER
27
BAHAMAS INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT |
ARRANGEMENT OF
SECTIONS |
SECTION |
|
|
Establishment of Department. |
|
Offices in Department not public offices. |
Appointment of Director and other staff of
Department. |
|
|
SCHEDULE - Functions of the Department. |
CHAPTER 27 |
BAHAMAS
INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT |
An Act to
make provision for the establishment of a Bahamas Information Services
Department as a department within Article 127(c) of the Constitution; to define
its functions; and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. | 16 of 1974
S.I. 98/1974
5 of 1980 |
[Assent 15th
October, 1974]
[Commencement 31st December, 1974] |
1. This Act may be cited as the Bahamas Information
Services Department Act. | Short title. |
2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires- | Interpretation. |
"Department"
means the Bahamas Information Services Department established by section 3; |
"functions"
includes powers and duties; |
"Government"
means the Government of the Bahamas; |
"Minister"
means the Minister responsible for Government Information and Public Relations. |
3. (1) There shall be established a Department of
Government to be called the Bahamas Information Services Department. | Establishment of Department. |
(2) The Department
shall be subject to the general direction and the control of the Minister. |
4. The functions of the Department shall be those set
out in the
Schedule. | Functions of Department. |
5. The offices in the Department shall not be public
offices for the purposes of the Constitution. | Offices in Department not public offices. |
6. (1) The Minister shall appoint- | Appointment of Director and other staff of Department. |
(a) an officer
to be known as the Director of Information Services who, subject to subsection
(2) of section 3 of this Act, shall supervise the Department and shall perform
such functions as are assigned to him by the Minister; |
(b) such other
officers and servants as the Minister may consider necessary to assist the
Director in the performance of his functions. |
(2)
Save as provided in section 7, the remuneration and conditions of service of
the officers and servants of the Department shall be fixed by the Minister,
subject to the concurrence of the Minister of Finance. |
7. (1) Except as provided in any contract of employment
with the Department, the Minister may grant to any employee of the Department
in respect of his service in the Department a pension, gratuity or other like
benefit at the rate prescribed by, and in accordance with, the provisions of
the
Pensions Act as if reference in that Act to the Governor-General, the public
service and a public officer were references to the Minister, service in the
Department and such employee, respectively. | Pensions, etc. |
(2) For the
purposes of subsection (1), reference to the service of an employee of the
Department includes any continuous period of service of that employee in the
Department of Tourism immediately prior to his service in the Department. |
(3)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in section 8, the pensions, gratuities
or other like benefits which are payable by the Department under subsection (1)
shall be charged on and paid out of the Consolidated Fund. |
8. The expenses incurred by the Minister in the
administration of this Act shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament. | Expenses. |
SCHEDULE (Section 4) |
FUNCTIONS OF THE
DEPARTMENT |
The functions of
the Department shall be- |
(a) to explain
the policy and activities of the Government to the public; |
(b) to provide
a central channel through which may flow information to and enquiries from the
public, press and other media of communication; |
(c) generally
to advise the Government in relation to the dissemination of information about
the work of the Government and to take all such measures as may be required to
carry out effectively the functions specified in the preceding paragraphs of
this Schedule. |