Laws
UPM mulls changes to conservation law as CPA and DoE face off
(CNS): The United People’s Movement caucus is understood to be planning changes to the National Conservation Act due to pressure from developers and others over false claims that the law, the National Conservation Council and the Department of Environment are stifling development. This comes after the Central Planning Authority has, once again, falsely claimed that […]
Bills passed to improve BO disclosure regime
(CNS): Financial Services Minister André Ebanks has steered several bills through parliament, including a stand-alone Beneficial Transparency Ownership Act to improve the current regime on how information relating to who benefits from financial entities registered here is shared and to stay ahead of changing standards and rules. Explaining the law during last week’s special parliamentary […]
Rules changed to allow hotel rooftop pools and bars
(CNS): Government has amended the development and planning regulations to enable hotels and condos in the tourism zones to utilise rooftop space for amenities such as swimming pools, restaurants, bars or spas. The change was passed through parliament at the end of Thursday’s proceedings by Planning Minister Jay Ebanks to promote the use of roofs […]
Locals get more access to pensions to buy property
(CNS): Caymanians with private sector pensions can now gain access to more of their funds in order to pay down mortgages, raise deposits to buy a home or land, or pay off strata debts, after an amendment to the National Pensions Act was steered through parliament Thursday. Minister Dwayne Seymour, who has returned to the […]
Sir Alden to be nominated speaker at special meeting
(CNS): Parliament is set to meet on Thursday to enable members to nominate and elect a new speaker and steer through an amendment to the pensions law to allow Caymanians in the private sector access to the funds to pay off mortgages or purchase property. An official release about the first meeting called by the […]
New law tightens protection for local flora
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government has successfully steered the Plant Protection Act, 2023 through parliament in order to tighten the rules around importing plants that may harbour pests and threaten the local flora. Cayman’s native plants and trees are at risk from a range of new plant pests, such as the ever-present mealybug to the […]
PACT may increase gun crime penalties
(CNS): Premier Wayne Panton has said that the Cayman Islands Government is considering increasing the penalties relating to the possession of unlicensed firearms in light of the persistent reports of gun violence across the islands. Following a National Security Council meeting on Tuesday, he said that they had agreed to review the Firearms Act (2008 […]
Welfare overhaul won’t be easy, warns minister
(CNS): The Cayman Islands Government is preparing for the implementation of new laws governing welfare support next month, including the transition of the Needs Assessment Unit into the Department of Financial Assistance. However, Social Development Minister André Ebanks has warned that it will take time for the changes to have an impact and it “won’t […]
LRC seeks to repeal conflicted land law
(CNS): A rarely used piece of legislation that deals with land inheritance and ownership is currently under review by the Law Reform Commission, which is seeking public opinion on the potential repeal of the 25-year-old law. The commission said the Settled Land Act (1998 Revision) is unsatisfactory as it contradicts with the Registered Land Act […]
Men fear false sexual harassment accusations
(CNS): Two in five women in the Cayman Islands have been subjected to unwanted sexual harassment, which is higher than the global statistic of around 25%, according to local officials. And while around 10% of men report being sexually harassed, one in four fear being falsely accused more than becoming victims.
Consultation extended on Sexual Harassment Bill
(CNS): More than fifteen years after local activists began the campaign for bespoke legislation to tackle the issue of sexual harassment, a stand-alone piece of legislation has been drafted to prevent this from happening. However, due to the level of response to a white paper that was published in March, this has been redrafted and […]
