September 22, 2026
House Speaker Juliet Holness refutes claim by Opposition Leader Mark Golding that she blocked his crown lands bill
Written byPatrice Walters
House Speaker Juliet Holness has refuted claims made by Opposition Leader Mark Golding regarding his motion for crown lands being blocked.
When Parliament resumed sitting today following the summer recess, Mrs. Holness moved to set the record straight.
The issue stemmed from claims Golding made at the People’s National Party annual conference that he was blocked by the House Speaker in his attempt to have a private member’s motion on crown lands tabled in the lower house prior to going on break.
The bill seeks to reduce the timeframe for occupation of land from 60 to 25 years, in order to acquire ownership by adverse possession.
In response, Mrs. Holness pointed out that the bill had constitutional issues which were not resolved by the time the House went on break.
She said the matter, if not corrected, risks undermining public confidence in the Parliament.
Mr. Golding then attempted to respond to Mrs. Holness, but she reminded him that he cannot do so until the House agenda gets to the public business section.
