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JAMAICA (CONSTITUTION) ORDER IN COUNCIL, 1962
Statutory Instruments 1962 No. 1550
Caribbean and North Atlantic Territories
The Jamaica (Constitution) Order in Council 1962
Made... 23rd July 1962
Laid before Parliament... 24th July 1962
Coming into Operation-
Section 3(2) of the Order in Council, and sections 80,
81, 94(1) and (2), 103, 104, 111, 124 and 125 (in part)
of the Constitution... 25th, July 1962
Remainder... Immediately before the 6th August 1962
ARRANGEMENT OF ORDER
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- Citation, commencement
and interpretation
- Revocation.
- Establishment of the Constitution.
- Existing laws.
- Finance.
- House of Representatives.
- First Standing Orders of
Senate.
- Remuneration of Members
of Parliament, etc.
- Clerks to Houses of Parliament
and their staffs.
- First Cabinet.
- Parliamentary Secretaries.
- Secretary to the Cabinet.
- Supreme Court and Judges.
- Pending Appeals.
- Appeals from Cayman Islands
and Turks and Caicos Islands.
- Remuneration of Auditor-General.
- Existing officers.
- Transitional provisions
relating to Privy Council.
- Transitional provisions
relating to existing Commissions.
- Transitional provisions
for certain officers.
- Alteration of this Order.
- Interpretation.
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| 1. Citation, commencement and interpretation. |
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1. (1) This Order may be cited
as the Jamaica (Constitution) Order in Council
1962. Subject to the provisions of subsection
(2) of section 3 of this Order,
this Order shall come into operation immediately
before the appointed day (in this Order referred
to as "the commencement of this Order"):
Provided that where by or under this Order the
Governor-General has power to make any appointment
or to make any Order or to do any other thing
for the purposes of this Order that power may
be exercised by the Governor of the Colony of
Jamaica at any time after the twentyfourth day
of July, 1962 to such extent as may, in his opinion,
be necessary or expedient to enable the Constitution
established by this Order to function as from
the commencement of this Order.
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| 2. Revocation. |
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2. The Orders in Council specified
in the First Schedule to this Order (hereinafter
referred to as "the existing Orders")
are hereby revoked. Notwithstanding the revocation
of the existing Orders the following Regulations-
(a) the Public Service Regulations, 1961,
(b) the Judicial Service Regulations,
1961,
(c) the Police Service Regulations, 1961,
and
(d) the Jamaica (Constitution) (Retirement
of Entitled Officers) Regulations, 1961,
made thereunder and all amendments thereto shall
continue in force subject to such adaptations
or modifications as may be made thereto by or
under section 4 of this Order and subject to amendment
or repeal by the authority having power to amend
or revoke the same.
(3) With effect from the commencement
of this Order paragraph (f) (which specifies Jamaica)
of the definition of the "the Territories"
in subsection (1) of section 2 of the British
Caribbean Court of Appeal Order in Council 1962
is revoked.
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| 3. Establishment of the Constitution. |
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3. (1) Subject to the provisions of subsection
(2) of this section and the other provisions of
this Order, the Constitution of Jamaica set out
in the Second Schedule to this Order (in this
Order referred to as "the Constitution")
shall come into force in Jamaica at the commencement
of this Order.
(2) This subsection and the following
provisions of the Constitution-
(a) sections 80 and 81,
(b) subsections (1) and (2) of section
94,
(c) sections 103 and 104,
(d) section 111,
(e) section 124,
(f) section 125 to the extent only as
to enable a Director of Public Prosecutions to
be appointed before the appointed day, shall come
into force in Jamaica on the twentyfifth day
of July 1962:
Provided that in relation to any period prior
to the appointed day references in these provisions
of the Constitution-
(a) to the GovernorGeneral and the Prime
Minister shall be construed as references to the
Governor and Premier respectively of the Colony
of Jamaica;
(b) to Parliament and to the House of
Representatives shall be construed as references
to the Legislature and the House of Representatives
constituted under the existing Orders; and
(c) to the Chief Justice or a Judge of
the Supreme Court shall be construed as references
to the Chief Justice or a Judge of the Supreme
Court holding office under the existing Orders.
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| 4. Existing laws. |
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4. (1) All laws which are in force in
Jamaica immediately before the appointed day shall
(subject to amendment or repeal by the authority
having power to amend or repeal any such law)
continue in force on and after that day, and all
laws which have been made before that day but
have not previously been brought into operation
may (subject as aforesaid) be brought into force,
in accordance with any provision in that behalf,
on or after that day, but all such laws shall,
subject to the provisions of this section, be
construed, in relation to any period beginning
on or after the appointed day, with such adaptations
and modifications as may be necessary to bring
them into conformity with the provisions of this
Order.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality
of the preceding subsection, in any law which
continues in force on and after the appointed
day or which, having been made before that day,
is brought into force on or after that day, unless
the context otherwise requires-
(a) references to the Governor shall,
in relation to any period beginning on or after
the appointed day, be construed as references
to the GovernorGeneral;
(b) references to the Legislature
or to either chamber thereof shall, in relation
to any period as aforesaid, be construed as references
to the Parliament, or to the corresponding House
thereof, established by the Constitution;
(c ) references to any office (or to the
person holding or acting in it) connected with
either chamber of the Legislature shall, in relation
to any such period as aforesaid be construed as
references to the corresponding office (or the
person holding or acting in it) constituted by
or under the Constitution;
(d) references to the Cabinet, to the
premier or to any other Minister shall, in relation
to any such period as aforesaid, be construed
as references respectively to the Cabinet established
by the Constitution to the Prime Minister appointed
for the time being under the Constitution and
to the corresponding Minister so appointed;
(e) references to the Secretary to the
Cabinet shall, in relation to any such period
as aforesaid, be construed as references to the
Secretary to the Cabinet established by the Constitution;
(f) references to the Privy Council shall,
in relation to any such period as aforesaid, be
construed as references to the Privy Council established
by the Constitution;
(g) references to the Judicial Service
Commission, the Public Service Commission or the
Police Service Commission shall, in relation to
any such period as aforesaid, be construed as
references respectively to the Judicial Service
Commission, the Public Service Commission or the
Police Service Commission established by the Constitution;
(h) references to any other office (or
to the person holding or acting in it) constituted
by or under the existing Orders or to any other
authority or body so constituted shall, in relation
to any such period as aforesaid, be construed
as references respectively to the corresponding
office (or to the person holding or acting in
it) or the corresponding authority or body constituted
by or under the Constitution.
(3) For the purposes of this Order the
Senate is the corresponding House to the Legislative
Council constituted under the existing Orders.
(4) The GovernorGeneral may, by Order
published in the Gazette, declare-
(a) for the purposes of paragraphs (c)
and (h) of subsection (2) of this section, what
is the corresponding office, authority or body
referred to in either of those paragraphs; and
(b)for the purposes of paragraph (d)
of that subsection, who is the corresponding
Minister referred to in that paragraph.
(5) (a) The GovernorGeneral may, by Order
made at any time within a period of two years
commencing with the appointed day and published
in the Gazette, make such adaptations and
modifications in any law which continues in force
in Jamaica on and after the appointed day, or
which having been made before that day, is brought
into force on or after that day, as appear to
him to be necessary or expedient by reason of
anything contained in this Order.
(b)Without prejudice to the generality
of paragraph (a) of this subsection any Order
made thereunder may transfer to the Director of
Public Prosecutions any function by any such law
vested in the AttorneyGeneral.
(c) An Order made by the GovernorGeneral
under this subsection shall have effect from such
date, not earlier than the appointed day, as may
be specified therein.
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| 5. Finance. |
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5. Without prejudice to the provisions
of the preceding section and for the avoidance
of doubt, it is hereby declared that any resolution
of the House of Representatives passed before
the appointed day and any law enacted by the Legislature
before that day (whether such resolution was passed
or such law enacted before or after the making
of this Order) relay have effect for the purposes
of section 117 of the Constitution as if they
were respectively a resolution of the House of
Representatives established by the Constitution
or a law enacted by the Parliament so established.
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| 6. House of Representatives |
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6. (1) Notwithstanding any other provisions
of this Order, the House of Representatives constituted
under the existing Orders (in this section referred
to as "the existing House of Representatives")
shall be the House of Representatives of Jamaica
during the period beginning with the commencement
of this Order and ending with the first dissolution
of Parliament thereafter.
(2) The persons who immediately before
the commencement of this Order are members of
the existing House of Representatives shall be
members of the House of Representatives established
by this Order and as from that time shall be deemed
to have been elected as such in pursuance of section
36 of the Constitution and shall hold their seats
in that House in accordance with the provisions
of the Constitution.
(3) The persons who immediately before
the commencement of this Order are Speaker and
Deputy Speaker of the existing House of Representatives
shall be Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively
of the House of Representatives established by
this Order and as from that time shall be deemed
to have been elected as such in pursuance of section
43 of the Constitution and shall hold office in
accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
(4) The Standing Orders of the existing
House of Representatives as in force immediately
before the commencement of this Order shall with
such adaptations and modifications as may be necessary
to bring them into conformity with this Order,
be the first Standing Orders of the House of Representatives
established by the Constitution as if they had
been made in pursuance of section 51 of the Constitution.
(5) Notwithstanding anything contained
in subsection (2) of section 64 of the Constitution
(but subject to the provisions of subsections
(3) and (4) of that section) Parliament shall,
unless sooner dissolved, stand dissolved on the
tenth day of April 1967.
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| 7. First Standing Orders of Senate. |
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7. The Standing Orders of the Legislative
Council constituted under the existing Orders
as in force immediately before the commencement
of this Order shall, with such adaptations and
modifications as may be necessary to bring them
into conformity with this Order, be the first
Standing Orders of the Senate established by the
Constitution as if they had been made in pursuance
of section 51 of the Constitution.
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| 8. Remuneration of Members of Parliament,
etc. |
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8. Until other provision is made in that
behalf, the salary and allowances payable to members
of either House, the President and Deputy President
of the Senate, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker
of the House of Representatives, Ministers and
Parliamentary Secretaries shall be those payable
to the persons last holding the corresponding
offices immediately before the commencement of
this Order.
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| 9. Clerks to Houses of Parliament
and their staffs. |
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9. (1) Any person who, immediately before
the commencement of this Order holds office as
Clerk or Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Council
or of the House of Representatives shall, as from
that time, hold the like office of Clerk or Deputy
Clerk of the Senate or of the House of Representatives
as if he had been appointed thereto under section
47 of the Constitution, and shall, until other
provision is made in accordance with the provisions
of that section, hold office on the same terms
of service as applied to him immediately before
the commencement of this Order.
(2) Any other person who, immediately
before the commencement of this Order holds an
office on the staff of the Clerk of the Legislative
Council or on the staff of the Clerk of the House
of Representatives shall hold the like office
on the staff of the Clerk of the Senate or on
the staff of the Clerk of the House of Representatives
as from that time as if he had been appointed
thereto under section 47 of the Constitution.
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| 10. First Cabinet |
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10. (1) The person who, immediately before
the commencement of this Order, holds the office
of Premier shall, as from that time hold office
as Prime Minister as if he had been appointed
thereto under section 70 of the Constitution;
the persons who, immediately before the commencement
of this Order, are members of the House of Representatives
and hold office as other Ministers shall, as from
that time, similarly hold the like offices under
the Constitution; and references in the Constitution
to the Cabinet shall be construed accordingly.
(2) Where any Minister who holds office
as from the commencement of this Order under the
provisions of the preceding subsection is, by
virtue of a direction given under the existing
Orders, charged immediately before the commencement
of this Order with responsibility for any subject
or department, he shall be deemed as from the
commencement of this Order to have been charged
with the responsibility for the corresponding
subject or department of government under subsection
(1) of section 77 of the Constitution.
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| 11. Parliamentary Secretaries. |
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11. Any person who, immediately before
the commencement of this Order, is a member of
the House of Representatives and holds office
as a Parliamentary Secretary shall, as from
that time hold office as Parliamentary Secretary
as if he had been appointed thereto under the
provisions of section 78 of the Constitution.
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| 12. Secretary to the Cabinet. |
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12. The person who, immediately before
the commencement of this Order holds office as
Secretary of the Cabinet shall, as from that time,
hold office as Secretary to the Cabinet as if
he had been appointed thereto under the provisions
of section 92 of the Constitution.
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| 13. Supreme Court and Judges. |
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13. (1) The Supreme Court in existence
immediately before the commencement of this Order
shall be the Supreme Court for the purposes of
the Constitution, and the Chief Justice and other
Judges of the Supreme Court holding office immediately
before the commencement of this Order shall, as
from that time, continue to hold the like offices
as if they had been appointed thereto under the
provisions of Chapter VII of the Constitution.
(2) Until other provision is made under
and in accordance with the provisions of section
101 of the Constitution, the salaries and allowances
of the Judges of the Supreme Court shall be the
salaries and allowances to which the holders of
those offices were entitled immediately before
the commencement of this Order.
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| 14. Pending Appeals. |
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14. (1) Any proceedings pending immediately
before the commencement of this Order on appeal
from the Supreme Court to the British Caribbean
Court of Appeal may be continued after the commencement
of this Order before the Court of Appeal established
by the Constitution.
(2) Any judgment of the Supreme Court
of the Federation of The West Indies or
of the British Caribbean Court of Appeal in an
appeal from a court of Jamaica given but not satisfied,
before the commencement Order, may be enforced
after the commencement of this Order as if it
were a judgment of the Court of Appeal established
by the Constitution.
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| 15. Appeal from Cayman Island and
Turks and Caicos Islands. |
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15. The Court of Appeal established by
the Constitution may have and exercise such jurisdiction
and powers in respect of the Cayman Islands and
the Turks and Caicos Islands as may be conferred
upon it by any law for the time being in force
in the Cayman Islands or the Turks and Caicos
Islands, as the case may be, and may for the purpose
of exercising that jurisdiction sit either in
Jamaica or in the Cayman Islands or in the Turks
and Caicos Islands as the case may be.
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| 16. Remuneration of Auditor-General. |
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16. Until provision is made under and
in accordance with subsection (4) of section 120
of the Constitution, the salary and allowances
of the AuditorGeneral shall be the salary and
allowances to which the holder of that office
was entitled immediately before the commencement
of this Order.
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| 17. Existing officers. |
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17. (1) Where any office has been established
for the former Colony of Jamaica by or under the
existing Orders or any existing law, and the Constitution
establishes the same or an equivalent office for
Jamaica, not being the office of Prime Minister,
Minister, or Parliamentary Secretary, any person
who, immediately before the commencement of this
Order, is holding or acting in the former office
shall, so far as is consistent with the provisions
of this Order, be deemed as from the commencement
of this Order to have been appointed to or to
act in the latter office in accordance with the
provisions of this Order and to have taken any
necessary oath under this Order.
(2) Subject to the provisions of this
Order, every person who, immediately before the
commencement of this Order. holds or is acting
in a public office shall, as from that time, continue
to hold or act in the like office as if he had
been appointed thereto or to act therein in accordance
with the provisions of this Order.
(3) The provisions of this section shall
be without prejudice to-
(a) the provisions of section 6 of this
Order; and
(b) any powers conferred by or under this
Order upon any person or authority to make provision
for the abolition of offices and the removal of
persons holding or acting in any office.
(4) In this section "existing law"
means such a law as is referred to in subsection
(1) of section 4 of this Order.
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| 18. Transitional provisions relating
to Privy Council. |
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18. Any matter which, immediately before
the commencement of this Order, is pending before
the Privy Council established under the existing
Orders shall as from the commencement of this
Order, be continued before the Privy Council established
by the Constitution.
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| 19. Transitional provisions relating
to existing Commissions. |
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19. (1) Any power of the Governor of the
Colony of Jamaica acting on the recommendation
of a Commission established by the existing Orders
(in this section referred to as "an existing
Commission) which has been validly delegated to
any person or authority under those Orders shall,
as from the commencement of this Order, be deemed
to have been delegated to that person or authority
in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.
(2) Any matter which, immediately before
the commencement of this Order, is pending before
an existing Commission or, as the case may be,
before any person or authority to whom the power
to deal with such matter has been validly delegated
under the existing Orders shall as from the commencement
of this Order be continued before the Judicial
Service Commission established by the Constitution
or the Public Service Commission or the Police
Service Commission so established or, as the case
may be, the said person or authority:
Provided that where an existing
Commission or, as the case may be, any person
or authority as aforesaid has, immediately before
the commencement of this Order, partly completed
the hearing of a disciplinary proceeding (in this
section referred to as "the original hearing"),
no person shall take part in the continued hearing
unless he has also taken part in the original
hearing; and where by virtue of this subsection
the original hearing cannot be so continued the
hearing of the disciplinary proceedings shall
be recommenced.
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| 20. Transitional provisions for certain
officers. |
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20. (1) Any person who, immediately before
the commencement of this Order, holds any office
established by or under the existing Orders and
who does not, as from the date of such commencement,
hold any public office shall be entitled to the
leave, beginning with the commencement of this
Order, for which under the terms of service applicable
to him immediately before the commencement of
this Order he was then eligible:
Provided that if any such person holds, or is
acting in, as from the commencement of this Order,
any office established by or under the Constitution,
the leave to which he is entitled under this section
shall begin when he relinquishes that office.
(2) When any person is on leave under
the provisions of subsection (1) of this section,
he shall be regarded as still in the office which
he held immediately before the commencement of
this Order.
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| 21. Alteration of this Order. |
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21. (1) Parliament may alter any of the
provisions of sections 1 to 22 (inclusive), other
than section 15, of this Order including this
section in the same manner as it may alter the
provisions of the Jamaica Independence Act, 1962.
(2) Parliament may amend from time to
time or repeal, in so far as it forms part of
the law of Jamaica, section 15 of this Order by
an Act passed in accordance with the provisions
of paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section
49 of the Constitution.
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| 22. Interpretation. |
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22. (1) In this Order references to any
body or to any office shall be construed, in relation
to any period before the commencement of this
Order, as references to such body or such office
as constituted by or under the existing Orders,
and references to the holder of any office shall
be similarly construed.
(2) The provisions of section 1 of the
Constitution shall apply for the purposes of interpreting
this Order as they apply for interpreting the
Constitution.
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