The official Opposition, which is currently the People’s Progressive Movement party led by George Town North MP Joey Hew, will receive funding for an office and staff following an amendment to legislation which came into force at the start of this year.
The Parliament (Management) Amendment Bill 2026 to improve funding for Opposition leadership and constituency offices has just been gazetted. Premier André Ebanks said the bill sought to strengthen parliamentary democracy by recognising the role that Opposition has in a democracy in holding government to account.
Complex workload
“An effective Opposition benefits us all, as it improves policymaking and ensures broader representation of the population in the legislative process,” Ebanks said. “The NCFC administration is committed to modernising systems and structures across government as the volume and complexity of the work handled by MPs continues to widen.”
The bill also improves resources available to all 19 constituency offices, giving the option to upgrade the role and salary of constituency assistant to constituency manager and increasing the monthly constituency allowance from $5,000 to $6,500 per month to take account of increased costs such as rent, utilities and other office-related expenses.
“Enhancing resources for constituency offices reflects the value that the NCFC government places on constituency work, which is a crucial component of parliamentarian work and our community relations,” said Ebanks. “Furthermore, with the aim of attracting more young people and women to electoral politics, upgrading resources can help attract strong talent and makes a decision to enter parliamentarian service more palatable.”
The Parliament (Management) Amendment Bill 2026 was gazetted on 31 March with amendments deemed to have come into effect on 1 January 2026.
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