House meeting to table 3 bills for first reading

The House of Representatives will convene next week. The upcoming sitting departs from the usual practice of Friday sessions and will sit on Monday, August twenty-fourth. There are three bills expected to be tabled for a first reading. First on the House agenda is a Returnable Containers Bill, which will provide for the control of the sale of beverages in their containers. That would put in place a deposit on bottled drinks that would be refunded when the bottle is returned. The other two bills are proposed amendments to the Evidence and Indictable Procedure Acts. In light of the number of cases where witnesses are reluctant to testify in court out of fear for their lives, the amendments seek to allow for statements from those witnesses to be admissible evidence.