To tackle persistent delays and a mounting backlog in the justice system, the Government has brought the Civil Division Bill, 2026, to Parliament.
The legislation, which proposes the creation of a Civil Court, a Small Claims Court, and an Estates Administration Office, all designed to modernise how civil matters are managed and resolved, was passed in the Senate with all 29 senators voting in favour.
Attorney General John Jeremie outlined the objectives of the Bill: “The purpose of the Bill, as reflected in the long title, is to restructure and modernise the administration of civil justice in Trinidad and Tobago by creating a dedicated civil division of the Judiciary and clearly allocating jurisdiction amongst specialised courts and offices.”
AG Jeremie defended the Government’s decision to further diversify the new divisions of the Supreme Court, an ongoing reform that has already created the Family and Children’s Division, along with the District Criminal and Traffic Courts.
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, Darrell Allahar, added that persistent staffing challenges, driven by high turnover and uncertainty within the Judiciary, have worsened inefficiencies.
He argued that the Bill is designed to address these systemic weaknesses and restore confidence in the administration of justice.
“Performance management assessments of civil servants. We had to help with interviewing people for positions by delegating authority of the service commission, we had to manage the accounts because the registrar was the accounting officer of the judiciary, and there were lots of things that we had to do, assisted by clerks.”
The Civil Division Bill, 2026, seeks to strengthen the Judiciary by addressing critical staffing shortages and enhancing the operational efficiency of the civil courts, particularly in the handling of puisne civil disputes.