Parliament defends delay in tabling Firearm Licensing Authority report

The Government is rejecting claims that Parliament is withholding an Integrity Commission report on the Firearm Licensing Authority to keep its contents from the public, even as the document remains untabled more than 50 days after it was received.

The report was submitted to Parliament on March 30, 2026, and formally received at 1:02 p.m. Fifty-three days later, it has still not been laid before the House. Senate President Tom Tavares-Finson has defended the delay, saying Parliament will not be pressured into acting before its internal process is complete.

Parliament has received five Integrity Commission reports in total. Four were tabled on Wednesday and relate to non-payment or failure to file statutory deductions by four individuals. The remaining report, understood to concern alleged corruption and irregularities at the FLA, is being handled separately.

Floyd Green, leader of government business in the House of Representatives, said there is “no attempt at suppression” and “no attempt at hiding anything”. He said House Speaker Juliet Holness and Senate President Tavares-Finson made the decision jointly after consultation with the Clerk to the Houses and Parliament’s legal officers.

Green argued that the issue is whether tabling the report now could prejudice or frustrate active court proceedings linked to it. He pointed to the 2017 Ian Hayles matter, where Parliament held off on tabling a report before an injunction was later granted. That report was eventually tabled in 2023 after the court process ended.

Asked about the Integrity Commission Act’s requirement that reports “shall” be submitted to Parliament for tabling, Green said the law does not set a specific deadline. He said any reasonable timeline must take account of the court matter, which is expected to come before the court next week.

Critics have argued that Parliament is sovereign and that the continued delay weakens public trust. Green maintained that Parliament has the authority to decide when to table reports, while saying the presiding officers will keep the matter under review.