For the avoidance of doubt, this newspaper asked Jamaica’s Parliament to clarify the circumstances in which it would feel obliged to prevent, within its chambers, the airing of — or take action on — a matter of public interest because the issue is before the courts.

The six-week delay by House Speaker Juliet Holness in tabling a report by the Integrity Commission (IC) on its investigation into allegations of improprieties at the Firearms Licensing Authority (FLA) is a live example of this question. Ostensibly, Parliament has not acted because of the FLA’s move to challenge the report’s conclusions, classifying the matter as sub judice.

While Jamaica’s final court has not pronounced definitively on the issue, it appears — on its face — to be a broadly settled matter, including in this jurisdiction, that courts have no role in how Parliament conducts its internal affairs. Indeed, the issue was ventilated three years ago by Justice Lorna Shelly-Williams in the Ian Hayles case, a matter roughly analogous to the FLA’s.