Official Gazette (Amendment) Bill, 2026

OFFICIAL GAZETTE (AMENDMENT) BILL, A BILL FOR AN ACT TO AMEND THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE ACT (1997 REVISION) TO PROVIDE FOR PUBLICATION OF THE GAZETTE BY ELECTRONIC MEANS ONLY; TO REMOVE THE FEES FOR PRINTED COPIES OF THE GAZETTE; TO DESIGNATE THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AS THE ENTITY RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATING THE GAZETTE; TO SET OUT THE CHARGE FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE GAZETTE; AND FOR INCIDENTAL AND CONNECTED PURPOSES PUBLISHING DETAILS Sponsoring Ministry/Portfolio: Cabinet Office Memorandum of THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2026 The Bill seeks to modernise the Official Gazette Act (1997 Revision) (“the principal Act”) by providing for publication of the Official Gazette (“Gazette”) by electronic means only. This change is aimed at improving accessibility and administrative efficiency. The Bill seeks to amend the principal Act in order to — (a) provide for publication of the Gazette by electronic means only; (b) remove the fees for printed copies of the Gazette; (c) designate the Department of Communications as the entity responsible for publishing and circulating the Gazette; (d) set out the charge for announcements in the Gazette; and (e) provide for incidental and connected purposes. Clause 1 provides the short title of the legislation. Clause 2 amends the principal Act by making general amendments. The principal Act is amended by replacing the word “Governor” with the word “Cabinet” and by replacing the word “Law” with the word “Act”. Clause 3 repeals section 2 of the principal Act and substitutes a proposed new section 2 that defines the terms “Department of Communications”, “Gazette” and “published”. Clause 4 amends section 3 of the principal Act by deleting unnecessary wording. As the term “Gazette” is proposed to be defined in the legislation to mean the Cayman Gazette, there is no need for the words “hereinafter called “the Gazette”” in section 3 of the principal Act. Clause 5 repeals section 5 of the principal Act and replaces it with a proposed new section 5, which provides that the Cabinet may direct the publication and circulation of the Gazette by Order or written direction, and that such publication and circulation are to be carried out by the Department of Communications. Clause 6 amends section 6 of the principal Act by removing the Latin expression “inter alia” and replacing it with the English expression “among other things” in accordance with modern legislative drafting principles. Clause 7 amends section 8 of the principal Act by substituting the reference to a printed copy of a Gazette with a published copy and by updating the phrase “both with the judicature and thereout” to a more modern expression. Clause 8 repeals section 9 of the principal Act and substitutes a proposed new section 9 headed “Access to the Gazette”, which provides that the Gazette is to be made available to the public free of charge, sets the fee for announcements in the Gazette at sixty-five cents per word, and empowers the Cabinet to amend that fee by Order. Clauses 9 and 10 amend sections 10 and 11 of the principal Act, respectively, by updating the language of those provisions. Clause 11 amends section 12 of the principal Act by restructuring the provision through the renumbering of the existing section as section 12(1). The clause also removes, in paragraph (a), references to printing and circulation as a consequence of the proposed new requirement in the legislation for publication in electronic form, and deletes unnecessary words. The clause further inserts a new subsection (2) to provide that rules, regulations and orders made under the principal Act may prescribe that the contravention of their provisions constitutes an offence, and establishes the penalty on summary conviction of a fine of five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term of six months, or to both. Clause 12 amends section 13 of the principal Act by repealing and substituting a proposed new section 13 in order to remove the omnibus general penalty and replace it with a provision specifying the sections the contravention of which constitutes an offence. The clause also updates the language in paragraph (a) from “thereunder is guilty of” to “under this Act commits” and in paragraph (b) by inserting the word “is” in order to make the sentence grammatically correct. Clause 13 amends the principal Act by inserting a proposed new section 13A, which provides for the repeal of the Official Gazette Regulations (1995 Revision). Arrangement of Clauses Clause General amendments to the Official Gazette Act (1997 Revision) - references to Clause 1 A BILL FOR AN ACT TO AMEND THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE ACT (1997 REVISION) TO PROVIDE FOR PUBLICATION OF THE GAZETTE BY ELECTRONIC MEANS ONLY; TO REMOVE THE FEES FOR PRINTED COPIES OF THE GAZETTE; TO DESIGNATE THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS AS THE ENTITY RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLISHING AND CIRCULATING THE GAZETTE; TO SET OUT THE CHARGE FOR ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE GAZETTE; AND FOR INCIDENTAL AND CONNECTED PURPOSES ENACTED by the Legislature of the Cayman Islands. Short title This Act may be cited as the Official Gazette (Amendment) Act, 2026. General amendments to the Official Gazette Act (1997 Revision) - references to Governor; references to Law The Official Gazette Act (1997 Revision) in this Act referred to as the “principal Act” is amended by deleting the word — (a) “Governor” wherever it appears and substituting the word “Cabinet”; and (b) “Law” wherever it appears and substituting the word “Act”. Clause 3 Repeal and substitution of section 2 - definition The principal Act is amended by repealing section 2 and substituting the following “Interpretation In this Act — “Department of Communications” means the department of Government responsible for communications across the Government; “Gazette” means the publication called the Cayman Gazette established under section 3; and “published”, with respect to the Gazette, means the publication of the Gazette in electronic form.”. Amendment of section 3 - establishment of the Gazette The principal Act is amended in section 3 by deleting the words “, hereinafter called “the Gazette””. Repeal and substitution of section 5 - publication The principal Act is amended by repealing section 5 and substituting the following “Publication (1) The Cabinet may direct by Order or written direction, the publication and circulation of the Gazette. (2) The Department of Communications shall publish and circulate the Gazette.”. Amendment of section 6 - form of the Gazette The principal Act is amended in section 6 by deleting the words “inter alia” and substituting the words “among other things”. Amendment of section 8 - effect of publication The principal Act is amended in section 8 as follows — (a) by deleting the word “printed” and substituting the word “published”; and (b) by deleting the words “both with the judicature and thereout” and substituting the words “in and out of court”. Clause 8 Repeal and substitution of section 9 - circulation The principal Act is amended by repealing section 9 and substituting the following “Access to the Gazette (1) The Gazette shall be offered to the public free of charge. (2) The charge to the public for announcements in the Gazette is sixtyfive cents per word. (3) The Cabinet may amend the charge specified under subsection (2) by Order.”. Amendment of section 10 - protection of the word “Gazette” The principal Act is amended in section 10 as follows — (a) by deleting the word “Whoever” and substituting the words “A person who”; and (b) by deleting the words “is guilty of” and substituting the word “commits”. Amendment of section 11 - offences

The principal Act is amended in section 11 as follows — (a) by deleting the chapeau and substituting the following chapeau — “A person who —”; and (b) by deleting the words “is guilty of” and substituting the word “commits”. Amendment of section 12- regulations

The principal Act is amended in section 12 as follows — (a) by renumbering section 12 as section 12(1); (b) in the renumbered section 12(1) as follows — (i) in paragraph (a), by deleting the words “printing, production and circulation” and substituting the words “production and publication”; and (ii) in paragraph (b), by deleting the words “scales of”; and by inserting after the renumbered section 12(1) the following subsection — “(2) Rules, regulations and orders made under this Act may prescribe that the contravention of a provision of the rules, regulations or orders constitutes an offence and that a person who commits any such offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine of five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term of six months, or to both.”. Clause 12 Repeal and substitution of section 13 - general penalty

A person who commits an offence under section 10 or 11 is liable on summary conviction to a fine of five hundred dollars or to imprisonment for a term of six months, or to both.”. Insertion of section 13A - repeal of the Official Gazette Regulations (1995 Revision) 13. The principal Act is amended by inserting after section 13 the following section — “Repeal of the Official Gazette Regulations (1995 Revision) 13A. The Official Gazette Regulations (1995 Revision) are repealed. Passed by the Parliament the day of Speaker Clerk of the Parliament