Administrator General’s Dept. Commended for Speedy Implementation of Changes

The Administrator General and staff of the Administrator General’s Department have been commended for the speed with which the entity has implemented the changes that recent amendments to the law have brought about, as it relates to intestate properties where minors are  involved.

Speaking at a signing ceremony at the Administrator General’s Department at Ocean Boulevard on October 2, Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding, expressed his appreciation for the alacrity with which the staff processed the first two Instruments of Administration under the new regime.

“It’s a great thrill to hear that legislation that was passed earlier this year to transform the way in which the Administrator General’s office deals with its work is already being implemented and is already beginning to make a difference to the lives of  Jamaicans,” he noted.

The Minister said it was gratifying that the Administrator General’s Department had embraced the fundamental change so readily, pointing out that it was an area which had, for a long time, been problematic in terms of the length of time it took for certain matters to be addressed.

He said that what was done in the legislation was to fashion an innovative solution to two transformational issues, in particular, adding that there were other aspects to the legislation.

“The amendments will, firstly, allow the Administrator General to issue her own Instrument of Administration and commence the administration of an estate where the owner died intestate (without a will), without needing to get a grant from the court. That has eliminated many months of process and takes the burden off the courts to deal with those cases,” the Minister explained.

The other change, he said, is to allow the Administrator General to declare a number of estates in which successive generations have interest, as multi-generational estates, which will enable the Administrator General  to treat it as one and distribute the assets to the eligible beneficiaries without needing to get grants in the successive (different) estates.

The Minister pointed out that it was the need to get grants in numerous estates that would hold up the administration of those estates for decades, because there were no persons who were eligible to apply for, or obtain the necessary grants.

He pointed out that there were over 2,000 files that were affected by that problem and that the new mechanism would enable those cases to be brought to a close.

The first two Instruments of Administration were processed within eight weeks, much shorter than under the old regime.