Parish Extension Committees to be in Place Soon
By: August 29, 2013 ,The Key Point:
The Facts
- Each committee will consist of five persons, including the Custos or Justice of the Peace (JP)
- Mr. Crawford said that a balance is necessary for solving the noise problem
The Full Story
The Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment is moving ahead to establish parish committees to deal with concerns regarding extension of entertainment permits.
“We feel that we should move posthaste with the development of parish committees and on the 11th of September, we will have our final meeting to put that into place,” said State Minister for Tourism and Entertainment, Hon. Damion Crawford.
He was speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank held on August 27 at the agency’s Half-Way-Tree Road head offices.
The State Minister explained that each committee will consist of five persons, including the Custos or Justice of the Peace (JP), who will be trained in mediation.
Other members will include representatives from the entertainment industry, the Parish Development Council, the police, and the parish council.
Mr. Crawford said that it is the extension committee, “understanding the issues of the parish, which will decide if persons will or won’t get an extension on their entertainment licence”.
“We feel that if we have the parish extension committees that the vote will be for the greater good and the greater majority and by extension, reduce the complaints of one law for all which doesn’t fit all,” he said.
Mr. Crawford said that a balance is necessary for solving the noise problem, noting that everyone has rights, those who are seeking peace and quiet in their homes and others, who want to earn from entertainment.
He pointed to the need for a review of the Noise Abatement act of 1997, which he said, is the proposed solution to night noise.