The Government is giving consideration to selling some of its shares in the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) in order to clear the debt owed to the company for streetlights. This was disclosed by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, during the meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament held on Wednesday (February 28). Currently, the...

The Hon. Justice Bryan Sykes has been appointed the eighth Chief Justice of Jamaica. Justice Sykes was sworn in by Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, during a ceremony at King’s House on Thursday (March 1). During the function, he was bestowed with the nation’s fourth highest honour, the Order of Jamaica (OJ). The Governor-General, in...

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, has commended the Embassy of Japan for its continued investment in Jamaica’s education system. The Minister was making his keynote address at the official handover ceremony for the newly renovated and expanded facilities at the Warsop Primary and Infant School in Southern Trelawny on February 27. The project, which...

Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, has charged the nation’s nurses to prepare to play a greater role in promoting and protecting public health. He noted that nurses, given the regular and frequent contact they have with people, are in a unique position to promote healthy lifestyles and advise persons against habits that can endanger their health. “The...

Two hundred and sixty public-sector workers have, so far, registered for the Government’s Special Early Retirement Programme (SERP), which officially closes yesterday (February 28). The figure is likely to increase by March 2 when Human Resource Departments across government complete the uploading of all the persons who have applied to the programme. During a meeting of the Standing Finance Committee...

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, says public debt servicing is below 40 per cent of the National Budget. “It is at 37.4 per cent. This is significant because we all remember the days in both governments when we had debt servicing in excess of 60 per cent (and) at one stage as high as 65 per...

Deputy Chairman, Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) Social Intervention Committee, Omar Sweeney, says the various initiatives being undertaken in Mount Salem and Denham Town, where a ZOSO is currently in effect, are aimed at re-establishing essential services to these communities. Mr. Sweeney, who was addressing a JIS Think Tank on Tuesday (February 27), pointed out that even before the ZOSO,...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, believes Jamaica can replicate the success recorded by Estonia, which has embraced technology to catalyse the nation’s development. He noted that the country has integrated technology into its governance structure, including the provision of services. “So, for example, they are able to offer a whole range of public services online. It’s very efficient...