$80 Million for Ministry of Finance to Carry out Research

The Ministry of Finance and Planning has been allocated a sum of $80 million to carry out research and other studies in support of Government’s macro economic management policy, and the improvement and modernization of administrative systems.
This has been outlined in the 2004/05 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.
About $203 million has been allocated to meet the cost of the computerization of the Customs Department and other revenue departments and to maintain and upgrade the Financial Management System in ministries/departments, including the Police Force, Customs, Forestry, Jamaica Defence Force, Inland Revenue Department and Parliament.
A total of $30 million is to be distributed to various ministries during the year to facilitate the implementation of ad-hoc projects islandwide. The Statistical Institute of Jamaica has been allocated $10 million to undertake the Population Census and the Household Expenditure Survey, while the $30 million will go towards the maintenance and rehabilitation of offices under the Ministry of Finance, including the Port Antonio Collectorate, which will be refurbished at a cost of $25 million. A sum of $50 million has been allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture to pay the final tranche of a loan to the Jamaica Dairy Farmers’ Federation.
The Federation negotiated a loan with the Government of Jamaica for $372 million for the Milk Marketing Project. To date, $300 million has been provided to the Federation, leaving a balance of $72 million.