Regulatory Reform Important – Dr. Robinson

Chairman of the Private Security Regulation Authority (PSRA), Dr. Ronald Robinson, has highlighted the importance of regulatory reform and the training of regulatory professionals in improving how Government functions.

Regulatory reform refers to changes that help improve regulatory quality, that is, enhance the performance, cost-effectiveness, or legal quality of regulations and related government formalities.

Such reform creates an environment that fosters competition, innovation and growth, while ensuring that regulations efficiently serve important social objectives.

Dr. Robinson said effective regulations will ensure that State agencies operate efficiently and that best practices are adhered to, which will benefit Jamaicans.

He was speaking at the opening ceremony for a five-day training workshop in International Regulatory Affairs, which got under way on Monday (June 20) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.

The certification course, which targets regulatory professionals from key State entities, provides a comprehensive analysis of mechanisms behind strategic regulatory reform.

Regulatory reform is aimed at helping governments improve regulatory quality; that is, reforming regulations that raise unnecessary obstacles to competition, innovation and growth, while ensuring that regulations efficiently serve important social objectives.

It is focused on the instructional architecture for regulatory reform, strategies and approaches to regulatory reform, reduction of administration burdens, enforcement and compliance issues, monitoring and evaluation of regulatory reform.

The participants are drawn from the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR); the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Commission (BGLC); Firearm Licensing Authority; Cannabis Licensing Authority; Spectrum Management Authority; Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA); Airports Authority of Jamaica; Pharmacy Council of Jamaica and the Private Security Regulation Authority.

Dr. Robinson urged the participants to take advantage of the training. “Remember, you can’t have too many certifications… so just take it seriously and absorb,” he said.

The workshop will run from June 19 to 23 and is organised by the PSRA and the United Kingdom (UK)-based International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS). The course is being delivered by Regulation Trainer, Ian Rennie.

At the end of the course, persons will receive internationally recognised certification.

The PSRA is a statutory body under the Ministry of National Security charged with monitoring and regulating the operations of all stakeholders in the private security industry.