Armadale Report to be referred to Public Service Commission

Prime Minister Bruce Golding has instructed that the report of the Commission of Enquiry into the Armadale tragedy be referred to the Public Service Commission, to determine what action should be taken against those public servants found negligent.
The report had found negligence on the part of administrators of the Ministry of National Security, members of the Department of Correctional Services and police officers.
Already, the Acting Commissioner of Police has interdicted four members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). The disciplining of members of the public service is the prerogative of the Public Service Commission, as stipulated in the Constitution, according to a release from the Ministry of National Security.
Under Section 126 of the Constitution, the Prime Minister has the authority to transfer Permanent Secretaries. The Prime Minister, however, has no authority to transfer any other public officer, or to impose any other sanction.
The Prime Minister had ordered an enquiry into the fire at the Armadale Juvenile Correctional Centre in St. Ann which occurred on May 22 last year, and took the lives of seven of the female wards. The enquiry sought to determine the circumstances which led to the fire, as well as to establish who should be held accountable for the tragedy. The report was tabled in Parliament on March 2.