Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. J.C. Hutchinson, says the magnitude of St. Elizabeth’s contribution to the national food chain makes the parish a critical player in Jamaica’s economic development. Speaking at the recent St. Elizabeth Homecoming Agrifest, held at Independence Park, Black River, Mr. Hutchinson said he is also mindful that 2017...

Chief Justice, Hon. Bryan Sykes has lauded the contributions made by former Chief Justices, Zaila McCalla and Lensley Wolfe, to the country’s court system. Chief Justice Sykes, who was speaking at the official opening of the newly expanded Court of Appeal building in Downtown Kingston on December 12, noted that the reform of the justice system was set in motion...

A performance evaluation process is part of new measures implemented by the Government to monitor the functioning of public Boards. “We are doing it on a phased basis with 20 public bodies, which are required to do Board evaluations that score the performance of the Boards,” said Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke. “The...

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is intensifying efforts to curtail child labour in Jamaica through a ‘Risk Identification Model’ programme being implemented to identify communities where this illicit activity is occurring, in order to facilitate interventions. According to Director of Child Labour in the Ministry, Sacha Deer Gordon, the initiative will entail creating vulnerability maps that highlight areas...

The Ministry of Health this year doubled the number of communities where its vector control programme was administered up to the end of September, to 1,000. This, according to the Head of the Ministry’s Health Promotion and Protection Branch, Dr. Simone Spence, is up from an average of 500 between January and May. She was speaking at a press briefing...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says ground is slated to be broken in January to commence the construction of 6,000 additional hotel rooms. He said expansion of Jamaica’s hotel room stock will serve to further boost the economy by providing opportunities for local stakeholders, such as manufacturers, whom he encouraged to prepare to supply the anticipated heightened demand for furniture,...

Attorney General, Marlene Malahoo Forte, says that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is a critical component in the regional integration movement and the functioning of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). The court is the final authority on disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas, which established the CSME. Mrs. Malahoo Forte was...