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Government is to establish an Implementation Unit that will stimulate and guide its investment and development programmes. The unit is to be housed at the office of the Prime Minister and will benefit from the guidance of an advisory board that will comprise both private and public sector representatives. The board will be a small and efficient one, headed by...

Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding has asked Public Defender, Earl Witter to draft a set of proposals outlining what actions need to be taken to expand the powers of that office. During a meeting at Jamaica House on (Nov. 5) with Mr. Witter and Minister of Justice, the Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne, the Prime Minister said both parties should collaborate...

After a downtown over the past few months, tourist arrival is again on the rise, with the figures for September showing an increase of 4.8 per cent over the same period last year. "I'm proud to tell you that preliminary figures for October shows an 8.5 per cent increase over last year's figures," said Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, at the...

The six-week campaign, which is designed to clean and beautify resort areas across the island, was launched in Ocho Rios on Friday (Nov. 2) by Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett. The project dubbed: 'Spruce up Jamaica-Nice up Yuhself', is a collaborative effort involving the government, private sector stakeholders and communities, and will include the pruning of overgrown trees and shrubs, painting...

The island's first Mobile Command and Control Police Unit, complete with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, was commissioned into service in Montego Bay yesterday (Nov.4). The vehicle, which is the first of five for the island's resort areas, was acquired at a cost of approximately $23.5 million through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), and is a project of the Ministry of Tourism...

Agriculture Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, has said that a gradual shift must be made towards improving the activities of farmers, considering the many opportunities that are emerging especially with the expansion of the tourism industry and its requirement for fresh produce. Dr. Tufton, who was speaking at the launch of the 2007 St. Elizabeth Homecoming celebrations last week at the...

Minister of State in the Office of the Prime Minister, Robert Montague, has said that the Government will be taking several steps to increase the number of legitimate owners of land on the property tax register. This comes in the wake of the recent announcement that parish councils are to receive all property taxes as of January 1, 2008. The...

Executive Director of the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Dr. Wesley Hughes, has said that the development of the plan, which will put Jamaica on a path to achieve developed country status by 2030, will have the full participation of Jamaicans from various sections of the society. Speaking at the launch of Vision 2030, the long-term strategic National Development Plan,...

A World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) study has found that Jamaica's copyright-based industries contribute 5.1 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is equal to that of traditional sectors such as mining and agriculture. Information, Youth, Culture, and Sports Minister, Olivia Grange, speaking at a recent conference on 'Intellectual Property and the Creative Industries' held at WIPO's...

Crop cultivation in Clarendon is being boosted through a nursery operation set up by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA). Parish Manager for RADA's Clarendon office, Percival Shaw, explained that the provision of the nursery has helped to improve the quality of planting stock available to farmers, by ensuring that planting materials are produced in an acceptable manner and that...

The Ministry of Agriculture has reported that the Pink Hibiscus Mealy Bug has been discovered in more communities in Portland. Assistant Plant Health and Food Safety Officer at the Rural Agricultural Development Authority's (RADA) Technology Training and Technical Information Division, Francine Webb, told JIS News that the infestation, though confined to the parish, has spread to other areas. "The initial...

Prime Minister, the Hon Bruce Golding has expressed the hope that the two-day National Planning Summit now underway at the Ritz Carlton hotel in Rose Hall, Montego Bay, will come up with deliverable and timely solutions that will mark the turning point to assist the country in addressing many of the challenges it now faces. In his opening address to...