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Legislation is being crafted for the development of a public procurement regime, which will legally separate the National Contracts Commission (NCC) from the Office of the Contractor General (OCG). The independent NCC, will be renamed the Public Procurement Commission. Making the announcement at the Jamaica House press briefing on Wednesday, March 20, Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, explained...

Cabinet has approved the sale of the Oceana Hotel complex to the National Health Fund (NHF) for $350 million. The Ministry of Health will continue to occupy the building, which will be rehabilitated, to provide an improved environment for Ministry staff and the public. Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, in making the announcement at the...

Cabinet will begin a two-day retreat on Sunday, March 24. Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, made the announcement at the weekly Jamaica House press briefing on Wednesday, March 20. She said that the Cabinet Ministers will discuss the various programmes and plans and the Government’s strategic priorities, as the new fiscal year approaches. Focus will...

A new bailey bridge, constructed by the National Works Agency (NWA) at a cost of $23.3 million, was officially opened on Wednesday morning in Dover Castle, St. Catherine. The single lane bridge replaces a structure, which collapsed some two years ago during flood rains associated with the passage of Tropical Storm Nicole. It serves the communities of Dover Castle, Redwood,...

A Bill to establish Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ), as a semi-autonomous revenue authority, was passed on Tuesday, March 19, in the House of Representatives. The Tax Administration Jamaica Act 2013 was piloted by Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips. Dr. Phillips noted that TAJ will be responsible for registration, taxpayer services, audit, investigations, assessments, collection, enforcement...

A modern defamation bill, which seeks to protect journalists in the execution of their duties, is to go before Parliament shortly. Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, told journalists at a Jamaica House press briefing on Wednesday, March 20, that Cabinet had approved the tabling of the bill to correct inadequacies in the present defamation laws....

Labour and Social Security Minister, Hon. Derrick Kellier, says the Programme of Advancement through Health and Education (PATH) continues to be regarded globally as one of the best social protection initiatives of its kind. This, he said, is based on positive reviews of the programme by Jamaica’s international partners such as the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). “We...

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, saysthere is need for a review of the overall arrangements of the Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB), to address, among other things, the high delinquency rate. “There is too high a delinquency ratio in relation to some of these funds and loans on the portfolio. It is designed as a revolving fund,...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, has congratulated telecommunications company Digicel, for its bold investment in downtown Kingston and the role it continues to play as a full service Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provider in Jamaica. She said the decision by the company to establish its state-of-the-art headquarters downtown, “clearly demonstrates that Digicel has caught both the...

Some 48 houses are earmarked for construction at a cost of $20 million, under the pilot phase of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Social Housing Project. The initiative, being jointly undertaken with charity organisation, Food for the Poor (FFTP) which is spearheading the construction, is being facilitated through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by both entities. This...

Plans are well advanced for this year’s staging of the Prime Minister’s Youth Awards for Excellence and Jamaican Youth in Concert, scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 24, at Emancipation Park, New Kingston. Nearly 30 young men and women, 15 to 24 years old, will be honoured for achievement in sports, agriculture, academics, leadership, journalism, arts and culture, youth...

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, March 19, approved the withdrawal of $94.3 billion from the Consolidated Fund, to allow the Government to carry-on its business from April 1 to July 31. The sum is needed for Government spending on critical areas, until the new budget is passed. Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, in moving the...