Cabinet Committees to Coordinate Recovery Activities

Two committees of Cabinet have been established to coordinate recovery activities in the aftermath of category five Hurricane Melissa.

The Relief and Recovery Oversight Committee will be co-chaired by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, and Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, Hon. Daryl Vaz.

Other members are Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr.; Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda; Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Science, Technology and Special Projects, Dr. the Hon. Andrew Wheatley; Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon; and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith.

The announcement was made by Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, during Friday’s (October 31) special press briefing at Jamaica House.

She added that ex-officio members of the committee include Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Fayval Williams, and Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister responsible for Efficiency, Innovation and Digital Transformation, Hon. Ambassador Audrey Marks.

There is also a Private Sector Committee co-chaired by Senator Keith Duncan and Minister Marks.

“There are so many different private-sector players that want to support and so, in terms of coordinating with what Government is doing, we have a new committee that has been established,” Dr. Morris Dixon said.

The committee had its first meeting scheduled for today.

“We also recognise that we’re going to need to be mobilising the church, and the church is going to have to help us quite a bit,” she said, noting that Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, has been tasked with that responsibility.

She also advised that the Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development responsible for Land Titling and Settlements, Hon. Robert Montague, has been asked to put together a plan to help families who have not been able to locate their family members to get them information.