The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has received the largest share of the Government’s $853.5-billion Budget for 2020/21, totalling some $117 billion. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, said the provision is $5 billion more than the allocation for 2019/20, and represents the largest increase for the upcoming fiscal year, outside of sums...

Jamaica’s capital expenditure budget has increased significantly over the past few years, moving from approximately $30 billion in 2015/16 to $74 billion in financial year 2020/21. This was noted by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, while opening the 2020/21 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 10. Dr. Clarke said Jamaica...

The 2020/21 Budget Debate gets under way in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 10, with the opening presentation by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke. He is slated to outline how the Government’s proposed $853.5-billion expenditure for the upcoming fiscal year will be funded. The sum, which was initially $852.7 billion, has...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is to receive 20 new garbage trucks in May, says Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie. The trucks are the first of 120 additional units being procured by the Government to significantly boost the NSWMA fleet in order to improve garbage collection across the island. Minister McKenzie, who was...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says land has been identified to relocate the Church Corner landfill in St. Thomas, while an alternative location is being sought for the Doctors Road disposal site in Portland. He was speaking at Tuesday’s (March 3) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House, whose members were reviewing the...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says the Bailey bridge to be erected at the Riverton City landfill in Kingston, at a cost of $75 million, is slated for completion by January 2021. Mr. McKenzie said the temporary bridge, for which funding has been earmarked in the 2020/21 Estimates of Expenditure, will replace the existing structure...

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, is expected to meet with cruise line operators regarding the threat of the coronavirus (COVID-19) as it relates to future bookings. “I am going to meet with the cruise lines on Friday (March 6), after which we will have a better sense of how things are looking down the road. We are talking with...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the Government is monitoring industry developments in relation to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in key visitor source markets. He advised that contact is being maintained with overseas partners as part of efforts to keep abreast of the extent of the outbreak and how this could impact bookings and visitor arrivals. “As it stands now,...

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says she will be monitoring developments regarding the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, to see what decisions will be made in light of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). She indicated this during Wednesday’s (March 4) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, which is now examining the...