The Government is reporting that Self-Financing Public Bodies (SFPB) recorded an overall balance surplus of $3.96 billion for the first three months of the 2017/18 fiscal year ending June 30, relative to the targeted deficit of $1.45 billion. According to the 2017/18 Fiscal Policy Paper Interim Report, which was tabled in the House of Representatives in September by Finance and...

The Caribbean Poison Information Network (CARPIN) is recommending the implementation of monitoring programmes within health facilities to capture information on accidental poisoning in Jamaica. Poison Information Coordinator at CARPIN, Sherika Whitelocke-Ballingsingh, said that such data could inform the development of policy and legislation to address lead poisoning. The entity is also calling for segregated waste management that will help with...

The Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) plans to establish some 1.5 million square feet of office space, adding to the 1.7 million square feet already in operation, and providing more than 30,000 new jobs. Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, said the Corporation is on a trajectory to dramatically increase...

Real estate dealers, developers and bankers, and others involved in financial transactions in the industry are being reminded to report activities on trust accounts to the Real Estate Board (REB). The trust account is used to hold fees pertaining to a real estate transaction, including sales deposits. Chief Executive Officer of the REB, Sandra Watson Garrick, said that under the...

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the Government will be leveraging science and technology to build climate-smart houses. Dr. Chang, who was delivering closing remarks at the 2017 Regional Housing Conference in Montego Bay on Friday, October 20, noted that stakeholder deliberations during the forum around the use of...

Members of the Friendship Pen and Bamboo River Police Youth Clubs in St. Thomas are using grants provided under the Government’s ‘Charge UP’ initiative to assist in fostering community development. They are also engaged in restorative efforts aimed at further strengthening camaraderie among residents of both areas who were previously at loggerheads. The clubs have each received $30,000, in addition...

Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says the Port of Falmouth in Trelawny is poised to become a model regional cruise shipping destination, noting that this augurs well for Jamaica’s industry to exponentially record additional growth. Mr. Bartlett said, to date, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has spent approximately $190 million to undertake projects in town, inclusive of renovation of the...