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One of the three new fire trucks, valued $133 million, which have been presented to the Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development.

Firefighting Efforts Continue at Riverton Landfill

Firefighting efforts by the authorities continues at the Riverton Landfill in Kingston which has been burning since Wednesday afternoon. The Office of Disaster Preparedness & Emergency Management (ODPEM) says an aerial view of the landfill was conducted today by the...

Transport, Works and Housing Minister, Hon. Dr. Omar Davies (left), conversing with Managing Director-designate, Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Omar Sweeney, during the launch of the Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP), on March 12, in Rose Town, South Andrew, for which the Minister is also the Member of Parliament. The ICDP is being undertaken by the Government in 18 communities islandwide, at a cost of $4.8 billion (US$42 million), with funding provided by the World Bank. Implementation is being carried out by JSIF.

Rose Town to Benefit From US$42M Integrated Community Development Project

Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr. the Hon. Omar Davies (right, foreground), listens to a point from Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Steve McGregor (left, foreground). The Minister, who is also Member of Parliament for South St. Andrew, was visiting fire victims in Hopeful Village, Arnett Gardens on March 13. The fire, which occurred on March 6, claimed the lives of three children. The Government and private sector stakeholders are collaborating to determine the extent of assistance to be provided to the fire victims

Hopeful Village Fire Victims to Get Assistance

Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Colin Fagan (2nd right), addresses a press briefing held today (March 13), at the Office of the Prime Minister, to provide an update on the fire at the Riverton City Landfill. Others (from left) are: Acting Director, Emergency, Disaster Preparedness and Special Services at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Sonia Copeland; Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Major Clive Davis; and Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Jennifer Edwards.

Govt Allocates Emergency Funds to Fight Riverton Landfill Fire

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, opens the 2015/16 budget debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday, March 12. His presentation was done under the theme: ‘Strong Foundations for Growth and the Expansion of Opportunities’.

BPO to Yield 6,400 Additional Jobs

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller. (FILE)

11 years ago Office of the Prime MinisterRiverton Landfill

Prime Minister Gives Directives for Coordination of Efforts to Extinguish Riverton Fire

Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller has instructed that the Minister of State in the Ministry of the Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Colin Fagan immediately provide Ministerial coordination for the multi-agency effort now underway to control and extinguish the fire at the Riverton City landfill in the Corporate Area which has blanketed the city with smoke, and to provide...

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips (second right), addresses press briefing, held at the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Heroes Circle, on Friday, March 13. Listening are Minister with responsibility for the Public Sector, Hon. Horace Dalley (right), and Financial Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Devon Rowe.

11 years ago Finance & Public Service

Finance Minister Defends Purchase of Hedge

Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, is defending the Government’s decision to purchase a hedge in the market against the risk of a sharp increase in the price of oil. The Minister had announced on March 12, the imposition of an additional specific Special Consumption Tax (SCT) of $7 per litre to be imposed on petrol,...

Finance and Planning Minister, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, says the “sky is the limit” as it regards growth in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

11 years ago Budget 2015/2016Finance & Public ServiceParliament

More Tax Relief for PAYE Workers

Effective January 1, 2016, the threshold on Personal Income Tax will be increased from $557,232 to $592,800 per annum, thereby providing further relief to PAYE workers. “For all PAYE persons, this will mean an additional $35,568 per year of tax free income, but the impact in terms of lower effective tax rates will be greater for the lower income PAYE tax payers,”...

Science, Technology, Energy, and Mining Minister, Hon. Phillip Paulwell.

11 years ago Technology

Technology Minister Grants Number Portability Administrator Service Provider Licence

Minister with responsibility for Technology, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, on Thursday March 12, 2015 granted a Number Portability Administrator licence to Porting Access B.V. of the Netherlands. The licence will take effect on March 16 2015 and is for a period of 10 years. The licence has been granted for the company to establish operate, manage, coordinate and maintain a number...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller (left), is in conversation with Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton (centre) and Chairman of Jamaica Promotions Limited (JAMPRO), Milton Samuda, at the 2nd Jamaica Investment Forum on March 11 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James.

11 years ago CommercePrime Minister

Jamaica Leading Caribbean Destination for Investment

Chairman of Jamaica Promotions Limited (JAMPRO), Milton Samuda, says Jamaica has a range of competitive advantages as a business destination, which puts the country ahead of others in the region. Speaking at the 2015 Jamaica Investment Forum at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on Wednesday, March 11, Mr. Samuda said Jamaica is a prime location, which offers...

Education Minister, the Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, gives his remarks at the third staging of the Ministry’s Mathematics Exposition held on March 12, at the Old Library grounds at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona campus.

11 years ago Education

Improving Student Achievement in Math Critical – Thwaites

Education Minister, the Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, says improving student achievement in mathematics is critical to the country’s continued growth and development. “That is why over the past three years...there has been a wholehearted commitment ... to arrest the decline in our appreciation of mathematics and that we improve our methods of teaching, our understanding of the principles and eventually...

Financial Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Devon Rowe (left), greets St. Andrew Rotary Club President, Robert Gibbs, just before the start of the organisation’s weekly luncheon on March 10, at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Andrew, where Mr. Rowe was the guest speaker.

11 years ago Finance & Public Service

Financial Secretary Welcomes Collaborations

Financial Secretary, Devon Rowe, says he welcomes the new and emerging style of governance, characterised by increased collaborations involving public and private sector stakeholders who support key Government programmes, such as implementation of the Economic Reform Programme (ERP). Notable among these collaborations, he says, are the Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), which monitors and advises on the ERP’s implementation; the...