The Ministry of Tourism is reporting that close to 10,000 hospitality workers are paying into the Tourism Workers Pension Scheme, with approximately $400 million in contributions to date. Portfolio Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, made the disclosure during the sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, on March 1. “The Government, as you know, has put forward...

Standards should be developed for environmental compliance throughout the tourism value chain, says Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett. Addressing the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) inaugural Port Royal Lecture series, on Tuesday (February 28), at the institution’s campus, Palisadoes Park in Kingston, the Minister said this is critical to preserving the marine environment. “The transition to sustainable ocean economies will ultimately...

To support the planned rollout of the National Identification System (NIDS), the Government will be advancing a public education campaign that is likely to commence in the first quarter of fiscal year 2023/24. Speaking during Wednesday’s (March 1) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness, on Tuesday (February 28), signed a US$5-million contract for the implementation of an Electronic Health Records (EHR) System in the public health sector. The system will be rolled out over the next 18 months in 13 health centres and hospitals across the island. United Kingdom (UK)-based firm, The Phoenix Partnership (TPP), is the entity...

The Government is looking to establish a performance management system for the new public-sector compensation regime, now being implemented across ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs). Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the announcement during Wednesday’s (March 1) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives, whose members commenced deliberations on...

At least three of the seven Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Academies to be built in Jamaica will facilitate residential accommodation. Executive Director of the National Education Trust (NET), Latoya Harris-Ghartey, disclosed the details during an interview with JIS News. “The aim is to have a mix. So, the schools are being proposed to be near urban centres...

The Constitutional Reform Committee, which will play a key role in ensuring Jamaica’s smooth transition to a Republic, has now been constituted. Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte, who made the disclosure during the sitting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House, on March 1, said the work will begin today. “The committee has been...