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KINGSTON — Cabinet has signaled its intention to accept the majority of the recommendations on the restructuring of the public sector contained in the master rationalisation plan. The move follows a detailed review of proposed changes to the respective ministries, departments and agencies under the plan. Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Project, Hon. Daryl Vaz, addressing yesterday...

KINGSTON — A six-member sub-committee of the board of the Golden Age Home, Vineyard Town in Kingston, has submitted a number of recommendations to improve the conditions at the institution. The sub-committee was formed on the recommendation of Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government, Hon Robert Montague, after allegations of abuse and neglect were made in an article...

KINGSTON — The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) is proposing new laws to control journalists interviewing children and other persons who are victims of trauma and witnesses to crimes. Executive Director of the Commission, Cordell Green, made the remark while speaking at the St. Catherine Stakeholders’ meeting, recently, at the Social Development Commission (SDC) conference room in Spanish Town. The...

MONTEGO BAY — The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has continued its quest to keep residents of Trelawny abreast of development plans for the town of Falmouth, through meetings and consultations. The latest of these meetings was on Thursday April 14, when UDC representatives, led by General Manager, Joy Douglas, made a presentation at the monthly meeting of the Trelawny Parish...

MANDEVILLE — Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, Senator Warren Newby, has lauded the value-added products developed by the Jamaica 4-H Clubs, noting that they can be part of the economic transformation of the country. He was addressing the Jamaica 4-H Clubs National Achievement Expo 2011 held on Friday April 15 at the Denbigh Showground in...

The Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica (BCJ) is looking to acquire a content monitoring system, as it seeks to more closely scrutinise the electronic media and rid the airwaves of inappropriate content. Speaking at a stakeholders meeting  held at the Social Development Commission (SDC) conference room in Spanish Town, St. Catherine  yesterday (April 13), Executive Director of the BCJ, Cordell Green,...

The Joint Select Committee appointed to review the Access to Information Act has recommended that the Official Secrets Act be repealed and that the Access to Information (ATI) Unit become a statutory body. Information Minister, Daryl Vaz tabled the report of the Committee on April 14 in the House of Representatives. He said the ATI Unit must be empowered to...

KINGSTON — Head of the Economics and Social Development Section, Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Jamaica, Helen Jenkinson says the entity is to undertake an evaluation of the recently concluded EU-funded Private Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in Jamaica. The PSDP was a €26.17 million five-year joint initiative, established in 2004 between the Government of Jamaica and the EU,...

KINGSTON — Government and private sector agencies are being urged to maintain proper records as a key part of the process of national development. Government Archivist at the Jamaica Archives and Records Department (JARD), Claudette Thomas, said good records management is an ordinary and essential component of a business operation and is intertwined with increased transparency, accountability and good governance....

PORT ANTONIO — Members of 4-H clubs in St. Mary displayed their many talents at the annual St. Mary 4-H Achievement Day, held at the Llanrunmey Estate near Port Maria, on April 7, under the theme: ‘Value added agriculture for youth transformation’. The event featured various projects prepared by the various clubs, the staging of competitive events among the clubs,...

KINGSTON — The 70,000-strong Jamaica 4-H Movement is looking to increase its membership by 10,000 over the next three years as it seeks to reach more of the country’s young people. “We have empowered 70,000 clubbites island wide over the last 70 years, and we are aiming at 100,000 clubbites within the next three years,” said 4-H Public Relations and...

As of Thursday April 14 the ad valorem tax on fuel will be reduced from 15% to 10%.  This will result in lowering of petrol prices at the pump of between $4 and $5 per litre. This temporary measure is to cushion the impact of rising oil prices on the world market on local consumers, and will be reviewed on...