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The Government’s drive to reduce the country's poverty level has been advanced with an allocation of $18 million for the Social Protection Support to Food Price Crisis project, in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, currently before the House of Representatives. The project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security through funding from the Inter-American Development...

The Government has set aside $2.25 billion to continue work to improve the infrastructure along the northern coast of Jamaica. This will be done under the Northern Jamaica Development Project, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing, through funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), European Union (EU), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Overseas Economic...

Activities under the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Local Offenders and Deported Persons programme should be significantly enhanced this year, through a $507 million provision in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. With support funding from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the project is intended to reduce the rate of re-offending amongst local...

In a continued bid to reform the public sector, $272 million has been set aside for the Public Sector Modernisation Programme II in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. Being implemented by the Office of the Cabinet with funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Government of Jamaica, the project seeks to enable...

The Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP) is set to receive a cash injection of $1.07 billion to carry out its work this fiscal year. This is set out in the 2012/2013 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. With funding support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Department for International Development (DFID), the project aims...

Activities under the Rehabilitation and Reintegration of Local Offenders and Deported Persons programme should be significantly enhanced this year, through a $81.2 million provision in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, which is now before the House of Representatives. With support funding from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the project is intended to reduce the rate of re-offending amongst local...

The Government is to continue work on the development of a National Spatial Plan for the country this year, following the allocation of an additional $14 million in the 2012/13 Estimates of Expenditure, currently before the House of Representatives. The plan, work on which commenced in January 2010, is being tailored to provide the strategic spatial framework to guide urban...

The Jamaica Economical Housing Project has been given $1.35 billion in the 2012/2013 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The project seeks to upgrade infrastructure (water, sewer and roads) in rural communities of St. Ann and St. Elizabeth; provide affordable housing solutions in St. Elizabeth; and to alleviate the deficit of housing solutions in St. Ann, by...

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most. Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, on May 14 implored parliamentarians from across the Commonwealth, to show respect for the views of others during House sittings, as a demonstration of their commitment to the process of democracy. “I suggest that as parliamentarians, you view this matter of civility and respectful discourse in parliament as not just a...

The Government has put forward a budget of $612.4 billion for 2012/13, with $375 billion earmarked for Recurrent (house-keeping) expenses and $237.4 billion for Capital (development) obligations. Details of these projections are included in the Estimates of Expenditure, which were tabled in the House of Representatives on Thursday May 10th by Minister of Finance, Planning and Public Service, Hon. Dr....

The 2012/2013 session of Parliament began Thursday May 10, at Gordon House, with the traditional pomp and pageantry, and highlighted by the delivery of the Throne Speech by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir. Patrick Allen, at 11:00 a.m. A small group of supporters who gathered at Duke Street cheered  members of both political parties as they arrived. The...

As the Government moves to improve the number and quality of Bills passed in the Houses of Parliament, approximately 32 Bills will be approved during this legislative year. This was disclosed by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, as he delivered the Throne Speech in Gordon House, on May 10, to mark the opening of the new...