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KINGSTON — A sum of $8.7 million has been allocated in the 2011/12 Estimates of Expenditure, currently before the House of Representatives, to continue work on the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce’s Plant Breeding and Diagnostics Technologies project. With funding from the Government of Jamaica and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the main objectives of the projects are:...

KINGSTON — The Government, in its efforts to boost investment and job creation, has allocated some $22 million to the Promotion of Foreign Direct Investment in Jamaica project. The provision is made in the 2011/12 Estimates of Expenditure, currently before the House of Representatives. The main objectives of the project, which is being implemented through Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) are:...

KINGSTON — The Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation (JUST) project has received an allocation of $360 million in the 2011/12 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives. The objective of the project is to provide support to the Ministry of Justice on matters related to the planning and implementation of justice reform measures. For the 2011 to 2012...

KINGSTON — The Government has set aside $10.6 billion to continue work to improve the infrastructure in tourist centres 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 and Works, through funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), European Union (EU), Inter American Development...

KINGSTON — The Government will continue to target poverty alleviation in the new fiscal year, including an allocation of $2.8 billion in 2011/12 Budget to the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), an agency of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), to undertake a number of projects. The Inner-City Basic Services project (ICBSP) has been allotted the lion’s share of...

KINGSTON — A Fiscal Systems Modernisation project, aimed at increased tax compliance, reduced costs and more efficiency in the public sector, is to be instituted this financial year. Some $550 million has been allotted in the 2011/12 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representations, to implement the project. It involves reforming the Jamaica Tax Administration into a modern...

KINGSTON — The 2011/12 session of Parliament opened on April 14 at Gordon House with the ceremonial pomp and pageantry, highlighted by the delivery of the Throne Speech by Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir. Patrick Allen. Proceedings began promptly at 10:30 a.m. with the arrival of the Guard of Honour led by the Jamaica Military Band, with...

KINGSTON — The Jamaica Competitiveness Enhancement Programme is to receive $28.43 million in the new fiscal year to continue facilitating economic growth, by promoting specific reforms to reduce the cost of doing business. This will improve efficiency and the ability of businesses to compete in the global marketplace. The funds, which have been set aside in the 2011/2012 Estimates of...

KINGSTON — The study on adolescent dislocation in the island has been allotted $12.9 million in the 2011/2012 Estimates of expenditure, which were tabled in the House of Representatives on April 14. The project seeks to deepen the understanding of the causes and characteristics of adolescent dislocation in the Jamaican context, using a gender perspective. The project, which was slated...

KINGSTON-Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon Audley Shaw, tabled Estimates of Expenditure totaling $545 billion for 2011/12, in the House of Representatives Thursday April 14. The gross budget figure is approximately $556 billion but, minus appropriations-in-aid (daily incomes) which add up to $11.2 billion, it nets at $544.7 billion for the fiscal year. This is approximately $48 billion...

KINGSTON–The 2011/12 session of Parliament opened yesterday (April 14) at Gordon House with the ceremonial pomp and pageantry, highlighted by the delivery of the Throne Speech by Governor General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir. Patrick Allen. Proceedings began promptly at 10:30 a.m. with the arrival of the Guard of Honour led by the Jamaica Military Band, with its sweet...

New Financial Year This new session of Parliament opens against the backdrop of a global economic recovery that is proving to be slow, uneven and uncertain. The significant increases which we have recently been experiencing in the cost of imported oil and grain are a worrying reminder of what took place in 2008 when these prices reached record levels and...