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A Joint Select Committee of Parliament will be formed to examine the issue of dual citizenship. The move was agreed to during the sitting of the House of Representatives on Wednesday (January 19). Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, had made the recommendation on Tuesday (Jan.18) as he contributed to a motion brought by Member of Parliament for Central Kingston,...

The Ministry of Education has developed a Green Paper on Safe School Policy, which will, among other things, abolish the use of corporal punishment in all schools. The policy is to be submitted to Cabinet soon and tabled in Parliament by next month, said Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness, at Wednesday’s (Jan. 19) session of the House of Representatives....

Cabinet has approved the issuing of drafting instruction to the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to develop legislation for the establishment of a Jamaica Tertiary Education Commission. This commission will be the national oversight body for the tertiary education system. Making the disclosure January 19 at the first post-Cabinet Press Briefing for 2011, Minister with responsibility for Information, Daryl Vaz said that the...

 The Government of Jamaica has pledged J$1 million support to the Menzies family whose three children suffer a neuro-degenerative disorder. The announcement was made at this morning’s (Jan 20) National Leadership Prayer Breakfast at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel by Prime Minister Bruce Golding where he read the first lesson. The Menzies family is from St. Ann. The children, ages- nine; five and...

The House of Representatives has agreed that a Joint Select Committee of the Upper and Lower Houses would be the best medium to examine the issue of dual citizenship, giving particular attention to sections 39, 40, and 41 of the Constitution. In a debate sparked by a motion on the matter, brought to the House on January 18, by Member...

A Bill providing for the establishment of the Office of the Special Prosecutor as a department of Government was passed in the Senate on Friday, January 14. Minister of Justice and Leader of Government Business, Senator Dorothy Lightbourne, who piloted the Corruption Prevention (Special Prosecutor) Act, informed that the department will be responsible for the investigation and prosecution of corrupt...

The Commission of Enquiry into the handling of the extradition request for Christopher 'Dudus' Coke and the subsequent engagement of United States law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips is scheduled to get underway this morning (Jan.17). The enquiry will be held over 45 days at the Jamaica Conference Centre downtown Kingston. Hearings will be held Mondays to Thursdays from 9:30...

Members of the House of Representatives will pay tribute to the late former Member of Parliament and Minister of Government, Donald Buchanan, on Tuesday, January 18. Mr. Buchanan, who was 68 years old, passed away

Cabinet has approved the procurement and distribution of Grades One to Three primary integrated study text books and work books for 2010, to Macmillan Distribution Limited, in the amount of approximately

Cabinet has approved the appointment of a new board of directors for the Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) for a three-year term. Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz, said the appointments took effect on December 6, 2010 and will remain in place until January 5, 2013. He made the announcement during the weekly post Cabinet...

Cabinet has instructed the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to draft legislation to validate the acts performed by four members of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), who were disqualified from Parliament for having dual citizenship. The legislation, if approved by Parliament, would validate any acts, performed in good faith, in respect of ministerial and legislative duties by Members of Parliament, Gregory Mair,...

The House of Representatives on Tuesday (December 14) approved the first Supplementary Estimates for the 2010/11 financial year, which is $262.1 million lower than what was projected at the presentation of the budget in April. Capital "A" expenditure, which covers Government-financed projects, jumped from $133 billion to $135.3 billion, while Capital "B" expenditure, fell from $27 billion to $26.4 billion,...