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Government Senator Dennis Meadows has revived interest in the debate on the decriminalisation of marijuana (ganja) in Parliament. "What I am advocating is that ganja, at the level of spliffs for private use, (should) be treated similarly to a traffic ticket," Senator Meadows argued in his contribution to the 2009/10 State of the Nation Debate in the Senate on Friday...

Prime Minister Bruce Golding told Parliament yesterday ( Dec 8) that DNA legislation will pave the way for mandatory registration of a father's name on a newborn child's birth certificate. The draft for the DNA legislation is complete and on its way to Cabinet for review. The Prime Minister was responding to a question in Parliament from the Member for...

The Senate, yesterday (December 4), passed the Registration (Strata Titles) Amendment Act, with a total of 29 amendments. Deliberations on the Bill concluded, with three additional amendments, one week after debate commenced in the Upper House. Prior to Friday's sitting, the Bill had been deliberated on and passed in the Lower House on October 27 with 26 amendments. The Registration...

The House of Representatives yesterday (Dec. 1) began debate on a bill to validate the exemption of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) from the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Insurance (third party risks) Act from April 1, 2004 to November 20, 2008. This is by virtue of the JUTC having established and maintained a self-insurance fund, effective April 1,...

Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, announced today (November 24), that he is currently preparing a Cabinet submission, which would outline reforms to the administrative structure of the tax system. This, he explained, would seek to address key issues such as the separation of the process of domestic and international taxation, and positioning Ministries departments and...

November 5, 2009 - Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture, Senator Warren Newby, said that the launch of the National Youth Parliamentary Watch Committee will help put an end to the traditional notion that 'youth must be seen and not heard'. Speaking at the launch of the committee this afternoon (Thursday), Senator Newby said: "We recognise...

Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Investment and Member of Parliament (MP) for North West Clarendon, Hon. Michael Stern, has said that without a proper mechanism, such as an effective Public Defender to enforce sanctions against abuse, the proposed Charter of Rights and Freedoms will become another wasted effort. Mr. Stern said that cost is a...

Member of Parliament for Central Kingston, Ronald Thwaites, has joined the call for the establishment of a permanent Constitutional Commission of Parliament with powers to consult with and co-opt opinion from the general public. "We need to have a permanent body that is looking at our Constitution at all times," Mr. Thwaites stated. He was making his contribution to the...

The Senate has approved a motion urging the Government to intensify its policies and programmes supporting the growing and consumption of locally grown foods. The motion also urged the Government to establish a bipartisan multi-stakeholder task force, aimed at identifying the causes of the continuous increase of imports over the last 25 years and to make recommendations that can lead...

Finance and Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, has announced Cabinet's signing off on a discussion paper that will help to lay the groundwork for a review of the collateral lending framework for micro-financing. The move, he contends, comes against the background of the administration's cognizance of the role which micro and small businesses, and micro-financing play in moving Jamaica's...

Opposition MP for East Central St. Andrew, Dr. Peter Phillips, says that the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, now being debated in the House of Representatives, represents only "a way station" on the road of Constitutional reform. "It is not the final destination," Dr. Phillips noted, as he made his contribution to the debate on Tuesday (October 27). He...

The Registration (Strata Titles) Amendment Act was passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (Oct. 27) with 26 amendments. The Lower House had suspended the conclusion of debate on the Bill on Tuesday (Oct. 20), during the Committee stage of the proceedings, after issues arose on the provisions of Section 7, which deals with the procedure to be followed...