More

Arising out of yesterday's Cabinet sitting, Cabinet has scheduled a 4-day retreat for this Thursday-Sunday (January 7-10), during which it will deal with matters affecting the economy, including the status of the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Minister with Responsibility for Information, Hon. Daryl Vaz, said other matters which will be high on the agenda for this weekend's...

A new energy policy document, based on national consultations and comments from a wide cross-section of society as well as current realities facing Jamaica, has been tabled in Parliament by Minister of Mining and Energy, the Hon Jams Robertson. According to the Minister the document represents a revision of the Energy Policy Green Paper 2006-2020, which had been tabled by...

The Cybercrimes Act, with sanctions for the misuse of computer systems or data and to facilitate investigation and prosecution of such crimes, was passed on Friday (December18) in the Senate. Leader of Government Business and Attorney General, Senator the Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne, explained that the Act provides criminal sanctions for unauthorised access to and use of computer systems and data...

The House of Representatives yesterday (December 15) passed the Registration (Strata Titles) Amendment Act with the 29 changes made by the Senate. Prime Minister, the Hon. Bruce Golding, noted that the majority of the amendments involved the insertion of or changes to words, to give greater clarity. He said that some clauses were also rearranged. "These amendments in the vast...

The pace of the transformation of Government to satisfy high levels of service and efficiency is moving ahead. The Public Sector Modernisation Vision and Strategy Medium Term Action Plan have been approved by Cabinet for wider implementation across the public sector. This approval allows Government to benefit from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan for financing to train state employees...

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...