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The landmark Sexual Offences Bill, which reforms and amalgamates various laws relating to rape, incest and other sexual offences, was finally passed by the Senate on Friday (July 17). The Bill will repeal the Incest (Punishment) Act, as well as several provisions of the Offences Against the Person Act. It also provides for the establishment of a Sex Offenders Registry,...

The Senate welcomed former Resident Magistrate, Marlene Malahoo Forte, as its newest member, after she was sworn in at Gordon House on Friday (July 17). President of the Senate, the Hon. Oswald Harding, joined the members in welcoming Mrs. Malahoo Forte, adding that he looked forward to her contributions to the debates. Opposition member, Senator K.D. Knight, said he believes...

Debate on the Sexual Offences Bill will resume on Friday (July 17), when the Senate reconvenes at Gordon House, Duke Street, Kingston. The debate should have continued last Friday (July 10), but was deferred to allow members time to study proposed amendments to the Bill, which arrived late for that sitting. The amendments deal with, among other things: sexual violations...

Members of the Senate, on Friday (July 10), debated and passed a Bill entitled the Trade (Amendment) Act, 2009, which seeks to increase penalties applicable to breaches of the Trade Act. The Trade Act provides for, among other things, the regulation of trade in goods, including the conditions of distribution, purchase and sale; and the importation and exportation, except under...

The Bureau of Standards of Jamaica (BSJ) has teamed with the Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE), to provide technical support in facilitating the development of a national building code. "This is necessary in order to regulate and control the design, construction, quality of materials and maintenance of our buildings, to ensure that any threat to life, health and welfare of...

Some 40 new greenhouses, which will be leased to small farmers, are to be established this year, through a project between the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Government of Jamaica. Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, making the announcement during his contribution to the 2009/10 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on July 7, said...

Special Representative of the World Bank, Badrul Haque, has noted a rapid decline in national poverty levels in Jamaica, from over 30 per cent in 1989 to below 10 per cent presently, although rural poverty remains high. "More importantly, if you look at the consumption of the poorest 20 per cent and the consumption of the wealthiest 20 per cent,...

Jamaica is likely to have in place legislation to confront commercial sexual exploitation of children soon, following the tabling of the Child Pornography (Prevention) Bill in Parliament, by Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne. The Bill notes that Jamaica currently has no law which specifically treats with or recognises child pornography as a distinct criminal...

The Senate has passed the Factories Amendment Bill, paving the way for the implementation of heavier fines for breaches of provisions of the Factories Act and its Regulations Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne, who piloted the Bill on Friday (July 3), said that investigations by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security have revealed...

A Casino Gaming Commission is to be established under the Casino Gaming Bill, which has been tabled in the House of Representatives by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw. The Bill states that the Commission will have regulatory functions over the conduct of casino gaming, including the power to grant gaming licences to persons to conduct...

The Sectoral Debate continues next week Tuesday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 8 in the Houses of Parliament. On Tuesday, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton will start the afternoon's Debates and be followed by Opposition Spokesman on National Security, Peter Bunting and then Member of Parliament for St. Mary South Eastern, Tarn Peralto. Opposition member for...

The House of Representatives has approved a resolution cutting the link between salaries paid to high court judges, and those for legal officers in the public service. The approval frees the Government's hand to award increases to the higher judiciary, without the constraint of having to extend similar benefits to its legal officers, thus paving the way for more substantial...