For the 2016/17 fiscal year, the Micro Investment Development Agency (MIDA), through microfinance organisations (MFOs), disbursed a total of $143.58 million to finance 1,396 microenterprises. The figures have been included in the MIDA 2016/17 annual report, which was tabled in the House of Representatives recently. Through a revolving pool of resources generated primarily from the Government of Jamaica/Government of the...

Registration of political parties will begin on January 2 next year, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has announced. In a Statement to the House on Wednesday (December 6), the Prime Minister informed that the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) is to formally start the registration process on this date, in keeping with the Political Parties Registration Regulations, 2017....

Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, says the Building Act 2017 is a major step for the country as it supports a resilient infrastructure and disaster risk reduction measures. “It seeks to protect health, safety and welfare and to make Jamaica resilient to natural disasters,” he said while making his contribution to the debate on the Building Bill in...

The First Supplementary Estimates for the 2017/18 financial year, which reflect an increase of $89.9 billion, was approved by the House of Representatives on Wednesday (December 6). Tabled in the House by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, on Tuesday (December 5), the Budget for this fiscal year was increased from $715.6 billion to $805.4 billion....

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), which was deployed to Dominica in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, has returned to the island, having assisted with rebuilding operations in that country. This was disclosed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, during a Statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (December 5). The team was...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the final report from the CARICOM Review Commission will be brought to Parliament in January 2018. “The CARICOM Report is still before Cabinet, and it will be addressed as one of the first reports early next year. In fact, I want to take it in the second sitting of Parliament next year,”...

Members of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee (PAAC) are now deliberating the First Supplementary Estimates for the 2017/18 financial year. It will then be debated in the House of Representatives later in the afternoon for its approval. Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Hon. Audley Shaw, tabled the Supplementary Estimates in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (December...