Debate on the Evidence (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to introduce significant reforms in the justice system, was suspended in the Senate, on January 23. Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding, explained that this was due to concerns raised by Senators on certain sections of the Bill. “I have listened to the points made in the debate and I...

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. A.J. Nicholson, has reiterated that there is no need for a referendum on whether Jamaica should adopt the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as its final court of appeal. Responding to comments made in one of the daily newspapers on December 21, 2014, by former Prime Minister, Hon. Edward Seaga, who...

Debate has started on the Constitution (Amendment) (Local Government) Act, which seeks to entrench local governance in the Constitution. The legislation is in keeping with recommendations made in the August 1993 Report on the Constitution of Jamaica and the May 1995 final report of the Joint Select Committee of the Houses of Parliament on Constitutional and Electoral Reform. The reports...

Debate has started on the Constitution (Amendment) (Local Government) Act, which seeks to entrench local governance in the Constitution. The legislation is in keeping with recommendations made in the August 1993 Report on the Constitution of Jamaica and the May 1995 final report of the Joint Select Committee of the Houses of Parliament on Constitutional and Electoral Reform. The reports...

The Securities (Amendment) Act, which seeks to enhance the legal and regulatory framework for Retail Repurchase Agreements (retail repos) in Jamaica, was passed in the Senate on Thursday, December 18. In piloting the legislation, Minister of Justice, Senator Mark Golding, noted that the main focus is to provide additional protection for repurchase clients in the event of a dealer’s insolvency...

Legislation to amend the Transfer Tax Act was passed in the Senate on Thursday, December 18. The Bill, piloted by Minister of Justice, Senator the Hon. Mark Golding, seeks to provide for the exemption of certain securities of Collective Investment Schemes (CIS) as defined in the Securities (Amendment) Act 2013. A CIS may be defined as any system in which...

The Senate today (December 12) approved a Motion  to address the negative stereotypes that limit the learning capabilities of girls and boys. Opening the debate on the motion, Senator Imani Duncan Pryce noted that presently the education outcomes for both genders are very different. “Education output for girls and boys have been so different. I view the situation with our...

The first supplementary estimates for the 2014/15 financial year were approved in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, December 9. The estimates reflect an overall revised expenditure of $539.3 billion, representing a net reduction of $739 million against the original approved estimates of $540 billion. In opening the debate, Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, noted...

The House of Representatives has passed 22 Bills since the beginning of the legislative period in April 2014. This was disclosed by Leader of Government Business and Minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Phillip Paulwell, during a sitting of the Lower House on December 9. He also informed that of the 22 Bills, 12 have gone on to...