The Senate, on Friday (June 23), started a debate on the public-sector pension reform Bills. The Pensions (Public Service) Act 2017 and the Constitution (Amendment) (Establishment Fund) (Payment of Pensions) Act 2017 were passed in the House of Representatives earlier this year, with approximately 38 amendments. Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, who piloted the...

Acting Chief Technical Director at the Office of the Prime Minister, Jacqueline Lynch-Stewart, says the implementation of the National Identification System (NIDS) is important, as it will become the primary source for identity assurance, authentication and verification of Jamaican nationals. She said it will improve the governance and management of social, economic and security programmes. “The National Identification System project...

With the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season now underway, the ministries and agencies of government responsible for welfare assistance, clearing of roads, and disaster preparedness, are reporting that they are ready for any eventualities. Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Dionne Jennings, says the Ministry is prepared to respond if Jamaica is affected by a storm...

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, says preliminary data indicate that there was a downward trend in school violence during the first four months of this year. “This has been the case for the past three years,” the Minister said on April 28, while responding to questions tabled in the Senate by Opposition Senator, Wensworth...

The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) will begin a massive multimedia campaign in May to promote the Disabilities Act. “The JCPD will be taking major steps to ensure that societal barriers (against persons with disabilities) are removed and societal understanding is increased,” said Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson. She was delivering the keynote address...

Come June 1, the Government will increase its budgetary allocation to the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) by 30 per cent. This will benefit some 360,000 persons who are on the programme, says Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Shahine Robinson. Making her contribution to the 2017/2018 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, on April...

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), on Tuesday (April 11), distributed mosquito nets and lids for water storage containers to residents of West Kingston. The intervention, under the agency’s $3-million SUPER 18 Zik-V Project, aims to minimise exposure to the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is responsible for spreading diseases such as the chikungunya and Zika viruses and dengue fever. A...