DPP Offices to be Renovated

Major renovation will take place this fiscal year at the offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

This was disclosed by Minister of Justice, Hon. Delroy Chuck, during his contribution to the 2018/19 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives, recently.

“The present offices that they have, when I walked through them, they are congested and decaying. Therefore, during this fiscal year, we will be renovating them,” the Minister said.

Mr. Chuck further noted that the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will soon be responsible for all prosecutors in the court system, adding that the clerks of the court will soon come under the supervision of the DPP.

“So, you will have one major prosecutorial arm in Jamaica controlling all the courts of Jamaica. The prosecutorial arm of the justice system will further be strengthened with additional training, more personnel and better terms and conditions of service,” he said.

The Minister also pointed out that during the fiscal year, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions will be strengthened with additional staff.

In the meantime, he said that last year, steps were taken to improve the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel.

“With the help of the Department for International Development, of the United Kingdom (DFID), a Management Consultant was engaged to assess the deficiencies in the Office. Out of this assessment, improvements were made and the quality and quantity of legislation has improved significantly,” he said.

The Minister informed that during the last fiscal year, the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel completed 42 pieces of legislation and continued work on many others.