Draft Housing Policy To Be Advanced To White Paper For Tabling In Parliament

Work on the draft National Housing Policy and Implementation Plan is being finalised during the 2022/23 fiscal year, to advance it to a White Paper.

Speaking in the House of Representatives recently, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington, said the draft document is currently being revised in keeping with the feedback obtained from the consultative process.

He said for the 2021/2022 fiscal year, the activities undertaken to advance the process included updating of the draft document in keeping with the comments of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC), Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and updating the statistical data included in the policy; circulating the updated Policy to more than 20 ministries, agencies and departments (MDAs) for review and comments; incorporating comments received, and the revision of updated policy document by a Technical Review Committee.

Minister Warmington said the Draft National Housing Policy and Implementation Plan was also subjected to a gender-proofing exercise.

The assessment, funded by the Caribbean Development Bank, sought to ensure that the provisions are in keeping with Sustainable Development Goal number five, which promotes equal access to housing and the protection of women and girls from discriminatory policies and practices, in relation to housing and land rights.

“The draft policy was amended, considering this assessment. The draft Policy and the attendant Cabinet Submission are being finalised for the consideration and approval by Cabinet to facilitate tabling in the Houses of Parliament as a White Paper within the 2022/2023 fiscal year,” he said