(1) Mr. Speaker, you would have been aware of the concerns raised through the various public media and other fora about potential environmental risks to the proposed Chinese investment in the Goat Islands and greater Portland Bight Protected Area. Indeed, the Cabinet and the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing have been giving consideration to these issues and have been...

Today, Monday October 1, 2012, Jamaica joins countries around the globe in observing World Habitat Day. This year the United Nations has chosen the theme "Changing Cities, Building Opportunities" to focus our attention as a people on the state of our towns and cities, as well as the basic right of all to adequate shelter. World-wide it is recognized that...

INTRODUCTION Mr. Speaker, my presentation this afternoon, to this Honourable House, is set within the context of the challenges being faced within the shelter sector and the policies and programmes that this Government is pursuing or is seeking to pursue to bring about meaningful improvements. Mr. Speaker, a new study by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) entitled "Room for Development:...

A:      INTRODUCTION 1. This is my 19th year as a Member of Parliament.  Have participated in every Budget Debate since my election to Parliament, either as Minister of Finance and Planning, or as Opposition Spokesman. However, first time speaking in Sectoral Debate. 2. Honoured to have been asked to open and close this Debate.  Sincerely hope that members on both...

Allegations included in a Witness Statement made in 2005 by murdered Chartered Accountant and former head of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC), Douglas Chambers, highlighted Tuesday’s (March 1) sitting of the Finsac Commission of Enquiry. During the sitting, the Commission heard witness, Jean-Marie Desulme, the Haitian-born former Managing Director of Thermo-Plastics and its subsidiary, Plas-Pak, accuse named members of...

THANKS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Approaching three years into my stewardship of the Transport and Works portfolios, I am happy to be now delivering the kind of strategic applications that are geared at modernising all portfolio areas. This first phase of delivery has come out of in-depth analysis of the pluses and minuses of the systems that were inherited in September 2007,...

Since the start of the year we have lost over 300 persons as a result of traffic collisions. This is a horrendous loss of human capital and I would like to use this opportunity to express my sincere condolences to every Jamaican family that lost someone due to traffic collisions since the start of the year. I know your pain...