Gov’t Developing Legislation to Address Social Order Issues
By: , August 7, 2022The Key Point:
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Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.The Facts
- “NHT now has approximately 43,000 housing solutions on its books in various stages, from land acquisition to construction. When this period of our history is examined, it will be concluded that this was the era when we built the most affordable homes for Jamaicans,” he said.
The Full Story
Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness says the Government is putting legislative measures in place to address social order issues affecting the country.
Speaking during his Independence Day message on August 6, Mr. Holness noted that the new Road Traffic Regulations, which will come into effect this year, will go a far way in bringing order to the nation’s roads.
The Prime Minister further informed that a new scheme to effectively deal with the proliferation, trade, and use of firearms is now in Parliament and will come into effect this year.
“This new law will change the risk-reward factor by significantly increasing the penalty for possession and use of illegal firearms. We will have a slate of new protections for our people, starting with a new Bail Act, an Enhanced Security Measures Act, and a revised Zones of Special Operations Act,” Mr. Holness said.
“We will also review the Offences Against the Persons Act, the Sexual Offences Act and the Domestic Violence Act. All these will create a robust and modern framework relevant to the issues at hand to secure social order,” he added.
On another matter, Mr. Holness said the National Housing Trust (NHT) and the Housing Agency of Jamaica have been redirected to focus, almost exclusively, on affordable housing.
“NHT now has approximately 43,000 housing solutions on its books in various stages, from land acquisition to construction. When this period of our history is examined, it will be concluded that this was the era when we built the most affordable homes for Jamaicans,” he said.