Issuing Of NIDS ID Cards To Be Piloted In Corporate Area
By: , March 3, 2022
Photo: Adrian Walker
Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Floyd Green (right), addressing Tuesday’s (March 1) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives at Gordon House. At left is Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke.The Full Story
The issuing of identification cards (IDs) under the National Identification System (NIDS) will begin through a pilot programme to be undertaken in Kingston and St. Andrew.
Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, said that the exercise is expected to kick off “early in the second half of this year”.
He was speaking during Tuesday’s (March 1) meeting of the Standing Finance Committee of the House of Representatives.
The Minister informed that enrolment sites will be established at post offices in collaboration with the Post and Telecommunications Department “so that we can maximise existing resources”.
He indicated that once the pilot phase is completed, “then we will roll out islandwide, and we expect [this to happen] towards the end [of this year] going into early next year”.
Minister Green said that the Office of the Prime Minister, under which NIDS falls, will also be partnering with the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) to assist with the full rollout of ID cards across the island.
Jamaica’s national identification system will provide a comprehensive and secure structure to enable the collection and storage of identity information.
This secure, voluntary tool can also verify an individual’s identity, facilitate the electronic signing of documents and securely access a range of government services online.
The Standing Finance Committee, which will met for at least two days, March 1 and 3, is reviewing the 2022/23 Estimates of Expenditure that were tabled on February 10.