MP Calls for Review of Noise Abatement Act

Member of Parliament for South East St. Elizabeth, Richard Parchment, is calling for amendments to be made to the Noise Abatement Act, to extend the lock-off time for specific venues.

“I think this Act should be reviewed to take into consideration certain venues, which could be classified as ‘designated venues’.  It would seem that there is selective application of the law as certain events are allowed to go all night while others cannot go pass midnight,” Mr. Parchment said.

He was making his contribution to the 2013/14 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on June 12.

Under the Act, entertainment sessions must end at midnight on weekdays and at 2:00 a.m. on weekends.

Mr. Parchment stated that the Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment has reported that it is being flooded with requests for extension of cut-off time for entertainment activities with most of these requests coming from his constituency. “South East St. Elizabeth has become the entertainment capital of Jamaica,” he stated.

He informed that there is a new entertainment craze in South East St. Elizabeth called “night football and sound clash”.

“At the most recent staging of this event…over 5,000 patrons attended and this is the usual turn out which makes this event a phenomenal success,” Mr. Parchment stated.

He added that following on the success of the event, there will soon be a DJ/singer competition in which the winner will get a recording contract.

A recording studio was also built to develop talent from the constituency and it is now up and running.

The Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment recently held consultations with stakeholders in the entertainment industry on a raft of issues, including the strengthening noise abatement while at the same time promoting entertainment.

One of the proposals put forward is the creation of entertainment zones across the island.

By Latonya Linton, JIS Reporter