NaRRA Bill Rooted In National Urgency – State Minister Seiveright

State Minister in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Delano Seiveright, says the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Bill is rooted in a moment of profound national urgency.

“Hurricane Melissa did not just damage infrastructure… it exposed structural weaknesses. What has been missing is not the dream but the institutional machinery to turn that dream into delivered reality… and that is what the Bill provides,” Mr. Seiveright said.

He was making his contribution to the debate on the Bill in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (April 21).

NaRRA will serve as the central coordinating authority for post hurricane reconstruction, designed to eliminate bureaucracy, fragmentation, and project delays.

It will also function as a centre of technical excellence for project preparation and delivery, ensuring that the quality of national plans matches the scale of the country’s ambitions.

Mr. Seiveright noted that while the Bill reflects current realities, “critically, it is not unbounded – it is anchored by Cabinet approved projects”.

“So, you have Cabinet-approved Projects – Clause 17. We have Structured Programmes and Plans – Clauses 18 and 19… Full Auditing, as is standard, and Reporting – Clauses 9 to 11, and, of course, we have the Dissolution in Part IV [of NaRRA]. So, this is not a free-for-all. This is structured flexibility under law,” he stated.

Responding to concerns that the Bill prioritises speed over quality, Mr. Seiveright explained that the legislation is designed to facilitate costed projects, establish monitoring systems, strengthen climate resilience, and prioritise support for vulnerable communities.

“This is not rebuilding what failed… this is building what will last,” the State Minister declared.

Additionally, under the legislation, NaRRA will be required to maintain a register of approved reconstruction and resilience projects, including detailed descriptions and applicable programmes and plans.

Importantly, this register must be made available electronically for public inspection, ensuring direct transparency.

Mr. Seiveright cautioned that many countries have struggled in the aftermath of disasters due to poor coordination, oversight paralysis, and slow execution – lessons Jamaica must avoid.

“The difference between collapse and recovery is not the scale of the disaster; it is the quality of the response. As we have seen with Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Haiti earthquake in 2010, and Hurricane Maria’s impact on Puerto Rico in 2017, weak coordination, slow execution, and unclear leadership allowed confidence to unravel, sometimes for years,” he stated.

“For the United States, they are rich and powerful… so they will figure it out. Haiti, not so lucky. Jamaica has avoided that trap by restoring utilities quickly, mobilising credible financing early… US$6.7 billion from all the multilateral institutions, and establishing a clear institutional driver through NaRRA,” Mr. Seiveright added.

The State Minister further noted that the country, “has anchored confidence at a critical moment, giving businesses and the people of Jamaica a clear path to stability and growth”.